Trial Bay Breakwall (Arakoon)

The rock wall that runs off Laggers Point below Trial Bay Gaol is what is left of a harbour of refuge that was never finished. Prisoners started it in 1889, the Department of Public Works abandoned it in 1903 at under 20% of its planned length, and only a short section of the roughly 300 m built survives. What it lacks as a harbour it makes up as a fishing platform: the wall sits on the northern, sheltered side of the headland, so it fishes on southerly days that shut the open coast down. It is inside Arakoon National Park, beside the gaol ruins and the camping area, which makes it the most historic place on the coast to lose a sinker.

The wall is fished from the crest and the lower rocks on the bay side, where the water is calmer and the rubble at the base holds fish. Bream are worked with lightly weighted prawn, mullet strip or small plastics dropped into the gaps between the boulders. Luderick anglers run green weed or cabbage under a float along the face, with a little bread-and-weed berley. Drummer sit in the white water along the seaward side and come to cunjevoi, bread or prawn fished close in on a short, strong leader. Tailor are a chance at dawn and dusk on a ganged pilchard or a small metal.

Bream are a year-round chance, with the better ones in the winter run. Luderick and black drummer are the usual targets on rock walls along this coast, and tailor are a chance at the change of light through autumn and winter. Eastern blue groper can't be taken by any method in NSW until the end of February 2028 — release any you hook.

The wall is the Trial Bay fallback, not the headline act: it shines on a southerly that has every exposed ledge on the coast under white water. Bring berley — weed, bread and a little sand — for luderick, and fish the top half of the tide when the gaps between boulders are flooded. Bream are 25 cm with a combined bag of 10 including tarwhine, luderick 27 cm and 10, black drummer 30 cm and 10. Octopus cannot be taken from ocean rock platforms in NSW, so leave them be.

Follow Arakoon Road east from South West Rocks and turn off for Trial Bay Gaol; the wall leaves the shore just north-west of the gaol, a short walk from the parking and day-use area. Arakoon National Park is open all the time, but NPWS can close it in bad weather or fire danger, and the gaol visitor centre runs 9 am–4.30 pm. Check NPWS for any current park entry fee before you go. The approach is easy, but the wall itself is loose, uneven boulders with no rail, so it is not suitable for prams or wheelchairs.

The wall faces into Trial Bay, which is protected from southerly and south-easterly swell by the headland — those are the days it earns its place. A northerly or north-easterly blows straight into the bay and puts chop and swell onto the wall, which is when the Macleay river wall or the south side of the coast make more sense. Rising and high tides cover the rubble at the base and bring the fish up; a clear, calm low tide is slow.

The wall is loose, broken boulders: gaps between them are deep enough to trap a leg, and the lower rocks are slippery with weed. A north-easterly swell sends surge up the face — check the swell forecast, watch the sets for ten minutes before climbing down to the water, never turn your back on the sea, and never fish the seaward side in a big sea. Kempsey is not one of the ten council areas declared under the Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016, but a lifejacket is strongly recommended on the lower rocks, with grippy footwear and light clothing you can swim in. Don't fish the seaward side alone; if you go in, swim clear of the wall, float, signal and have your mate call 000, and know your way back up. Keep casts clear of boats using the campground boat ramp close by. The wall is a heritage structure in a national park, so stay on the rocks rather than climbing the gaol walls, and take rubbish and line home.

Yes. The remnant breakwall below Trial Bay Gaol in Arakoon National Park can be fished for bream, luderick, black drummer and tailor — the usual rock-wall species on this coast. It sits on the sheltered side of Laggers Point, so it stays fishable on southerly days. You need a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee receipt unless you're exempt.

Prisoners at Trial Bay Gaol began building it as a harbour of refuge in 1889, but the Department of Public Works abandoned the project in 1903 because of cost, silting, better roads and better ships. It reached about 300 m — under 20% of its planned length — and only a short section survives.

Take care. The wall is loose, broken boulders with gaps deep enough to trap a leg, and a north-easterly swell sends surge up the face, so watch the sets before climbing down and never fish the seaward side in a big sea. Kempsey is not one of the ten council areas declared under the Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016, but a lifejacket is strongly recommended on the lower rocks.