There's no on-site restaurant here, but the camp kitchen is well-kitted out with hot plates, kettles, toasters and shared tables, and we found ourselves cooking up most breakfasts there before the sun got too high. The communal BBQ area is the natural gathering point in the evenings, and a quick two-minute drive into town opens up everything you need to top up the esky or skip cooking altogether.

Our pick for a slow morning was Wharf Street Cafe, perched right on the Nambucca River with a deck that catches the early light. We ordered the big breakfast and a flat white, watched the pelicans cruise past and ended up staying for a second coffee. The in-house baked treats are worth taking back to the park for a riverside afternoon tea too.

For a casual dinner, Matilda's is the easy call. We grabbed a couple of pizzas and a serve of garlic bread on a Friday night and were honestly surprised at how fresh and generous the toppings were. It's the kind of place where the staff remember your name by your second visit.

If you want a sundowner with a view, V-Wall Pavilion along Wellington Drive does a great line in coastal-leaning share plates and cold beers. We timed it for golden hour and watched the boats drift in past the breakwall while we worked through the seafood platter. A short drive north, Nourish Cafe & Grocer at Valla Beach is worth the detour for organic coffee and a properly good banana bread, especially if you're heading out for a beach day.

The Nambucca River runs right past the park, and the foreshore walk that links Inner Harbour through to Nambucca State Forest starts almost at the gate. We wandered down on the first afternoon and found ourselves at the V-Wall before we knew it. Locals and visitors have been painting messages onto the rocky breakwater for decades, and reading the layered tributes and hand-drawn art is a quietly moving way to get a feel for the town.

The closest swim is at Main Beach, home of the Nambucca Heads Surf Life Saving Club, about a five-minute drive from the park, with patrolled sand and rolling waves. Shelly Beach next door is the gentler family option, and Beilbys Beach further north tends to be quieter again. South of the river mouth, Gaagal Wanggaan (South Beach) National Park has long uninterrupted stretches that suit experienced surfers and beach fishers.

For sweeping views, Captain Cook Lookout sits high above Shelly Beach and is a brilliant vantage point during the humpback migration between May and November. We spent a good half hour up there with binoculars and spotted three breaches in quick succession. Back down at the river, Nambucca River Cruises runs gentle estuary trips where bottlenose dolphins regularly come alongside the boat.

Walkers should make time for the Nyambaga Walking Trail, a short interpretive track that shares the bio-cultural significance of the area through Gumbaynggirr eyes. It's an easy stroll but the storyboards genuinely change how you see the headland afterwards.