Pottsville South two decades ago was one of those camping spots where the fishing – flathead, tailor, whiting, dart, bream – and nearby surfing beaches were a powerful drawcard, but the busy passing traffic on the adjacent Tweed Coast Road was a nuisance.

In those days many drivers of heavy vehicles chose to divert along the coastal strip to avoid a tedious mountain range crossing on the highway inland. However, with a by-pass finally re-routing and upgrading the Pacific Highway to freeway status Pottsville South Holiday Park suddenly became the peaceful and quiet haven it deserved to be.

Even though a bit of passing holiday or visiting traffic skirts the Holiday Park where it sits nestled between the Tweed Coast Road and nearby Mooball Creek, there’s little sound intrusion over the chuckle and fuss of surf breaking on the long spit of land to the east of the creek.

Today, Pottsville South camp ground’s adjacent rest area and park at the entrance to town has not changed a great deal. The overall ambience has not altered either; clean running and attractive Mooball Creek still beckons and the sheer convenience of being right on the water (with its ‘peach of a beach’) a handy distraction for anglers staying at the 20+ water side camp sites.

The Park is still very well kept, and caravan sites with concrete pads are well set out with ample room between them. There’s also plenty of room for visitors who want to set up a tent or camper trailer for their stay and there are plenty of shady trees if you want one. Tent sites are available with or without power.

In addition, there are now six very comfortable water side luxury self-contained cabins in situ. They are very popular and require a fair lead time for a reservation.

There seems to be something for everyone at Pottsville South. Whether you require added distractions of the basketball and volley ball courts for the kids, or more practical amenities such as a large camp kitchen and handy cleaning table, this Holiday Park has it all.

Just across the road from the Park is the Pottsville Shopping Complex that features outlets for groceries, take away food, bakery, newsagency, and most importantly there’s a bait and tackle store. There are plenty of other shops nearby and fuel is not far away.

Pottsville is a fishing orientated area that is not dependent on seasonal popularity. It’s not hard to catch a feed of fish here at any time of year. Mooball Creek alone can offer fishing for quite a few species of fish such as whiting, bream, flathead, luderick (in the colder months), and the walls at the mouth are renowned for tailor and bream, with jew also a possibility in times of discoloured water.

The creek is tidal, which means that it’s easy to wade straight out onto the wide sandy bed to fish for whiting or flathead as the tide is sneaking in or, later on an ebb tide, work a bank that water is dropping off.

A boat is not necessary (although if you have a small tinny there’s a ramp at the Park where you can easily launch) which is one of the great attractions for family groups wanting to teach youngsters to fish. The creek is a nursery area and young anglers won’t be waiting long for a bite.

There are also mangrove jacks in the upper reaches of Mooball Creek, but simply wading the creek in the vicinity of the Holiday Park is a favourite pastime for anglers of all ages, as it is so productive.

The surf beaches nearby all hold their share of worms and are renowned for tailor and bream – it’s simply a matter of finding a likely gutter at this time of year to take these fish. One local hot spot that seldom fails is the gutter that forms at Black Rock to the south, roughly half way between Pottsville and Wooyung.

At Black Rock there are a couple of house-sized rocks protruding from the water a long cast from the shore. Bream, tailor, dart, and even the occasional snapper are taken here – it’s a go-to fishing spot for locals and visitors. The actual Black Rock area is not signed but a spacious car park a few kilometres south of the bridge is the land mark to look for as there are usually plenty of angler’s cars there.

Pottsville South Holiday Park is located in the heart of the small town of Pottsville. It’s south of Bogangar Headland and about 6km south of Hastings Point. When heading either north or south on the M1, look for a turn-off that leads to Hastings Point and Pottsville, or just enjoy the drive south via Bogangar, which is also well signed from the motorway. Either way, it’s a scenic 15 minutes drive to Pottsville from the M1 and the Holiday Park is on the eastern side of the main shopping village right on Tweed Coast Road.

Booking early is reccommended at this much loved destination; for peak periods it might be necessary to book as much as six months prior.

Contact details are: Phone (02) 6676 1050, fax (02) 6676 3015 or email to --e-mail address hidden--