Where to stay in Hat Head
A tiny village wrapped in national park, where a clear creek meets an empty beach and kangaroos graze on the headland. Here's where to stay in Hat Head, plus the beaches, walks and wildlife that make it worth the drive.
- Weather
- ·· Loading current conditions
- Best time to visit
- September to May for swimming and the creek. June to November for whale watching and cooler, quieter days. School holidays, especially summer, are the busiest.
- Getting there
- About a 5 hour drive north of Sydney. Leave the M1 or Pacific Highway at Kempsey, then 30 to 35 minutes east. The nearest airport is Port Macquarie, about an hour south.
- Location
- Mid North Coast, NSW · View on map
Why go
- Long, uncrowded beaches backed by Hat Head National Park
- Korogoro Creek, with calm, crystal-clear water that suits young kids
- The Korogoro Point headland walk, lookout and whale watching
- Eastern grey kangaroos grazing on the headland at dawn and dusk
- Some of the best beach, creek and rock fishing on the coast
- Genuine quiet, with no traffic lights, no crowds and no rush
The top 6 places to stay in Hat Head
Hat Head is tiny, so accommodation is mostly holiday houses, plus the Hat Head Holiday Park beside Korogoro Creek, which has cabins, caravan and camping sites. Most houses are bring-your-own-linen and book out months ahead for summer. Here are our picks, and the search further down compares everything else with live prices.
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- Our pick
Hat Head Holiday Park
Best forfamilies and caravanners in the middle of everything
The only staffed accommodation in the village, wedged between South Smoky Beach and Korogoro Creek with the shop and the bowling club a short walk away. Cabins, bungalows and sites, a kiosk, a camp kitchen and freshly done amenities. Book direct for the best rates, for cabins that fit a family, and for dogs on sites outside the peak; the online listings are more limited.
- Between creek and beach
- Kiosk
- Camp kitchen
Norfolk at Hat Head
Best fora family based opposite the beach
A three bedroom house directly opposite Main Beach, with the sand a hundred metres one way and the general store a hundred metres the other. It sleeps eight across queens, doubles and trundles, with a fenced yard and a gas barbecue. Bring your own sheets and towels, as with most houses here, and note the 9am checkout. The location scores a perfect ten with guests.
- Opposite Main Beach
- Sleeps 8
- Fenced yard
Muller's Cottage
Best forholidays with the dog in tow
A classic three bedroom cottage with two lounge rooms and a big fenced yard, 250 metres from South Smoky Beach and a hundred from the shop. Dogs stay free, with the firm rule that they live outdoors, and the rear lane access fits the boat. Character furnishings, bring your own linen, and the kind of easygoing house Hat Head holidays are made of.
- Big fenced yard
- 3 min to the beach
- Boat access
Alkira
Best fortwo families splitting something special
The flash one: a five bedroom, four bathroom house right on Korogoro Creek, sleeping ten, with decks over the water, a fireplace, a fire pit and an outdoor shower for post-beach rinses. The footbridge to the surf beach is nearby, and unlike most houses in the village the linen is supplied. Priced for two families splitting it.
- On Korogoro Creek
- Sleeps 10
- Linen supplied
Sandy Shores
Best fora modern house for a big group
A modern four bedroom house in the newer estate on the south side of the village, sleeping ten, with an enclosed outdoor area and an outdoor shower. The creek is 200 metres away and the surf beach a fifteen minute walk. The sensible backup when Alkira is booked or the budget says no.
- Sleeps 10
- Modern
- Enclosed yard
Hungry Gate campground
Best forself-sufficient national park campers
NPWS camping at the southern end of Hat Head National Park, five minutes' drive down a gravel road from the village, with twenty unpowered sites under the trees and the beach a ten minute walk away. Kangaroos at dusk, goannas by day, no drinking water and no dogs, so come self-sufficient. Book through NPWS; it is not on the booking sites.
- National park camping
- Walk to the beach
- BYO water
How we choose: guest ratings across booking sites, plus our own time in Hat Head. We visit every town we cover, and no place on this list has paid to be here.
Hat Head is the kind of place you drive to, not through. There’s no highway running past it, no traffic lights, and on a winter weekday you might have a kilometre of beach to yourself. The tiny village sits at the mouth of Korogoro Creek, almost completely surrounded by Hat Head National Park, roughly halfway between Crescent Head and South West Rocks on the NSW Mid North Coast.
Why stay in Hat Head
People come back to Hat Head year after year for the same reasons. The beaches are long and empty, the creek is clean and calm, and the pace is slow. It’s a swimming, fishing, walking and do-very-little kind of town. If you want nightlife and a strip of restaurants, this isn’t it; head to South West Rocks or Port Macquarie for that. If you want to switch off, it’s hard to beat.
