When we rank beach camps, we’re mostly ranking the quality of the beach. Or beaches in the case of Point Plomer. Located on the mid-north coast of NSW, it’s far enough from the capital cities to keep it somewhat lowkey. Coming from the south, Point Plomer is the first in a series of headlands that finishes at Crescent Head, each with their own bays, pockets and corners.

The campground is tucked behind the northern corner of the headland, so it’s protected from the worst of the summer south easters. It overlooks its namesake point, which also happens to be one of the funnest longboard wave you will find. The campground is an open, mostly grassed space that overlooks the beach. It doesn’t have marked camp sites, which is good in quiet times but can make it a bit tricky to know what’s what during the peak periods. There’s a coffee van on site for the morning kick and then it’s off to find which back beach has the pick of the conditions.

The southern side of the headland, knowns as Queens or North Shore, hosts some of the best beachbreak waves on the east coast. There’s a carpark and bush track, or you can drive onto the sand, throw out the shade and set up for the day.