Cockle Creek

 Cockle Creek

Cockle Creek is a bay that is situated as far south as you can drive in a vehicle. Known for its whaling history and crystal beaches, you'll want to set aside plenty of time for a visit here.  It is comprised of two sections; free camping and National Park.

Free Camping 

Upon entering Cockle Creek, you are met with the start of the free camping locations. These are all on the right hand side of the road as you travel south as camping isn't permitted on the beach side of the road. The further you travel towards the bridge, the smaller the camp sites get so if you have a big group or a caravan, it's advisable that your pick the earliest location you can find. 

National Park Camping

Once you pass over the bridge, you're into the National Park. There's no mistaking this as you're faced with a large carpark and a beautifully designed information/ranger centre. Passing this structure takes you into the National Park's camping locations. There is one large camping area on the right hand side that is also the home to the water tank for replenishment of your water supplies. Although this area is more than capable of housing numerous caravans, the angle of the terrain would make it awkward for even a compact caravan to setup comfortably on. Beyond the large camp site, it's only single camping locations available but they are all flat terrain. 

There are toilets blotted all along the bay which may seem like overkill in the cooler months however during the summer months, these will all get a huge workout. December to February are by far the busiest times to visit so if the cooler temperatures don't worry you then that's by far the better time to take a trip down there.

Fishing is a common activity from the bay and while opportunities are available to catch fish from the beach and bridge, the effort verses reward is far greater by using a dingy or kayak to fish from. There are a number of walks available however they are all located within the National Park so make sure you have your parks pass if you plan to experience any of them.