The Purple Place - funky 50's Wooli beach cottage

Update: November 2025, The Purple Place has been refreshed and is ready for 2026, with new furnishings, sofas, and bbq.

A Wooli classic! The Purple Place is a funky 50s beach cottage with a big, securely fenced backyard and a path up to a private beachfront dune garden - the perfect setting for a great Aussie beach holiday, just the way they used to be.

With polished hardwood floors, vintage furniture, a cast iron tub and rain shower head, combined with a well equipped kitchen, barbecue, dishwasher, air conditioning, TV and Wi-Fi, the Purple Place blends modern comforts with its classic beach-shack character.

Share your morning cuppa on the top of the dune with the dolphins, enjoy a glass of wine watching whales at sunset - or just relax in the garden, close your eyes and snooze to the sound of the ocean.

The Purple Place is nestled behind the ocean dune with a large, fenced backyard where a path from the back gate leads up to a private dune garden area with spectacular views of the ocean. Beach access is just a minute's walk from the house.

Layout:
Master Bedroom: 1 queen bed, access to the master bedroom is from the lounge room.

Second Bedroom: 2 king single beds, access is from the kitchen (2 steps up).

Third Bedroom: 1 queen bed, and 1 small single bed . This room is outside the main part of the house, off the covered porch, with a ground level entry.

Lounge room: entry from the front porch and into Kitchen (2 steps down)

Kitchen/Dining: has a ground level entry from the back porch, and connects to the Lounge (2 steps up) and Bathroom (1 step up)

Bathroom/Laundry: is a large open room with ground level entry from the back porch, and a step up from Kitchen/Dining.

Accessibility: Please note there are several steps up onto the front porch, and internally from the Kitchen up to the Living Room, the Second Bedroom, and the Bathroom.

The house has comfy beds and lots of pillows. Bed linen is supplied, but BYO towels.

Wooli

Tucked between the river and the sea on a quiet, pristine corner of the Northern NSW coast and surrounded by Yuraygir National Park, Wooli has retained the laid back feel of a quiet seaside village long lost elsewhere - under 4 hours from Brisbane but 50 years back in time.

For meals, there is the wonderful Wooli Wooli cafe, Emilio's bistro at the Wooli hotel, Harry's Chinese restaurant at the legendary Wooli bowls club, or The 383, just next to the Wooli General store and service station. Further afield, the Minnie Water general store is well worth the trip for a memorable brekky or lunch.

Other facilities in Wooli include tennis courts, bowls club, post office and service station - and if you've forgotten anything else, Grafton is just 40 minutes away.

Things to do

Swimming

Wooli has a patrolled area at the end of the beach during school holiday periods - (great for a swim or boogie board), a protected lagoon at high tide by the river mouth (great for the little ones to splash), or take your pick of an abundance of quiet spots along miles of sandy river bank. Only a short drive away is the patrolled beach (weekends and school holidays) at Minnie Waters, and the stunning, protected cove at Diggers Beach (complete with a freshwater spring to wash off after your swim!).

Fishing

Wooli offers fantastic river, estuary, beach and deep sea fishing. Fishing charters and boat hire are available - or just throw a line in the ocean or wander over to the river for a good catch of bream, flathead, and whiting.

Walking

Take in the beauty of the environment at a leisurely pace - walk 45minutes South along the beach to the river mouth, North along the beach to Wilsons headland, or start out at Wilsons and walk the spectacular headland trail around to Diggers Camp (~3km) - a highlight of the area.

Rockpooling

There are great rockpools for exploring around Wilsons headland, or on the isolated South side of the Wooli river (you'll need a boat or canoe to cross), or head just up the road to Diggers Camp to explore the rock platform at low tide.

Diving and Snorkelling

To get started, strap on some goggles to see the sea life in the river, or head up the road to Minnie Waters (10min) for excellent snorkelling in the big lagoon at the Southern end of Main Beach.

For a real adventure, sign up for a snorkelling or diving trip out to the see the rich diversity of the sea life in the Solitary island marine park with Wooli dive centre and deep sea tours.

Cycling

The road from town to the river mouth (~3km) is a great ride for kids, and a perfect spot for a swim and a picnic - or for the more adventurous, explore the marked bike and hiking trails through the national park.

Surfing

There's a great range of quiet, uncrowded spots in the area depending on conditions - from beach breaks, a left hand break around Wilsons headland for experienced surfers, a right hander off the river mouth rock wall, or more protected beaches for beginners at Diggers Beach and Minnie Waters.

4WD

The vast wilderness of Yuraygir National Park offers a wide variety of opportunities to get off the beaten track, a wide range of beach and back-country tracks - for day trips, check the tides and try the track along the beach from Minnie Water to the Sandon river, or the back roads South to beautiful Station Creek

Wildlife

Wooli is surrounded by Yuraygir national park, protecting over 38,000 hectares, and nearly 60km of coastline, throughout which you can see the endangered coastal emu, wallabys, and over 180 species of birds - or watch the whales heading along the coast on migration (May to November).


Canoeing

Canoeing is a great way to explore the river - up to 20km of the upper waterways can be paddled if you time the tides - Canoes can be rented from Wooli River Lodges, or you can put in at the boatramp just 50m from the Purple Place.

Boating

Bring your boat or rent a tinny or pontoon boat from Wooli River Boat Hire for the day to explore the Wooli Wooli river -the nearest boatramp is just 100meters away - or join a charter with Wooli dive centre and deep sea tours, out to the incredible Solitary Islands marine park.

Sunsets

Or just sit at the top of the dune with a drink in hand, watching the dolphins in the surf as the sun goes down...