Swallow Rock Reserve (Grays Point)

Swallow Rock is the hinge where Port Hacking narrows into the Hacking River, and the reserve sits right on that turn at Grays Point. The reach upstream toward Audley is a genuine bream fishery — fallen timber, oyster-crusted sandstone, a narrow channel and a long sandy spit that drops into deeper water beside the boat ramp. It is land-based, calm and shallow over most of the flat, with the one bit of real structure being the rocks to the left of the ramp where the water finally gets some depth. It fishes for bream and flathead far more than it pretends to, which is most of its charm.

Locals fish the rocks just left of the boat ramp, casting into the deep channel, or work the river edge along the reserve for an easier session with kids. The incoming tide is the one to be on, because the channel carries the push and bream move up onto the shoreline structure to feed close in. Low tide is the time to pump nippers and yabbies off the exposed flat for fresh bait, working clean sand only, since digging in seagrass, mangrove or saltmarsh is prohibited anywhere in NSW. Bait anglers drift lightly weighted nippers, prawn or peeled hardyheads tight against the rock and timber where bream hide. Lure casters do well on small soft plastics worked along the channel edge and tiny surface poppers over the flat at dawn for whiting and flathead.

Yellowfin bream are the year-round mainstay and the reason most people come, holding around the rocks and fallen timber and chewing best on a run-in tide, at 25 cm and a bag of 10 shared with tarwhine. Dusky flathead lie on the sand beside the channel and fire up from spring through autumn, taken on soft plastics and live baits dragged near the drop, inside a 36 to 70 cm keeper window on a bag of 5. Sand whiting school over the clean flat through the warmer months, November to March, and respond to nippers and small surface lures, at 27 cm on a bag of 20 shared across the whiting. Luderick come on through the cooler months, roughly April to August, for anyone who floats weed or cabbage along the rocky edge, at 27 cm and a bag of 10. Silver trevally and the odd school of tailor turn up where the channel deepens, more a bonus than a target — trevally 30 cm on a bag of 10 across the trevallies, tailor 30 cm on a bag of 10 with 20 in possession.

Get on the ramp side early on weekends, because the boat traffic backs up fast and you will not want to be casting across a trailer queue. Pump your nippers at the bottom of the tide so you have fresh bait ready for the run-in, when the fish actually switch on — clean sand only, because the digging ban on seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh applies state-wide. Fish your baits close, almost under your rod tip against the oyster rock, rather than launching them into the middle, because the bream sit tight to cover. Leave the oysters themselves alone and keep a low profile on the flat, since the water is gin-clear at the bottom of the tide and spooky bream will see you coming. If you are bringing gear beyond a rod, everything upstream of a line from Hungry Point to Cabbage Tree, or Pulpit, Point is closed to hoop and lift nets, hand-hauled prawn nets, crab and lobster traps and push or scissors prawn nets — a dip or scoop net, a landing net and a bait trap are all that remain legal. Check the council signage for dog rules before you bring one down.

The reserve is off Swallow Rock Drive at Grays Point, with sealed parking for cars and trailers right beside the water. There is a double concrete boat ramp and a floating pontoon, along with toilets, picnic tables and mown grass running down to the river edge — no walk to speak of, since you can fish within metres of the car. The river-edge fishing is flat, calm and shallow, which makes it one of the more genuinely kid-friendly spots in the Shire, and small children can paddle and cast where the water barely covers their ankles. The rocks left of the ramp need a short scramble and a bit of care underfoot. Check the council signage for dog rules before you bring one down.

Being a sheltered upper-estuary reach, this spot fishes in almost anything the ocean throws at the coast — there is no swell and little chop, so it is the obvious call when the rock platforms and beaches are blown out. A westerly or a southerly that ruins the open water barely ripples the channel here. Tide matters far more than wind: the run-in is prime, the bottom of the low exposes flats and oyster rock and can leave you fishing skinny water, and a big spring high pushes fish right up against the bank. After heavy rain the upper Hacking dirties and freshens, which can shut the bite down for a day or two until it clears.

This is a calm estuary spot rather than an exposed ocean ledge, so the risks are the small ones, though they are real enough. The rocks left of the ramp and the flats throughout are crusted in oyster shell that opens skin like a razor, so wear enclosed shoes and watch your footing, because wet oyster rock is slippery. The boat ramp is busy on weekends, so keep clear of reversing trailers and the launching lane, and never cast across the ramp. The channel is narrow with a sandy spit and submerged oyster-covered rocks that appear and vanish on the tide, so mind where you wade. Bluebottles can blow into the Hacking on a stiff nor'easter, and there is no shade on the open grass, so sun protection matters through summer. Sutherland Shire is a declared area under the Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016, and the law requires an appropriate lifejacket whenever you fish with rod, line or handline from naturally occurring rock exposed to ocean swell anywhere in the Shire, covering anyone helping you and any child under 12 in your care; a vest is never a bad idea here either if you put kids near the deeper channel. Spearfishing, for the record, is closed throughout Port Hacking west of the Glaisher Point to Port Hacking Point line, which takes in all of this reach.

Mainly yellowfin bream and dusky flathead, with sand whiting over the flat through summer and luderick through the cooler months. Silver trevally and the odd tailor show up where the channel deepens. Bream are the year-round constant, and the rocks just left of the boat ramp give access to the deep channel. Remember a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required to fish anywhere in NSW if you are 18 or over.

Yes — the river edge along the reserve is calm, shallow and only metres from the car park, with toilets, picnic tables and mown grass on site. Children can paddle and cast in ankle-deep water while you keep an eye on them. The rocks left of the ramp are for the more confident, since they involve a short scramble over oyster-covered rock. Check the council signage for dog rules before you bring one down.

The incoming tide is best, because the channel carries the push and bream move onto the shoreline structure to feed close in. Low tide is the time to pump nippers and yabbies off the exposed flat for fresh bait, then fish them on the rise — stick to clean sand, since digging in seagrass, mangrove or saltmarsh is prohibited state-wide. The bottom of the low can leave you in very skinny water, so plan around the run-in, and a big spring high pushes fish right up against the bank.

Dusky flathead must be within a 36 to 70 cm slot — anything under 36 cm or over 70 cm must be released, the big breeding females included — with a daily bag of 5 and 10 in possession. Yellowfin bream are 25 cm on a bag of 10 shared with tarwhine, luderick 27 cm on a bag of 10, sand whiting 27 cm on a bag of 20 shared across the whiting, and tailor 30 cm on a bag of 10. Possession limits for bream, flathead, luderick, tailor and the trevallies are double the daily bag.

Yes. There is a double concrete boat ramp and a floating pontoon, with parking for cars and trailers. The ramp suits boats, canoes and kayaks, and the water is calm enough that it is a popular paddle up the Hacking River toward Audley. Arrive early on weekends, as the ramp gets busy, and watch for the narrow channel, the sandy spit and oyster-covered rocks that sit just under the surface on lower tides. If you are taking gear, remember that upstream of the Hungry Point to Cabbage Tree Point line only a dip or scoop net, a landing net and a bait trap are legal.