Guided 10-day surfing adventures for backpackers

Crowdy Bay National Park

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Overview

Learn to surf as you explore some of Australia’s most beautiful coastal landscapes on this unforgettable 10-day surf trip with the friendly guides of Australian Surfing Adventures. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the Australian way of life and expand your horizons.

When
Contact Australian Surfing Adventures for schedule.
Accessibility
No wheelchair access
Grade
Medium
Price
Contact Australian Surfing Adventures for pricing.
Entry fees

Tour price includes park entry fees.

Bookings
Bookings required. Book online or email or call Australian Surfing Adventures on 1300 499 617.
Please note
  • This tour runs for 10 days and 9 nights.
  • Tours run between Sydney and Brisbane. You can choose to depart from either city.
Book now

Sign up for the experience of a lifetime on this guided surfari by Australian Surfing Adventures. Travelling in comfortable minibuses, you'll visit beautiful national parks to soak up endless surf and sun at stunning beaches. The tour also takes in plenty of other scenic highlights and hidden gems along the way.

With beachfront accommodation, meals and a surf lesson included you’ll be free to focus on riding the waves. This experience also includes morning yoga, and a professional photo package too. If you’re feeling adventurous, opt for extras like lighthouse tours and skateboarding excursions. 

Australian Surfing Adventures is a licensed commercial tour operator with a Parks Eco Pass.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/guided-tours/guided-10-day-surfing-adventures-for-backpackers/local-alerts

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Australian Surfing Adventures logo. Photo © Australian Surfing Adventures

Park info

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Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about Guided 10-day surfing adventures for backpackers.

Getting there and parking

Get driving directions

Get directions

    Contact Australian Surfing Adventures for directions.

    Parking

    Contact Australian Surfing Adventures for information on parking.

    Maps and downloads

    Accessibility

    Disability access level - no wheelchair access

    Learn more

    Guided 10-day surfing adventures for backpackers is in Crowdy Bay National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

    Gifts of nature

    Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae), Crowdy Bay National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    The views may grab the headlines, but within the park are more secretive delights that change with the seasons. These include rolling dunes that spring to life with wildflowers and migratory birds that populate the lagoons. There are lots of great lookouts to spot whales from as they migrate along the coast in winter or watch ospreys and falcons circle in the skies. Not to mention, kangaroos, koalas and cockatoos galore. Christmas visitors will receive an extra gift, Crowdy Bay's famous festive season blooms of Christmas bells.

    • Mermaid lookout track Mermaid lookout track takes you on a tour of Crowdy Bay National Park's secret surprises. Secluded coves, sweeping beaches and mountain views await you on this short hike.
    • Metcalfes walking track Get up close with nature on Metcalfes walking track, which links Indian Head and Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park. It's a family friendly hike and the kids might even spot a koala.

    Past present

    Kylies lookout, Crowdy Bay National Park. Photo: Debby McGerty

    The Birpai People have climbed the headlands, swum in the rivers, crossed the sand dunes and walked the beaches of Crowdy Bay National Park for thousands of years. The sea and forest areas were a rich food source for the Birpai People, providing fish, shellfish, wallabies and berries. The park protects a number of Aboriginal sites, like shell middens and campsites, the oldest of which are about 6,000 years old. The park continues to be an important place for local Aboriginal people today.

    Postcard perfect

    Split Rock, Crowdy Bay National Park. Photo: David Finnegan

    This spectacular environment is truly something to write home about. If you can't find the words, try these - panoramic, breathtaking, even gobsmacking. Then again, you'll probably be too busy exploring the tracks, gazing agape at the huge rock arches, communing with wildlife or throwing a line to write lines on a postcard.

    • Crowdy Gap walking track The short and sweet Crowdy Gap walking track in Crowdy Bay National Park, near Taree, offers a stroll through rainforest with scenic views and the chance to see koalas.
    • Diamond Head Loop walk Diamond Head loop walk offers scenic coastal views across Crowdy Bay National Park. Expect beaches, lookouts, and glinting rock faces, giving Diamond Head its name.

    Writers' retreat

    Kylies walk in campground, Crowdy Bay National Park. Photo: Debby McGerty

    During World War II, the Australian author Kylie Tennant moved to Laurieton where she met the reclusive Ernie Metcalfe, a farmer who grazed cattle on Diamond Head. Ernie built Kylie a timber slab hut to use as a writer's retreat. In return, Kylie portrayed Metcalfe and Crowdy Bay in the book The Man on the Headland. Kylie Tennant donated the hut and the surrounding land to Crowdy Bay National Park in 1976. If you're walking along Metcalfe walking track, stop to have a look inside Kylie's hut.

    • Kylies Hut Visit Kylies Hut along Metcalfes walking track in Crowdy Bay National Park, near Port Macquarie. The historic hut was used as a writer’s retreat by award-winning Australian novelist Kylie Tennant.

    Plants and animals protected in this park

    Animals

    • White-bellied sea eagle. Photo: John Turbill

      White-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)

      White-bellied sea eagles can be easily identified by their white tail and dark grey wings. These raptors are often spotted cruising the coastal breezes throughout Australia, and make for some scenic bird watching. Powerful Australian birds of prey, they are known to mate for life, and return each year to the same nest to breed.

    • Brown-striped frog. Photo: Rosie Nicolai/OEH

      Brown-striped frog (Lymnastes peronii)

      One of the most common frogs found in Australia, the ground-dwelling brown-striped frog lives in ponds, dams and swamps along the east coast. Also known as the striped marsh frog, this amphibian grows to 6.5cm across and has a distinctive ‘tok’ call that can be heard all year round.

    • Lace monitor, Daleys Point walking track, Bouddi National Park. Photo: John Yurasek

      Lace monitor (Varanus varius)

      One of Australia’s largest lizards, the carnivorous tree-dwelling lace monitor, or tree goanna, can grow to 2m in length and is found in forests and coastal tablelands across eastern Australia. These Australian animals are typically dark blue in colour with whitish spots or blotches.

    Plants

    •  Black sheoak. Photo: Barry Collier

      Black sheoak (Allocasuarina littoralis)

      The black sheoak is one of a number of casuarina species found across the east coast of Australia and nearby tablelands. Growing to a height of 5-15m, these hardy Australian native plants can survive in poor or sandy soils. The barrel-shaped cone of the black sheoak grows to 10-30mm long.

    • Grass trees, Sugarloaf State Conservation Area. Photo: Michael Van Ewijk

      Grass tree (Xanthorrea spp.)

      An iconic part of the Australian landscape, the grass tree is widespread across eastern NSW. These Australian native plants have a thick fire-blackened trunk and long spiked leaves. They are found in heath and open forests across eastern NSW. The grass tree grows 1-5m in height and produces striking white-flowered spikes which grow up to 1m long.

    Environments in this park

    Education resources (1)