NSW National Parks

Myall Lakes

Myall Lakes National Park is one of New South Wales’ largest coastal lake systems, north of Newcastle. National Parks describes more than 40 kilometres of beaches, with walking, kayaking, boating, fishing, swimming and surfing. Hawks Nest is one of the ways in. Tea Gardens Road, off the Pacific Highway, is another, toward the Myall River and Bombah Broadwater parts of the park.

The Lazy Pelican is in Tea Gardens, not inside the park. A day out here is a separate trip, with its own fees and rules. This page is the practical version. The park’s own pages are the authority if something below has changed.

The country

National Parks says the lakes have been listed under the Ramsar Convention since 1999, for a mosaic of near-natural wetlands: lakes and rivers, forested swamps, rocky and sandy shores, and offshore islands. Barrington Coast has described the same listing as dating from 1979. This page follows the National Parks account and the year 1999. The point for a visitor is the same either way. It is a wetland of international importance, on Worimi Country, and it is managed as a national park rather than as a town beach.

The Grandis is worth the detour if you like trees. National Parks describes it as a flooded gum about 76 metres high, one of the tallest in the state, in the Grandis picnic area north-east of Bulahdelah. Bulahdelah is the highway town National Parks calls a gateway to the park.

Getting in

From the Pacific Highway, National Parks gives three approaches. Tea Gardens Road for the Myall River and Bombah Broadwater precincts. Bombah Point Road for Boolambayte and Bombah Broadwater. Seal Rocks Road for the Sugarloaf Point to Shelley Beach side. Roads are listed as sealed, suitable for two-wheel drive, and all-weather. The park can still close for fire danger or severe weather, and the ferry has its own wind rule.

There is a vehicle ferry at Bombah Point, across the lake, listed as operating from 8am to 6pm daily. Strong wind can close it. Ring the park office before you depend on it. Fees are cash only. There is no EFTPOS on the ferry.

Fees and the ferry

Park entry was published at $8 per vehicle per day. You need a day pass or an annual pass. Day passes can be bought from the card machine at Mungo Brush, from the Manning Great Lakes Area office, or in the Park’nPay app. Annual passes are listed separately on the visitor page, at several prices depending on how many parks they cover. Those dollar figures were on the National Parks site on 7 November 2026. Check them again before you drive in.

Ferry fees published on the same visitor page, cash only:

• $2.50 per pedestrian
• $5.50 per motorbike
• $6.50 per car
• $6.50 for a caravan, trailer or boat trailer
• $10 per vehicle of 4 tonnes or more

Dogs are not permitted in the park. That includes the ferry and Mungo Brush Road. Certified assistance animals are the exception National Parks names. Generators are prohibited. National Parks are no-smoking areas.