Local Attractions
Surveyor George Evans crossed the plains in 1813 naming them O’Connell Plains. However, the quaint village of O’Connell was not settled until the 1820s, when the Sydney Road passed through the valley. The famous O’Connell Hotel was built in 1865.
More recently though (in 1974), the village was classified by the National Trust as the O’Connell Urban Conservation Area and is listed in the register of the National Estate.
O’Connell is a picturesque setting for relaxing or romantic outings for couples or for the family. It is situated 18kms south east of Bathurst
See the historic buildings dating from the 1820s when O’Connell was considered an important staging post on the main western road to Bathurst or visit the historic O’Connell Hotel.
Facilities in the area include picnic spots and a hotel with pub meals and rooms to rent.
Our Local Highlights
- Get Wet - Learn to Surf: Learn how to surf and have surfing lessons at Wedge Surf School, an ASI accredited surf school, located at beautiful South West Rocks. We have some hidden perfection surfing breaks for the experienced and one of the safest swimming and beginner surfing lessons beaches on the east coast at Trial Bay. A dedicated free surfer, Damion Treloar's passion is surfing and helping people of all ages and backgrounds, including disadvantaged youth and disabled people, get the passion.
- Skating on Thin Ice at the BIG Banana Ice Rink: Grab the family and head for the ICE for some cool holiday fun. The BIG4 Banana Ice Rink at Coffs Harbour provides a great day out and some unusual holiday fun during your beach break. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned skater everyone enjoys a spin around our rink. Ask our friendly reception staff for more details and session times.
- Swim with a Dolphin: For a truely memorable holiday experience there can be nothing more enticing than an opportunity to SWIM WITH A DOLPHIN. The Pet Porpoise Pool at Coffs Harbour offers this amazing experience to swimmers of all ages - all year around. Ask our friendly reception staff for more information, prices and directions.
- Paintball Fun for All the Family: Taken the kids for a great holiday - why not SHOOT THEM before you go home? Skirmish Down Under is a progressive and innovative paintball operationoperating from an exciting new facility in Port Macquarie. They ensure players have the best possible experience with a focus on FUN but with guidelines and procedures in place to provide a safe days entertainment. Ask our friendly reception staff for more information.
- Cuddle a Koala - or a Snake: The award-winning Billabong Koala and Wildlife Park at Port Macquarie is a great place for all the family to get close to wildlife - from cuddling a koala or a snake, to feeding a kangaroo and munching with the monkeys. South Wales premier regional wildlife park that allows you to get close up to all of the animals. Ask our friendly reception staff for more information and directions.
- Step Back Into History for the Day: Timbertown at Warchope is more than a heritage village! It's an interactive experience where your family can step back into the footprints of our pioneers, convicts and colonials. Set amongst 87 acres of natural forest, Timbertown is an entire village, re-created to demonstrate the struggles and achievements of the past. Ask our friendly reception staff about how your family can enjoy the present with a step back into the past. A great day trip!
- Top Gun Jet Fighter Academy: Turn your dreams into reality and become a Top Gun pilot for a day! Become a Tog Gun pilot for a day and fly your very own Jet Fighter Joy Flight with Australia's longest running premier adventure jet operator. Operating since 1996 JetFighter has been perfecting the quality experience you should expect for 12 years and has a 100% incident free safety record. Ask our friendly reception staff for more details about this high flying holiday experience.
- Trial Bay Gaol: Trial Bay Gaol opened in 1886 as a works prison and utilised in World War One as a German internment camp, closed in 1918. It is located in the Arakoon State Conservation Area just 5 kilometres east of the coastal town of South West Rocks.
Trial Bay Gaol is one of the most popular attractions on the mid north coast of NSW, Australia, with spectacular scenery ranging from the extensive gaol ruins, to the natural beauty of Trial Bay, the coast and beaches.
