Paddling in Conjola National Park

Conjola National Park sits on the mid-south coast of New South Wales, covering around 11,060 hectares between Sussex Inlet and Lake Conjola.

The water here is calm and coastal in character — lakes, lagoons, and creeks rather than moving whitewater — with the park's northern boundary running along the shores of Lake Conjola itself. Lake Conjola is the anchor.

A large coastal lake opening toward the sea, it draws canoeists and kayakers who want room to move and time to look around. The northern shore falls within the park, and paddling along that edge puts you against bushland rather than development.

Hire is available nearby — the Lake Conjola Post Office Store and Walking on Water both put boats on the water — so you don't need to arrive with your own gear.

Wandandian Creek and Berrara Creek thread through the park's forested interior, offering the kind of narrow, sheltered paddling that suits a canoe or a short recreational kayak.

Berringer Lake and Tullarwalla Lagoon are quieter still — lagoon paddling where the pace slows and birdlife tends to be close. These are not destinations for distance; they reward patience.

The creeks and lakes here are best read as flatwater, tidal-influenced systems. Conditions shift with wind more than current, and an onshore blow can make open lake crossings uncomfortable quickly. Early mornings tend to be glassier.

Paddling inside a national park in NSW means the land and water are managed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act.

Check current conditions and any access requirements with NSW National Parks before you launch — rules can apply to specific waters within the park boundary, and they're worth confirming directly rather than assuming open access.

This is not a park that asks much of you technically. What it asks instead is attention — to the light on the water, the forest coming down to the bank, the fact that the lake has been here longer than the road in.