Destinations > Northern Exposure

Issue: July 2008

Words and photos by John McCann

Click here to read the article as it appeared in the magazine

Queensland's coastline isn't as unspoilt as it used to be but fortunately, the Byfield National Park remains a pristine natural wonderland.

The once pristine coastline of Queensland has unfortunately lost much of it's former, magical appeal over the past 20 years due to rampant grazing, agricultural and housing developments. Thankfully, there are still a few small pockets of protected land that the bulldozers haven't found, one of them being the magnificent Byfield National Park.
Situated approximately 70km north east of Rockhampton, Byfield lays at the bottom of the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area, which is one of the largest wilderness areas on Australia's east coast. While the vast majority of this region is strictly out-of-bounds and is run by the Australian Defence Forces, the southern tip is jointly administered as the Byfield State Forest and National Park.
The easiest way of reaching this idyllic coastal gem is to take the Yeppoon exit off the Bruce Highway 8km north of Rockhampton, then head towards Yeppoon 32km to the east. Apart from being a great spot to relax for a couple of days while you check out the beaches and tiny townships along the Capricorn Coast, Yeppoon is also a good place to stock up on your supplies for Byfield. Don't forget to purchase your $25 beach-driving permit from the Livingstone Shire Council at the local Tourist Office as you can be heavily fined if you are caught driving on the beach without one.
From Yeppoon, it's a leisurely 30-minute drive to the start of the 24,000ha Byfield State Forest. While conventional vehicles can easily access the three camping grounds in the state forest, it's definitely 4WD only if you want to continue into the adjoining 15,000ha national park section.
It's worth spending a couple of nights at one of the three state forest camping grounds at Byfield before venturing into the 4WD only section of the national park. Each camping area has it's own special features so it's worth checking them all out while you are there.
By far the most popular is Upper Stony Creek. This can be easily reached by turning left off the main Byfield road onto a well graded forestry road and following it for 11km until it ends at the Upper Stony visitor area. On hot summer days the creek here is often crowded with locals from nearby Rockhampton and Yeppoon trying to cool off. Freshwater stonefish called bullrouts live in Upper Stony creek so it's advisable to wear sandshoes if you are wading through the water as the stings from this little animal are said to be extremely painful. If you are unlucky enough to step on a bullrout make sure you receive medical treatment as soon as possible.
A well laid out picnic area with tables and BBQs stands on one side of the creek while open plan camping is on the other side. If you wish to camp here or deeper into Byfield at Waterpark Creek, you must book in advance online or by phone on 131 304. Permits for these two areas can also be obtained at the QPWS at Rockhampton, which is conveniently located along the Rockhampton - Yeppoon road.
There are three good walking tracks that start near the picnic ground. They are all relatively easy, ranging in length from the 900m Venusta Circuit through to the 5.5km Caribbean Circuit. The best of them in my opinion is the 4.3km Stony Creek Circuit that meanders through lush eucalypt forest along the banks of Stony Creek. Try to allow yourself around two hours for this delightful little stroll since there are plenty of things to stop and look at along the way.
Once you arrive back at the main Byfield Road junction it's 4.8km on to the turn-off to Red Rock Camping area, then another 1km along a gravel track to the camping ground itself. Set amongst a towering pine plantation, Red Rock is an open grassy site with plenty of flat spots for caravans. Although it comes in at the bottom on my list of the three camping areas in Byfield State Forest it does have a couple of points going for it that the others don't have. The main thing is that you don't have to book in advance, just pay for your permit at the self-registration stand when you arrive. The second feature is that it's the only camping area in Byfield where you can bring a dog. While this is great for dogs and dogs owners, (lets face it dogs should be able to enjoy the great outdoors too) dogs have a habit of scaring off native wildlife even though they have to be remain on a leash at all times.
To reach Waterpark Creek, which is my pick of the state forest camping areas, head back to the bitumen and drive 4km on towards Byfield before turning off onto the gravel and going a further 3km to the Waterpark Creek visitor area. This tranquil spot is situated along a beautiful creek and surrounded by a small patch of rainforest. Short-nosed bandicoots and native bush rats are often seen scampering around the camping ground at night, while in the morning you will most likely be visited by a scrub turkey or lace monitor (goanna) searching for any bits of food that may have fallen on the ground.
Make sure that you go on the 1.2km Bowenia Rainforest Circuit as it meanders through some magnificent vegetation including closed turpentine forest and ancient cycad palms. There are a couple of spots where you get great views over the creek but don't be tempted to take a dip, even if it's hot as a couple of large estuarine crocodiles are said to reside there. Campers arriving at Waterpark Creek after periods of heavy rain should bring along plenty of insect repellent with them as the hordes of mosquitoes can make this otherwise idyllic place a nightmare.

