Deserted beaches, wild rivers and seaside chill: four days walking in NSW’s largest coastal park

Megan Holbeck and her family hike the Yuraygir coastal walk in northern NSW from Angourie in the north to Red Rock in the south. Long stretches of untamed surf beaches are interspersed with coastal communities and campgrounds. Photograph: Megan Holbeck

The tiny town of Brooms Head in northern New South Wales is not much more than a headland, a row of Norfolk Island pines and a sprawling caravan park separating the main road from the beach. It’s the kind of place with one shop, where the bestsellers are bait, mixed lollies and icy poles.

On a day trip there from nearby Angourie, our family lay sprawled on the beach, eating Cornettos in the sun, when four men walked past wearing packs – big, proper ones, adorned with damp swimmers. I gave chase.