Other Attractions
Attractions within 20 minutes drive away.
There is plenty to do at Smiths Lake and you could happily spend your days not going anywhere,
but if you feel like a short drive there is plenty to see.
Forster
Tuncurry
Forster is a 20-minute drive north and has a population of around 15000 people providing all the modern convienences you would expect for a large town. There are plenty of tourist attractions and activities to do in Forster, from dolphin and whale watching cruises to restaurants.
Blueys,
Boomerang & Elizabeth Beach.
Blueys Beach, Boomerang and Elizabeth Beach are just north of Smiths Lake. Blueys (which is reputedly named a after a cow which fell of the southern cliff) and Boomerang has become a fashionable and expensive destination for Sydney-siders seeking a quiet retreat. These two beaches and their hinterland make up the core of Pacific Palms and have a combined population of 500. They are both noted surfing beaches.
At Boomerang Beach's northern end is Charlotte Head, a massive rocky headland which rises up above the ocean. It is the southern tip of Booti Booti National Park, a popular coastal reserve of scenic lookouts, surf beaches and rainforest walks. Elizabeth Beach is the most northern beach in Pacific Palms.
Seal Rocks
Seal Rocks is a small, sleepy and rather isolated beach town south of Smiths Lake. Its fame rests largely on its beautiful lighthouse, Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse, which overlooks an unspoilt beach and the group of offshore rocky outcrops which give the area its name.
There are two main beaches at Seal Rocks. They are frequented by families as well as those that need boats launched. A tractor is used to push motor boats out from the beach.
Myall Lakes
National Park &
Wallis Lake
The Great Lakes district includes Smiths Lake, Myall and Wallis Lakes.
'Myall' is an Aboriginal word meaning 'wild'. One of the state's largest coastal lake systems with 40 kilometres of beaches and rolling sand dunes make Myall Lakes one of the most visited parks in New South Wales.
The Myall Lakes National Park incorporates 31 562 hectares of headlands, forests, swampland and forest fringes to the west and 10 000 hectares of coastal lagoons south of Wallis and Smiths Lakes.
These lagoons Myall Lake, Boolambayte Lake, Two Mile Lake and The Broadwater - are linked by narrow straits which form a continuous waterway joined to Port Stephens by the lower Myall River. To the east, between the lakes and sea, are high sand dunes with a good and varied vegetation cover. Along the seaboard are 40 kilometres of almost unbroken beaches. This natural combination has produced one of the largest, most complex and most interesting lake systems in Australia.
Bushwalking
Pacific Palms borders Myall Lakes National Park, Booti Booti National Park and the Wallingat National Park.
As you can imagine there are many superb trails in the area. Surrounded by water and national parks, Pacific Palms offers a truly beautiful coastal scenery, sub-tropical rain forests, pristine white beaches and three independent lake systems.
The walks recommended by locals are:
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The Elizabeth Beach to Shelly Beach walk. Short and beautiful. Walk from Elizabeth beach to Shelley Beach and finish it off with a Skinny dip and then explore the fossilized beach now to be found 100 metres inland at Shelley beach.
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The Ruins (Seven Mile Beach) to Elizabeth Beach walk. Over a large coastal headland. Booti Booti National Park entry to the ocean side of this walk is at `the ruins' camping ground at the southern end of seven mile beach. A short walk takes you to the top of flat rock. Be careful of the steep grade. Combined the ocean and lakeside walks cover 3.2 kilometres. This ocean walk is suitable only if you are fit. An easy entry is on Lethbridge Road, Elizabeth Beach. This walk gives a birdseye view of elizabeth beach and the coastline. The walk along the lake is recommended for the less energetic.
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Tallest tree in New South Wales. This is the tallest tree known in New South Wales, and it is a 'flooded' gum (Eucalyptus grandis) located about 100 metres east of Stoney Creek Road. The tree is 84.3 metres high and measures 2.7 metres through at breast height. It is estimated to be about 400 years old and would have been quite a large tree when Captain Cook sailed up the nearby coast.
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Visit the magnificent Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse at Seal Rocks and enjoy the natural rock formation. When the seas are high the rock produces a spectacular blowhole just below the light house.
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Climb to the top of Cape Hawke for 360 degree panoramic views of the Great Lakes.