The places we explored for 5 days on the mid-north coast of NSW, Australia with lots of photography opportunities.
It is June, meaning, really cold in Sydney and with the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, my husband and I decided to take a few days off work and go photographing. We planned to wake up early and do late nights star gazing shoots, five days of full time photography.
Since we just got an SUV, logically we wanted to go for a drive, and with the cold weather we had to point north, but we had only a five-day break. So we decided 5hrs north would be the spot which led us to the mid-north coast of NSW.
I picked Scotts Head as the point to stay since we wanted to explore north, south and west of the area. We settle with an Airbnb, one bedroom apartment close to town. As we were leaving, my mother sent me a message asking “Did you know, Scotts Head holds the Guinness World Record for the most reptiles, in one place, including the most venomous snakes?” My thoughts, “Crap!”.
A couple of days before departure, my husband started the symptoms of a cold. With hopes it would get better in a few days we kept the steaming ahead. On the day of the trip, the cold had settled, and he felt miserable. Still hoping the virus would go away, I loaded the car, and we hit the road.
The drive was easy, the road had a few other travelers who took the Friday off to prolong the long weekend but no heavy traffic at all, and after 5 hours we arrived at Scotts Head. Dropped out bags and head into “town” to get some supplies at the local supermarket. I was surprised, there were more shops than I expected, not many, but a liquor shop, small groceries, 3 cafes, a pharmacy and the Fish & Chips shop.
Getting back to our accommodation, I did a full check for insects and crawlies, but the unit was ok, so I was able to relax. Since my hubby was not well we decided that on day one we were gonna skip the early morning shoot to give him a chance to get better from the cold.
On the next morning I was up before the sun and was really happy because I was able to witness the sunrise from our unit. The amazing thing was that every few minutes the view looked different, at one point with the full forest covered in fog and at some points with the sun. But then the rain settled in.
Driving north in the direction to Coffs Harbour, we stopped at Nambucca Head. It looked like a charming town but with the rain, we couldn’t see too far. In Coffs the rain eased a bit and we stopped for some fish and chips. After, we went for a walk down Muttonbird Island.
Looking at the water on the marina side, we were amazed at the amount and different species of fish. It was so pretty, like a tropical aquarium: Angels, Parrots, Rays and many others. I had the urge to go and buy a case for my camera to do some underwater photography, but it passed, I need no more gear.
Off course since I went all way to Coffs, I had to go see the Big Banana. We stopped, and I had a banana covered in chocolate, it was delicious! I realised frozen bananas are as good as any ice cream.
Bucket List: checked. Still, a few more “Big” in Australia for me to complete the list, I have only been to the Big Merino so it will take a while to complete the list.
With the rain settled in, the sunset was a bust and we retreated to relax and plan the next day.
On day two the weather started to collaborate, and my husband wasn’t feeling better. We decided to do some more exploring south. We drove to Crescent Head, a small town 30 min south. I was pleasantly surprised when we stopped for breakfast, and I got one of the best coffees ever (my favourite is coconut milk cappuccino) and delicious poached eggs with halloumi and avocado. Love when the food is much better than I expect.
By the time we finished, the sun was out but it was still cold. We walked on the beach, and I was enchanted with the town. Crescent Head had this really surf relaxed feeling, lots of the cars parked were small vans where people had their food and space for a single bed and they looked happy as ever. On the other side, a packed golf course, a real contrast. The sea was calm, and lots of families and young surfers were enjoying the clear water.
From the top of the headland, we spotted a group of whales, far on the horizon, but we could see the puff from the blowhole and from time to time one would breach on a jump. Not to be too overshadowed, closer to the shore, a group of dolphins started to play on the waves. At that point, there was little need to make sure I was ready to come back for a more extended visit.
On the drive back to Scotts Head we stopped at Smokey Cape Lighthouse. As we were walking to the top, a group of wallabies stopped near us to taste some of the grass. My little heart was so happy! I stopped to shoot with my Nikon 70-200mm and a 2x Converter so I would take close shots but giving them some space. After a while, they hopped away to find other grassy patches, and we finished the walk to the lighthouse.
Our last stop that day was to the Trail Bay Gaol but, unfortunately, it was closed. We found lots of spots to shoot but hoping my husband cold would be better next day we marked the places and head back to the accommodation for the night.
Day three, I woke up feeling sick. So now not only my husband but I started feeling cold symptoms, and the worst was feeling tired and weak, making my camera backpack feel like I was trying to lift a bus. We had planned to go for some walks around Ebor in the Waterfall Way, but we both felt crap. Re-planning: driving the Waterfall Way to Armidale. So we did.
The drive was beautiful, but, unfortunately, the area is under severe drought, so the waterfalls were dry. The ones that were supposed to be the larger ones had no water at all. So, another location we have to come back.
On day four I was miserable, had not slept all night and since I couldn’t breathe we decided to take it very easy. We went to Scotts Head Beach and sat for an hour just looking. At the water and waves, we saw more whales again. We went into Nambucca to see some of nature on a dry day.
At our stop at Hungry Head, we saw some more whales and a pod of dolphins playing near the surfers.
After, we drove to Urunga and spent some time photographing at Urunga Wetlands Walk. An easy walk that is worth exploring more, I can only imagine on the shoulder seasons how many migrating birds would stop there since in the winter there were quite a few. A really intimate place to photograph birds.
To conclude our trip we went to Sawtell for dinner. By the recommendation of our friend Gail, we had delicious Mexican food at the Lime Mexican. If you are in the area, make sure to book or stop by for a drink. It is really worth it.
So, with all the best intentions for a photographing weekend, I don’t think I took more than 200 frames. But it was not a failed weekend, I took lots of notes of locations to shoot and places to stay so when I come back we are really close to the spots. Stay tuned because soon there will be more trips to the Mid-North Coast, no doubt.
Have you been in that area? What is your favourite spot?
ps: Sorry, if I sound winning, I still have a cold.
I’m Mrs Mitchell and in the last few years, I have been blessed to be able to explore and photograph some interesting place. I thought I share my experience and some tips with editing etc.