Things to do and Activities at Swan Lake NSW
click images below to display trail maps and national parks info
Things to do and see at Berrara.
Aboriginal for "Snapper"- obviously a good fishing spot.
Apart from the usual surfing, swimming, fishing, canoing, bushwalking, bicycle riding, here are a few suggestions:
Fishermans Rock
Walk either along the power pole track to Fishermans Rock or you can walk along the bottom track from the Berrara Lagoon Reserve – as long as it hasn’t been raining. Here you will find an excellent place to fish or picnic. The NPWS have provided picnic tables. There are aboriginal spear sharpening grooves on some of the rocks at this site. Follow the track further west and you will come to the little waterfall on Berrara Creek.
Walk to Walter Hood Monument via Berrara Creek and NPWS bush trails.
Continue past Fishermans Rock and cross over the little waterfall and follow the track to the end of Berrara Creek. There is also a waterfall up the creek a little further. Cross the creek and follow the signs. You can return along Berrara Beach. About three hours. Better to go with someone who knows the way.
Glanville Graveyard.
On the way to Fishermans, have a look at the Glanville family's private graveyard. They are situated behind the last home in Sundowner Ave and are fenced off with a fence that appears to be made of sleepers. This tiny
cemetery continues to be used by the family. There does not appear to be any other graveyard in the Sussex Inlet area.
A walk down to Mermaid.
Walk south along Berrara Beach to the rocky headland. Walk across the flat rocks and you will find the Mermaid pool. A beautiful natural swimming pool in the rocks. Watch it at high tide as water can pour into Mermaid like a waterfall. If you don’t feel like a swim, take some bread with you, sit up on the rocks and throw the bread in the pool and watch the fish feed.
Mermaid pool at end of Berrara Beach
Monument Beach, the Walter Hood Monument.
Continue past Mermaid, follow the path around the headland rocks, cross over the next beach, another rock shelf then when you come to what is commonly called Monument Lake, but is on maps as Nerrindillah Creek, look for a track leading from the bank through grass and bush north and this will lead you up to the Walter Hood Monument. The Walter Hood was wrecked on rocks off this beach on the 26th April 1870 with the loss of one passenger, the Captain and nine of his crew. There is a picnic shelter, water and toilets here. Unlike the photo below, no one can get this close to the monument as there is now a cyclone fence surrounding it.The Walter Hood was carrying tiles for St Marys Cathedral and some of the the broken tiles that had been washed up, were collected and spread around on the flat section where the children are standing. There are not many pieces of tiles and bottles washed up now, but in years past, it was very common to find them on the shore. The wreck lies in about 10metres of water and is a popular dive spot.
Walter Hood Monument at Monument Beach circa 1949.
Berrara Cove.
Berrara Cove rocks contain many fossils dating back millions of years.
The most common fossils on the "Cove" rock platform are of pectins (scallop like molluscs) and crinoids( long skinny echinoderms). They are lying in sediments that are about 240-280 million years old.
During the Palaeozoic Era Berrara was covered by a shallow sea and the climate was tropical or sub tropical. The world was a warmer wetter place then. However, towards the end of this era during the Ordovician period the greatest mass extinction in the earth's history took place. This was probably due to global cooling plunging the world into an extreme ice age. Berrara would have been engulfed by the polar ice caps. Species had nowhere to migrate to and 90% of life on earth disappeared.
Fossil information, courtesy of Dr.Graham Morgan, thanks Graham.
NOTE:
Look at the fossils and photograph them if you wish, but please don't damage or try to remove fossils or take rocks containing them, as it is illegal to do so. If everyone went home with a fossil, there would be none left for others to study.
Bushwalking
There are many excellent walks around Berrara Cudmirrah and Swanhaven. Ask a local, they will tell you the best ones for you to enjoy.
Berrara has chalets available in the caravan park for holidays and weekends away.
What to do in Cudmirrah.
Aboriginal for " home of the swans" named after the black swans that congregate on Swan Lake.
Cudmirrah is great for sailing water ski-ing sailing, surfing, swimming, fishing, canoing, bushwalking, bicycle riding, birdwatching and tennis.
Errol Bond Reserve on banks of Swan Lake Cudmirrah
Water Skiing on Swan Lake
Swan Lake is the dominant attraction in Cudmirrah.
All year round it attracts visitors and and locals alike to sail catamarans, windsurfers, water skiing and swimming. Cudmirrah also has good reserves such as Errol Bond Reserve with toilets, barbeques and tables.It is a great spot to have a picnic. I has a Post Office and General Store where you can have a cup of coffee and admire the view . Tennis courts are available to hire. They are located next to the Cudmirrah Berrara Community Hall and the Cudmirrah Berrara Rural Fire Service Brigade.
Two caravan parks, both with cabins are available for holidays or weekends.
Swan Lake also has the Swan Lake Sailing Club and meet regularly to hold regattas.
Bushwalks
Walk the loop of Goonawarra Drive out to the junction of old Berrara Road then turn left and follow Old Berrara Road back to Berrara.
Walk to the far end of Ski Beach, then follow the power line track through to Dyball Reserve. This track has been used for over 50 years by people in Swanhaven walking to the beach. It is a popular walk for locals and tourists alike. Great views of Swan Lake and the wildlife on it. Walk around the wetland area under beautiful Bangalay Gum trees. Look for the black swans on the lake. Walking south back from Dyball Reserve, Swanhaven, keep an eye out for a view of Pigeonhouse Mountain over the trees and mountains. Our Association is working towards having a shared cycleway/walkway over this track.