- Bushwalks Galore: Walks within Arakoon State Conservation Area and Hat Head National Park
Bridle Trail: Easy – 500m
This track links up with the Powder Magazine Track and the track to Little Bay, and starts at Cardwell Street near the entrance to the park.
Monument Track: Easy – 1 km return
Commencing near the Gaol, this steep but well formed track winds up through banksia heathland. A monument to the WW1 German internees is located near the summit, with views of Trial Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
Powder Magazine Track: Moderate – 1.5 km return
This track leads off Monument Track to the ruins of powder magazines used to store gunpowder during the construction of the Gaol and breakwater. The track meets up with Bridle Trail which can be followed to Little Bay or follow the main road back to the car park.
Jack Perkins Track: Moderate – 1.4 km return
From Captain Cook’s Lookout, this track descends through a series of plant communities including pockets of vine-entwined rainforest and dry woodland, emerging at North Smoky Beach. This beach is not patrolled, there are frequent rips and strong ocean currents.
The Smoky Cape to Little Bay Track: Hard – 6.4 km one way
This track can be done in the following sections or as one adventurous walk of 10km one-way.Gap Beach Track
From the Overshot Dam at Little Bay this track climbs steeply up Little Smoky Mountain, before descending through grass tree forest to North Gap Beach. Follow the road down to the littoral rainforest behind North Gap Beach and walk along the beach. From South Gap Beach, follow the road back up to Ridge Top car park and continue to the Lighthouse.
Green Island Lookout Track: Moderate – 3 km return
From the southern Ridge Top car park above Gap Beach, follow the track uphill through woodland. At the junction continue east onto the headland passing through beautiful displays of flannel flowers and paper daisies. Green Island is only 100m from the coast. Please note: From the end of Green Island Lookout Track, North Smoky Beach and Gap Beach can be accessed but this is not recommended as there is no formed route and the terrain is very steep and unstable.
Smoky Cape Track: Moderate – 4.4 km return
From Captain Cook’s Lookout this track meanders along the ridges and across the gullies behind North Smoky Beach. There are numerous cabbage tree palms and ferns where it reaches a junction. From here take: the Green Island Lookout Track continue along the Smoky Cape to Little Bay Track head the west to the Southern Ridge Top car park and down to Gap Beach.
Smoky Cape to Little Bay (or reverse): Hard – 10 km one way
From the more adventurous take a coastal walk from Smoky Cape to Little Bay. From Captain Cook’s lookout follow the Smoky Cape to Little Bay Track to the Northern Ridge Top car park, and either: walk down to Gap Beach, back up the southern road and onto to the Little Bay Track or walk along the 4WD Road to the junction (to a gate), back up Gap Road past the car park and onto Little Bay Track. A one-way journey can take up to four hours. Leave a vehicle at Smoky Cape or Little Bay to allow for car-pooling and avoid the return journey.
- Smoky Cape lighthouse: Smoky Cape was named on 13 May 1770 by Captain Cook: the name arising from the great amount of smoke from Aboriginal burn-off fires on the headland.
The lighthouse, first proposed in 1886, was to ensure the safety of the increasing coastal traffic on the colony of New South Wales northern seaboard.
The light was completed and first exhibited in 1891 and has several claims to fame.
With the dismissal of the renown James Barnet, who designed lights such as Cape Byron Lighthouse and the new Macquarie Lighthouse, and the abolition of his office of Colonial Architect, responsibility for future lighthouses passed to the Engineer-in-Chief for Harbours and Rivers. This marked the end of a lighthouse representing 'architectural excellence'. From here on most would simply regarded as engineering projects with less and less regard to aesthetics.
The other is the unusual feature of having a octagonal tower. This was because it was easier to cast the tower in the octagonal formwork than round formwork.
The material used to cast the tower was concrete with local granite aggregate.
- South West Rocks Boatman's Cottage: Opening Hours
Daily 10.00am - 4.00pm
Admission - Free
Address
Ocean Drive, South West Rocks NSW 2431, Australia
Phone - 02 65667099