Treachery Camp earns its name in the access road, not the campground — a sandy 4WD track through coastal scrub that requires decent tyre pressure management and a vehicle with some clearance. Get through that, and you arrive at one of the best surf and camping combinations on the NSW coast.
Treachery Beach is a long, powerful right-hander that breaks with consistency and quality when the swell lines up from the south or southeast. It’s not crowded the way that more accessible beaches get crowded; the 4WD requirement and the limited sites (around 20) keep the numbers down. On a good day, with swell running, you can have an excellent session with people you’ve chatted to at the campfire the night before.
The campground sits just back from the dunes in banksia scrub. Sites are fairly open, not heavily shaded. The pit toilets are functional; there’s a cold outdoor shower that’s more about rinsing the salt off than any real luxury; water on site is unreliable — bring everything you need from Seal Rocks or Forster.
Seal Rocks is 4km away and worth the drive regardless: a small, lovely coastal village with a general store (no fuel, note that), a lighthouse walk, and one of the better swimming beaches on the coast. Seals are often visible on the rocks near the headland, and there are regular sightings of Grey Nurse Sharks in the dive site around the point.
Forster is 50km away for full supplies — fuel, supermarket, bottle shop. Fill up there before heading into the park.
Fires in rings. Book through NPWS well ahead for school holidays; the combination of surf and remoteness makes this one popular with the people who know about it.