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Santa Barbara picnic area

Booti Booti National Park

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Overview

Nestled behind the sand dunes of Seven Mile Beach near Forster, Santa Barbara picnic area is a grassy spot that’s popular with surfers, families and day trippers visiting Booti Booti National Park.

Type
Picnic areas
Where
Booti Booti National Park in North Coast
Accessibility
No wheelchair access
What to
bring
Binoculars
Please note
There are no rubbish bins, please take your rubbish with you when you leave.

This picnic area has everything you need for a great day at the beach: toilet facilities, free barbecues, and an easy drive to the towns of Forster and Pacific Palms. Relax on the grass in the sunshine while your barbecue lunch sizzles away, or cool off with a dip in the ocean. Seven Mile Beach is a favourite among surfers and offers incredible views of the whale migration between May and November.

Santa Barbara picnic area is surrounded by coastal heathland which blooms with pretty wildflowers in spring. It can get busy over summer so if you need an alternative, visit Sailing Club picnic area nearby. It offers a shady rest spot on the shores of Wallis Lake, where you can enjoy kayaking or let the kids splash in the shallow waters.

If you want to explore the green stretch of bushland between the beach and the lake, set out on the Booti Hill and Wallis Lake walking track. It loops past the shores of Wallis Lake, through lush rainforest and twisted eucalypts. The Ruins campground is nearby, so you can make a weekend of it with tent, car-based or caravan camping.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

 

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Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in a tree. Photo: Courtesy of Taronga Zoo/OEH

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Park info

  • in Booti Booti National Park in the North Coast region

  • Booti Booti National Park is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.

  • Park entry fees:

    $8 per vehicle per day. Day passes are available from the Manning Great Lakes Area Office, Bulahdelah Visitor Information Centre and the Hawks Nest Newsagency.

    Buy annual pass
See more visitor info

What's nearby:

Things to do (70)

Tours (12)

Immersive stories (1)

Camping and accommodation (29)

School excursions (7)