55
km inland from
Moruya lies
Bendethera
Valley, nestled
deep in the heart of Deua
National Park. It is a place rich
with wildlife, scenery, and history.
A vast area, there are campsites
of all sizes along the river, and
chances are you’ll get a spot out
of eyesight of other campers.
Whilst there are various entries
into the national park, if towing a
camper trailer you must come via
Moruya, as you will incur a hefty
fine if busted or you break down.
The descent into the valley is
quite steep and you will want to
have good trailer brakes if you
don’t want to lose all braking
power before you get to the
bottom. There are built in
washaways, which means youcan just put the vehicle into a low
gear and just take it easy. It
makes for a slow drive, but it’s
fun putting your gear to the test.
The best time to visit
Bendethera is in the spring. The
temperatures are more moderate
and the Bendethera wattle lights
up the area in bright yellow. It
means you will still see all the
Kangaroos, Wombats, and Water
Dragons, but less likely to see the
Red Belly and Brown Snakes that
are prolific in the area during
summer. Ensure you take a
comprehensive first aid kit
equipped with bandages and
some know-how about applying
pressure bandages, as it is a long
way back into town in the event of
an unfortunate encounter with a
snake! In fact, so remote is the
campsite that when the DeuaTIME TO TRAVEL – September to November
FUEL – Moruya (At time of trip)
Diesel: $1.57 Petrol: $1.65
CAMPING – Bendethera Valley campground is huge. There are
literally dozens of possible campsites, and a lot of them quite
private. The vastness of the area means it is ideal for large groups
or 4WD clubs. Not only is it free, due to the difficulty of the terrain
it is also often less populated with campers. There are fantastic
swimming holes, historical ruins, interesting bushwalks, and
wildlife galore. The surrounding cliff faces are also stunning at
sunset.QUICK FACTS
River flooded in 2016, NSW SES
were forced to airlift supplies of
food and water to stranded
campers whilst they waited for
the water to recede enough to be
able to drive out.
The Deua River winds its way
through the whole valley, in some
places shallow creek crossings,
in others deep swimming holes
great for jumping off rocks. For
the less energetic, it is also ideal
for floating gently on a lilo. There
are some great bushwalking
exploring to be had too. The most
popular is the walk to the
Bendethera Caves. It is 8km
return, with a steep climb at the
end into the cave. The path
crosses over small sections of
the creek many times and such
it’s possible to get wet feet, so it’s
advisable to carry an extra pair of
shoes to prevent blisters. Makesure you also take a torch for the
end so that you can explore the
cave properly, and watch out for
the bats!
In the middle of the valley you
will find the old ruins of the
homestead that belonged to the
George family from the late 1800s
to the early 1900s. Story has it
that Joseph George accidently
stumbled upon the Bendethera
Valley whilst tracking a stolen
horse through the rugged
mountain country. He then went
on to build the homestead and
raise a family there (including 15
children!), breeding horses and
travelling on them into Araluen to
trade produce with gold field
miners. When you consider the
epic nature of the drive into the
steep descent of the valley, it’s
almost impossible to imagine
someone travelling in and out on066.^4
W
LeDtting down y
our tyre pressure before
heading into Bendethera in a m
ust!
Heading^ out^ to^ explore^ the^ old^ homestead^ is^ a^ fantastic^
way to explore^ the^ history^ of^ the^ area