GETTING THERE

Byfield State Forest and National Park is located approximately 70km northeast of Rockhampton on the central Queensland coast. The nearest main town for supplies is Yeppon, 30-minutes to the south, or you can pick up fuel and takeaway food at the general store in the tiny village of Byfield, 2km north of the Waterpark Creek turn-off.

STAYING THERE

You have a choice of three camping grounds in Byfield State Forest - Upper Stony Creek, Waterpark Creek and Red Rock as well as Five Rocks and beach camping in the national park. Cost is $4.50 per person, per night. Camping permits for Waterpark Creek and Upper stony Creek must be booked in advance, either online or by phoning 131 304.

HEADING INTO THE NATIONAL PARK

The real Byfield adventure begins once you leave Waterpark Creek and head along the gravel track for 9.8km to the national park boundary. From here it's around 15km down to the main camping at Five Rocks on the coast. It's probably best to engage 4WD straight away, as the condition of the track from here on will only get worse.
About 2km after entering the park you come to the first steep crossing over Sandy Creek. Approach it slowly, as it would be very easy to bottom out if you were towing a trailer. Speaking of trailers, I myself wouldn't take one into the national park since the track further on can be extremely rough. After a few days of very heavy rain, which Byfield often gets during the rainy season, this crossing and others further on can be impassable.
Over the first few kilometres, the track alternates between soft sand and a solid hard surface, but to be on the safe side, lower the tyre pressure to around 25psi. About 5km into the park you come to the start of the big sand dune and the real test of your driving skills. It's probably best to drop your tyre pressure down to 20psi at this point as the steep 1km hill climb up through the soft sand can be a real vehicle stopper. Fortunately the day I went there were no other vehicles ahead of me, but if you are unlucky enough to lose momentum by coming up behind someone who is stuck halfway up you might have to get the shovel out.
Once you reach the top of the big dune, the going is much easier although the sandy track can be soft and powdery especially if it hasn't rained for some time. The vegetation growing along these high areas of Byfield consists of a few thick shrubs and stunted eucalypts, but quickly increases in both size and variety as the track winds it's way down towards the coast. In fact, if you have been closely watching the vegetation as you drive through the park you will see that it is constantly changing, which is one of the reasons why this biologically diverse region was protected in the first place.

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Around 5km before you hit the coast the track comes to an intersection with a marker post with the number 4 on it. Keep going straight ahead. All the main track intersections from here on have numbered posts so if you have a QPWS brochure on the Byfield area (there's a good little map on it) you shouldn't get lost. The national parks people have done a fantastic job of keeping the track from getting too churned up, especially in the steep descent down towards Stockyard Point where there is a plank-way to reduce erosion.

STOCKYARD POINT

The tiny little village of Stockyard Point-35 houses and 14 permanent residents, is reminiscent of other coastal townships of 50 years ago that have since been swallowed up by the mad march of progress. It's a place of brightly painted besser block and fibro cottages, shady trees and yards are littered with upturned tinnies, fishing nets and the odd rusted out four-wheel drive. There is no general store, telephone box or fuel, just one hand-painted sign advertising sandworms for sale at a dollar a pop. Make sure you check the dozens of discarded thongs that are strung together like Christmas decorations across Thong Street. The street apparently got its name after Telecom workers picked up hundreds of thongs that had washed up on the beach.
The hamlets other street - Stockyard Creek Heights, leads to a fantastic lookout that can be reached by driving along a bumpy track that follows the top of the headland and affords fantastic views up and down the coast. There is no fence or guardrail where you have to turn around on this exposed headland so be very careful. On a clear day you could easily spend a couple of hours up with binoculars scanning the surrounding sea for marine life.
It's less than 1km from Stockyard Point down to the main national park camping-area at Five Rocks. All of the well-maintained sites are well screened from each other by trees, have their own picnic tables and are a short walk to the toilets and cold shower. Campfires aren't permitted so remember to bring a gas cooker with you.
Make sure you go on the 500m stepped walking trail that starts at the camping area and winds its way down to the beach. It's a little steep in places but there are a couple of conveniently placed timber seats along the way where can rest up and take in the magnificent views. Once you are on the sand, it's about a 1km stroll along the vehicle free beach to the headland at Five Rocks. Try to start the walk on the outgoing tide, as the large distinctive rocks on this jutting headland are completely cut off at high tide.
Nocturnal wildlife around Five Rocks camping area was for some reason or other a bit thin on the ground, and apart from sighting one very skinny dingo-cross, the only creatures that my torch beam picked up were numerous cane toads, one of Australia's most noxious animal pests. The following morning however was much better, with lots of red-tailed black cockatoos feeding on the seed cones of she-oaks and banksias in the surrounding bush.

