Things to do in Crescent Head with kids

Crescent Head is a brilliant spot for a family holiday — small enough that the kids can roam, with enough to do that no one gets bored. Here’s the rundown.

Safe swimming

The front beach is patrolled by the surf club during school holidays — swim between the flags. For little ones, the Killick Creek estuary (across the bridge) is calmer and shallower at low tide, which makes it the safest water in town for a paddle.

Learn to surf

The point break is famously mellow and forgiving — one of the best places on the coast to put a kid on a foamie for the first time. Long, slow, gentle waves.

Mini golf

The new 18-hole mini golf course is built into the slope between town and the country club, with a little lake, bridges and native gardens. Dog-friendly on a lead, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

The country club

The Crescent Head Country Club is open to non-members — a six-hole golf course (Australia’s only accredited one), tennis courts, a bowling green, and a bistro for an easy family dinner. A 7–8 minute walk from the house.

Walks and wildlife

The headland walk is short, flat at the top, and almost always has kangaroos grazing at dusk — a hit with kids. Keep dogs on a short lead and give the roos space.

Rainy-day backups

Even in paradise it sometimes rains. At The Deck there’s a Samsung Frame Smart TV with Netflix, a big DVD library, board games, jigsaws, and a box of kids’ books and toys. Plenty to keep everyone happy until the sun’s back out.

Feeding the troops

Barnett’s bakery is a pie-and-finger-bun institution. Sea Sea is relaxed and family-friendly for a meal (and dog-friendly), Cheetah Five next door does the town’s best coffee, and the country club bistro does a no-fuss dinner.

By age, roughly

Different ages want completely different holidays. Here’s how the town tends to split.

Toddlers and under-fives

The estuary at Killick Creek is the whole answer. Shallow, glassy at low tide, no shore break, and warm enough in the middle of the day. Add the mini golf, the kangaroos on the headland at dusk, and a pie from Barnett’s, and you have a full and very happy day.

Bring your own cot and high chair if you need them — most holiday houses here, including ours, don’t keep baby gear.

Primary-school age

This is the sweet spot for Crescent Head, and the age that gets the most out of it. Patrolled beach in the school holidays, first waves on a foamie, mini golf, the bowling green, fishing in the creek, and enough freedom to walk to the bakery on their own without anyone worrying much.

Teenagers

Be honest with yourself about this one. There’s no cinema, no shopping centre and limited phone reception in places. What there is: a genuinely world-class wave to learn on, a beach that goes for five kilometres, and day trips to South West Rocks and Port Macquarie when the walls start closing in.

Teenagers who surf, fish or swim have a great time here. Teenagers who don’t will need a plan.

A realistic rainy-day list

Rain happens, and with kids it needs a proper answer rather than “read a book”.

• Mini golf still works in light rain, and it’ll be empty.
• The country club bistro is the easy lunch — kids can run around outside the dining deck.
• Kempsey, twelve minutes away, has the supermarkets, the Slim Dusty Centre and the Akubra story.
• Port Macquarie, an hour south, has the Koala Hospital and the Sea Acres rainforest boardwalk — both properly under cover.
• Back at the house there are board games, jigsaws, a shelf of kids’ books and toys, DVDs and a Frame TV with Netflix. Starlink means streaming holds up when the weather doesn’t.

There’s a fuller list in things to do when it rains.

What to pack that people forget

• Sun protection, more than you think. There’s almost no shade on the headland or the back beaches.
• Water for the walks. No taps once you’re past town.
• Something warm for evenings, even in summer — it cools off on the deck.
• Their own bike or scooter if you have room. The streets here are quiet enough that kids can actually use them.

What you don’t need to bring: umbrellas, beach chairs, and buckets and spades. Those live in the garage. See what to bring.

Why it works for families

The house sleeps six across three bedrooms (two queens and a room with two singles), there’s a full kitchen with plastic crockery for kids, and everything’s a short walk away — so you can leave the car parked and let the days unfold.

See the house → · Check availability →