Beach to bush: Woolgoolga, NSW

Woolgoolga (or Woopi, to the locals) is quickly becoming a beachside boutique town, on the north coast of NSW.

The aborigines called it ‘Wei-gul-ga’ which came from a tree that bore berries and turned purple when ripe. Woopi is also known for its Sikh population, where they have made this town their home, built amazing temples and hold festivals each year; but it’s the hinterland located close to the coast that holds many interesting features.

Woopi was settled back in the 1870s and prior to that the Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal people had this place all to themselves, with excellent fishing, plenty of local animals to hunt, and cropping in the fertile soil.

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By 1883, the early settlers saw the value of the timber in the hills and timber cutters soon moved in. Bush sawmills were established, and timber tramlines ran from the beach all the way into the hinterland to transport the heavy logs to waiting ships. With this, a huge (nearly 500m) jetty was built to accommodate the ships, to carry the timber away and to bring goods back to Woopi.

Originally, a shorter jetty was built by an early settler named William Pullen, but needing a longer one the government stepped in and extended it. Over the years, bashing from ships and storm damage soon made it unsafe. Sadly, in the 1960s the jetty was deemed dangerous and it was blown up and dismantled.

The infamous Buster (a local shipwreck icon) was moored here back in 1893 when a huge storm broke the ropes, and all 198 tonnes of Buster floated ashore where it now lays rotting away, only exposed at low tides after storms.

Timber and gold

In the bush, there are very few signs of any infrastructure the pioneers established; you might find the odd timber loading ramp and a 4WD track named after a bush hero, but nothing else.

The BAT (British Australian Timber Co) infrastructure has been pulled up, and rail lines and huge pulleys that ran cable to the hills from the harbour are now gone. The only significant piece of history left is a rail trolley with a log attached, hidden away behind the local art gallery.

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When the men logged the area, gold was also found in vast locations. One of the main mines was located right where the town pub (Seaview Tavern) is today; while up in the bush there are still shafts, drives and a section called Nuggety Gully where there was a small community.

Back in the 1940s there was a sugar mill around town, aeroplanes often landed and were tied up to the jetty, and the local community held horse races on the main beach. Bananas soon took over the landscape and at the turn of the century Sikhs were migrating to the town, where today Woolgoolga has the largest regional Sikh/Punjabi population in Australia.

Great Northern Mill

Where the bowling club now resides once stood the largest hardwood company outside of Sydney, owned by the Great Northern Mill. It was so large the company owned the tramlines that led into the forest. The first post office was built around 1892 inside a general store, but by 1898 a dedicated PO was built and was moved three times afterwards, finally finding a home where it is now in the original Woopi Plaza. Another building that has been lost is the Woolgoolga Theatre, which was built next door to the tavern up in River Street – sadly this building was never saved.

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Today, Woolgoolga is known for its natural beauty, where there are plenty of 4WD trails leading to stunning views across the region and waterfalls that fall into beautiful rainforests. Woopi is also now known as a whale-watching capital due to how close the whales come to the headland. A small consolation for the area is a heritage walking trail around town that allows you to explore and discover a few of the iconic buildings downtown.

However, it’s the proximity of the mountains that also attracts hordes of people to the area, with mega amounts of off-road, motocross and walking trails scattered throughout the nearby forest. From Woolgoolga’s headland you can see just how close the Great Dividing Range comes down to the sea, and apparently it’s one of the closest on the whole east coast.

I have been exploring and driving the tracks here for nearly 30 years, and I might sound a bit biased but there’s nowhere else better to explore – it’s possible to head into the forest areas and not see another 4WDer or bike rider for days.

How close are the tracks?

From Woolgoolga’s main street it's an easy 5km drive west to the start of the maze of trails. The area is known for a mix of touring and challenging tracks because of the Great Divide, and the ridge-top views are to die for. You’ll often see the ocean on one side, and then just down the road along another spur the views to the west across farmlands are just as grand.

With the amount of solid tracks around the area there’s really no right or wrong way to head, but just remember if you head down some tracks it may lead to a funky hill climb out the other side. Weather plays a role in some of the tracks along the ridge lines, as severe rainstorms often gouge out ruts in the soft, slippery soil.

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Several loop trails lead around different ridge-lines, down to waterfalls and along spur roads, eventually ending up in the next valley to the west at Glenreagh. The small country village has a bakery, a fuel and coffee shop, and a large dog outside The Golden Dog Hotel, iconic for its cold beverages and large feeds. It’s usually pretty packed on the weekends with locals, bike riders and 4WDers who head here for a feed then 4WD it back to the coast.

This region is known as the 4WD capital of NSW and there’s no shortage of challenging hardcore tracks. Names like The Steps, Jeep, Carnage, Cullens and the infamous Widow Maker will test both man and machine. Nearly all of the bush behind Woolgoolga is State Forest, so you can be rest assured there’ll be no locked-up areas; but active logging continues year round, so be wary of the warning signs and machinery. It’s definitely a bonus for 4WDers, as the machines clear overgrown tracks, fix rundown timber bridges and knock the lantana away from the tracks.

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Camping options are top notch in the area, too. If you’re happy to free camp there are many areas to pitch a swag and wake up to beautiful sunrises, or hop across to the other side of the ridge and watch the sun go down. Along the coast there are hip caravan parks, a couple of great showgrounds in the area, and fancy resorts on the shoreline.

I can’t think of many other destinations where you can drop the other half off at the shops, kids at the beach and head bush with your mates so close to the coast, yet be back in time for dinner after knocking over some pretty cool tracks. My advice is to find some locals to guide you, use a good quality GPS that runs detailed 1:25 thou maps, and head into the local 4WD shop for more advice.

The Coffs Coast seems to have it all sorted.

Fast five

Where

Situated on New South Wales’ mid-north coast, Woolgoolga is some 25km north of Coffs Harbour. With two Pacific Ocean beaches, the picturesque town is popular with adventure seekers offering whale watching, surfing and fishing, as well as access to mountain bike and 4WD tracks.

Accommodation

As Woolgoolga is on the popular-with-tourists Banana Coast there is no shortage of caravan parks, hotels and resorts to base oneself. For those who like to free-camp, there are plenty of excellent spots in the adjacent forested ranges.

Glenreagh

Loop trails through the forests west of Woolgoolga eventually lead to the timber heritage town of Glenreagh in the Clarence Valley. Here you’ll find the popular Golden Dog Hotel offering great food, beer and accommodation. It gets busy here on weekends but is a top spot for lunch before off-roading it back to the coast.

Off-roading

Woolgoolga is regarded as the 4WD capital of NSW, (the author might be a bit biased in this-Ed) as almost all of the bush behind Woolgoolga is State Forest where there are no locked-up areas and a maze of tracks to tackle. Try out your off-roading abilities and your machine’s capability on tracks such as The Steps, Jeep, Carnage, Cullens and the infamous Widow Maker. Plus there are great views of the coast and farmlands to the west.

The Golden Dog

Out the front of the Golden Dog Hotel is a 4m tall 6m long Golden Dog statue. The story goes that the Golden Dog was a gold nugget found by a prospector back in the day and, as you may have guessed, it was in the shape of a dog.