This month tour guide Geoff has put together a local favourite with a twist.
Start with a visit to the iKew Visitor Information Centre, 133 Nancy Bird Walton Drive. This thriving information Centre is open seven days a week from 9.30am – 3.30pm and run by a fantastic group of volunteers. Here you will find local produce and art for sale, not to mention a quick selfie with the ‘Big Axe’, one of the official ‘Big Things’ around Australia.
Start this drive from the iKew Information Centre, zero your trip meter. Heading north, turn left at the service station toward the village of Kendall. Kendall was the home of and named after, Henry Kendall, the famous poet, whose works are still enjoyed to this day.
Continuing from Kendall, at 3.3 km, turn right onto Logans Crossing Road. Cross over the Camden Haven River and continue until the 7 km mark on your trip meter. Turn left onto Herons Creek Road. The historic township of Herons Creek, where the Timber Mill, first established in 1915, a major employer in the district to this day.
At 12.4 km, exit the roundabout onto Bago Road toward Wauchope. At 15.6 km, turn right onto the Burrawan State Forrest Road for a quick visit to ‘Old Bottlebut’ a grand and ancient Red Bloodwood (Corymbia gummifera). When your trip meter is at 19.6 km ‘Old Bottlebut’ comes into view and is estimated to be over 200 years old, and with a girth of over16 meters, it is the largest Red Bloodwood tree in the southern hemisphere.
Head back the way you came to Bago Road and turn right. At the 23.7 km mark on your trip meter, take the left hand turn onto the Bago Winery road. Follow the signs on this road to the Bago Maze and Winery Explore the huge maze, the extensive range of wines produced by this 3rd generation family owned business.
Back out onto the Bago Road, turn left toward Wauchope, here you will find a town bustling with shops, cafes and parks, offering a wide choice of things to see and do. Why not pick up take-away or put together your own charcuterie board at the Hastings Co-Op IGA in the heart of Wauchope.
Head back through town, across the railway line towards Port Macquarie along Oxley Highway. Turn right into King Creek Road, take the second left into Sarah’s Crescent, and the second right into Forest Oak Road, go all the way to the end and find the hidden gem of Cowarra Dam Reserve.
There are picnic tables, BBQ’s, amenities and a great place to relax on the grass overlooking the dam, one of the local water supplies for the region…no swimming of course!.
Make sure you tag us in when you are out on the trails @visitcamdenhaven and #visitcamdenhaven