Things to do in Tuncurry, NSW

Things to do in Tuncurry, NSW

The best things to do in Tuncurry, NSW, are surfing at 9 Mile Beach, swimming at Tuncurry Rock Pool and going horse riding with Horseabout Tours.

Tuncurry, NSW, is happy enough being the little sister. It’s the quieter half of the Forster-Tuncurry twin town, separated by the Coolongolook River. There are more things to do in Forster, but Tuncurry has its own attractions.

The mouth of the Coolongolook River dividing Forster and Tuncurry
The mouth of the Coolongolook River divides Forster and Tuncurry. Photo courtesy of Destination NSW.

Tuncurry beaches

Primary amongst these are the beaches. 9 Mile Beach and Tuncurry Beach merge into each other in a glorious long sweep towards Black Head. Most of 9 Mile Beach and Tuncurry Beach is backed by dunes and the relatively untouched Darawank Nature Reserve.

There are several rips along these beaches. Surfers get decent beach breaks when the swell is right, but swimmers are better off sticking to the Tuncurry Rock Pool. Protected from the ocean swell by breakwaters, the Tuncurry Rock Pool is essentially part of the Coolongolook River mouth. It also has shark netting for extra security. The Tuncurry Rockpool Café and Reflections Holiday Park are just behind the pool.

Things to do in Tuncurry: Horse-riding tours

Other things to do in Tuncurry include the Great Lakes Museum. This a classic well-meaning, volunteer-run local history museum that will not get many visitors excited, however. Much more appealing are the horse rides with Horseabout Tours.

Horseabout Tours offers a series of riding tours. The entry level 1.5 hour bush and rainforest ride costs $150, and heads along Tuncurry’s rainforest trails. The two hour, $180 bush and beach option is a bit more romantic, though. This goes along beachside forest tracks before emerging for a beach ride along 9 Mile Beach.

Sydney to Tuncurry

Tuncurry is further away from Sydney than Forster, but because the Sydney to Tuncurry drive loops back south off the Pacific Highway, it is slightly shorter than the Sydney to Forster drive. Expect the drive from Sydney to Tuncurry to last about three-and-a-half hours. You could also drop by on a Newcastle to Port Macquarie road trip.

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