Fishing in Carrai National Park

Carrai National Park sits on a high granite plateau inland from Kempsey in northern New South Wales, where the land breaks sharply off steep escarpments into the Macleay River valley below.

The park's water is creek water — small, clear, fast-moving streams draining the Carrai plateau through dense eucalypt and rainforest country.

Access is rough: the park covers around 11,397 hectares with minimal infrastructure, and reaching most of it requires a 4WD and a willingness to navigate tracks that are more suggestion than road. The creeks that drain the plateau are the fishing here.

Carrai Creek, Kunderang Brook, and the various smaller tributaries — Stony Creek, Bluff Creek, Running Creek, Carrolls Creek, Towal Creek among them — are the kind of water where trout have been mentioned by those who know the plateau.

The Ausfish forums name Carrai Plateau specifically in the same breath as trout country. These are tight, shaded streams where long casts are rarely possible and reading the water matters more than tackle selection. Getting in is part of the commitment.

The rough tracks that cross the park are suited to experienced off-road drivers, and the remoteness means self-sufficiency is not optional. Basic huts at Daisy Plains provide some shelter, but this is not a park with facilities built around fishing access.

A standard NSW fishing licence applies. Check directly with NSW National Parks for any park-specific conditions before you go, as rules can change. The plateau rewards anglers who treat the access as part of the experience rather than an obstacle to it.

The fish are there because most people don't bother.