Because the village is so small, accommodation is mostly holiday houses and the village holiday park, so it pays to book ahead, especially over summer and school holidays.
The beaches
The main beach stretches north from the headland in a long, clean arc of sand. It’s patrolled in peak season near the village and is good for swimming, bodysurfing and beach fishing. Walk a few minutes from the car park and the footprints disappear behind you.
To the south, smaller pockets of sand tuck in beneath the rocks. They’re worth exploring at low tide if you want a quiet spot of your own.
Korogoro Creek
The creek is the reason so many families choose Hat Head. It runs right through the village to the sea, and around high tide the water turns clear and blue, calm and warm. That’s the best time for a swim, and it stays shallow enough at the edges for small kids to splash about. Bring a kayak or a paddleboard and you can follow it upstream into the national park. A footbridge crosses the creek and links the village to the beach.
The headland walk and whale watching
Korogoro Point, the “hat” that gives the town its name, rises at the southern end of the beach. A short track climbs onto the headland for wide ocean views and turquoise coves below. Between about May and November, humpback whales pass close to shore on their migration, and you’ll often see dolphins and sea eagles through the year.
Early morning and late afternoon are also when the eastern grey kangaroos come out to graze on the headland grass above the surf. Keep your distance, keep dogs on a lead, and you’ll get the photo of the trip.
Things to do
- Swim the patrolled beach or the calm creek
- Fish the beach, the creek mouth or the rocks
- Walk the Korogoro Point headland track and the national-park trails
- Watch for whales from the cliffs in winter and spring
- Spot wildlife, from kangaroos and water dragons to goannas and sea eagles
- Surf the beach breaks, or float and do nothing at all
Food and coffee
Hat Head is tiny, so there are not many options, but the ones you have are good. The General Store (the General Grocer) is the hub of the village, with groceries, supplies and the post office. Captain Salty is the spot for coffee, smoothies, burgers and fish and chips, though it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Past that, bring what you need, because the nearest supermarket is in Kempsey or South West Rocks.
Getting there
Hat Head is about a five hour drive north of Sydney (around 460 km) and about four hours south of Byron Bay. Leave the Pacific Highway or M1 at Kempsey, then it’s a scenic 30 to 35 minutes east to the coast. The nearest airport is Port Macquarie, about an hour south, and Coffs Harbour is roughly 90 minutes north. The closest train station is Kempsey on the regional XPT line.
Good to know
The village is small and there is no supermarket, so do a big shop in Kempsey or South West Rocks before you arrive. Mobile reception can be patchy, which is part of the appeal. Pack reef-safe sunscreen, insect repellent for the warmer months, and everything you need for the beach and the creek.
For local questions, or to see what’s on around town from music nights to other events, the Hat Head Facebook group is a good place to ask.
Local tip: visit midweek or just outside school holidays and you’ll have the place almost to yourself.
Walks and hikes near Hat Head
Coast, headland and rainforest tracks worth the boots, each with directions to the trailhead.
Korogoro walking track
The headland loop that gives the town its name. The track climbs Korogoro Point through littoral rainforest and heath, with wide ocean views, turquoise coves below the cliffs and whales offshore between May and November. It is rocky and uneven in places and the climbs are short but steep, so wear proper shoes and check for track alerts after heavy weather.
Getting to the startBoth national park tracks start from The Gap car park at the southern end of the village, in Hat Head National Park. From the village, follow the road and the signs south to The Gap. View on map
Connors walking track
A quieter coastal track running south from The Gap to Kemps Headland, past grassy clifftops, a blowhole and the secluded sand of Connors and O'Connors beaches. Most of it is open to the sun and wind, so take water and a hat.
Getting to the startSame start as the Korogoro loop, at The Gap car park. It is a one way walk to Kemps Headland, so either turn back the way you came or leave a second car at the southern end. View on map
Korogoro Creek and Levee Circuit
The flat, easy option, a loop along the banks of Korogoro Creek and the levee. It follows the estuary through salt marsh, mangrove and paperbark, with good birdlife along the way, including a colony of rainbow bee-eaters. The track suits a bike as much as a walk.
Getting to the startThe loop starts on Kinchela Street in the village, though you can join it anywhere along the way. Park in the village and walk in. View on map
Surf, tides and wind in Hat Head
Live wave, tide and wind conditions for the open coast, updated through the day.
Tap an arrow for the time, speed and direction.
- Swell
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- Period
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- Direction
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- Water
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Wave, tide and wind data from Open-Meteo. Tides are open-coast predictions and can differ inside creeks and river mouths.
The Hat Head notice board
Ask a question or leave a tip for the next traveller. Notes are public, checked automatically before they go up, and cleared out now and then. Keep it kind and local.