NINE MILE BEACH

To reach Nine Mile Beach, head back to Stockyard Point township then keep veering left along the deep sandy track until you come to a long, plankway that leads down to the beach. There is a self-registration here where you can obtain your camping permit. It's easy to understand how vehicles were bogged to the axles when exiting the beach before the timber ramp was put down.
Beach camping is permitted along a 4.5km zone south of Freshwater Creek. Just make sure you camp between the blue markers as other areas have been set aside for regeneration purposes and are definitely out of bounds. Unfortunately the beach section of Byfield has had its fair share of peanut-heads form nearby towns illegally driving up steep sand dunes over the past few years, ruining the environment and sometimes rolling their vehicles causing severe injuries to both themselves and their passengers.
In fact the risk of rollovers can be very real even for sensible drivers, especially when you are exiting the hard sand and driving up the soft tracks that lead to the camping spots amongst the casuarinas. I came very close to tipping over myself when I tried to exit the beach onto the inland Nine Mile Track and got stuck to the axles in a lopsided sand drift that had built up over time by the prevailing winds.
For a bit of good calm water fishing, drive south down to the end of Nine Mile Beach (it's about 12km from the entrance ramp) then turn up the sandy track that cuts across to Corio Bay. Saltwater crocodiles inhabit this picturesque mangrove lined bay so don't even think about going swimming there or standing knee deep in the water while you are fishing. Bream, queenfish, snapper, mangrove jack and flathead all feed off the nutrient rich muddy banks, so there's a reasonable chance of catching a good feed there during your stay.
Make sure you start heading back to your camp at least two hours before high tide otherwise you could get stuck on some of the low lying beach rocks and lose your vehicle. Keep a lookout in the sky above you for some of the spectacular birds of prey that live within the park including the endangered osprey and the magnificent white-bellied sea eagle.

EARLY HISTORY

The original inhabitants of the Byfield area were the Darambul people who lived a bountiful existence on the many sources of food that were found there. Apart from spearing wallabies, kangaroos and bandicoots in the forests, these coastal aborigines had an incredible variety of fresh seafood available to them including fish, crustaceans, shellfish, turtles and dugong. This rich larder was supplemented throughout the year by an array of wild fruits, tubers and honey. Unfortunately the coming of European settlers spelt the end of the tribe's peaceful existence with nature and today the only visible sign of their passing are the sun-bleached midden heaps that can be found behind the frontal dunes.
The first Europeans in the Byfield area arrived during the 1860s and started clearing land and running cattle. These early settlers lived in small isolated groups and often came into conflict with the local aborigines over land disputes. These clashes usually ended with the death of the native people who had little or no defence against modern weapons. Even though it was only 70km from the rapidly growing town of Rockhampton, the Byfield region remained something of a backwater due to the flooded creeks, swamps, high sand dunes and other rugged terrain.

AROUND AND ABOUT

Make sure that you check out the quaint little hamlets that stretch along the Capricorn Coast between Yeppoon and Emu Park to the south. There are lots of good, reasonably priced restaurants and caravan parks to stay in that wont cost you an arm and a leg.

THINGS TO DO

Great 4WDriving though the sandy tracks in the national park and along the beach. Bush walking at Upper Stony Creek and Waterpark Creek as well as great beach strolls along the sand near Five Rocks. Birdwatchers will be amazed by the wide variety of species at Byfield so don't forget to pack the binoculars. Fishing, both from Nine Mile Beach and in amongst the mangroves around at Corio Bay.

VEHICLE ESSENTIALS

There are a number of basic items that you carry in your vehicle for the trip into Byfield National Park:

Long-handled shovel, which is an essential for getting out of bogs.

At least four large hessian bags or rubber mats which can be used for traction if you get stuck in soft sand.

Snatch strap.

Good quality air compressor.

A solid rectangular block of wood to rest the jack on.

Spare fan belts, radiator hoses, engine-oil and radiator coolant.

RECOMMENDED MAPS

Hema Central Queensland 1: 1 000 000

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Beach Driving Permit can be obtained at BP Yeppoon 07 4939 1182

or at Capricorn Coast Tourism -Yeppoon 07 4939 4888



QPWS Rockhampton: 07 4936 0511 Fax: 07 4936 2212

Smart Service (for camping bookings): 131 304 Fax: 1300 330 0768



Tourism Information Links: www.capricorncoast.com.au

 

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