The spot where a great river meets the ocean is always worth your attention, and Woody Head in Bundjalung National Park sits right at one of the best of them — the Clarence River mouth, where ocean beach, river beach, and headland all come together in a compact, beautiful package.
The campground is perched on the headland at the northern end of Iluka, overlooking both the ocean and the wide river channel. Sites range from exposed headland positions with sea views to more sheltered bush sites in the trees. A handful are powered, which is unusual for a national park campground and makes this accessible to caravanners who’d otherwise struggle to find spots this good.
Fishing here is outstanding. The river mouth holds bream, flathead, and mulloway, and beach fishing along the Iluka Bluff stretch produces good results on an incoming tide. If you’re not into fishing, there’s still excellent snorkelling on the reef near the headland when visibility is good.
The beach access is twofold — you can walk the ocean beach to the north, or head down to the river-mouth beach for calmer water that’s better for kids and less confident swimmers. The Clarence is enormous at this point; watching the light change over it at dusk from the headland is one of those low-key spectacular moments that make coastal camping worthwhile.
Iluka is 7km down the road — small town, good bakery, bottle shop, a small IGA with enough supplies, and a pub. It’s not a tourist trap, which keeps the campground from being overrun.
Fires in designated rings when conditions allow. Book through NPWS well ahead for school holidays and summer long weekends. Shoulder season here is genuinely lovely — warm enough to swim, few enough people to feel like you’ve found something.