Honeymoon Bay ,Worth Doing ?

Between 2006 and 2008 we spent between 6 and 8 weeks at Honeymoon Bay every year (and at McGowan's Island Beach in 2005). So we got to know the area pretty well.

We did lots of fantastic fishing and used it as a base to explore some of the surrounding country after developing local relationships and getting permissions.
That is not possible in a couple of days, nor is decent fishing unless you arrange something with a local or another visitor because local knowledge and a boat is necessary.

DO NOT SWIM, regardless of what anyone tells you, big salties regularly visit the area, including the beaches (which are very attractive)..

It is a great spot to relax, gather a feed of oysters and look about.
There are also some local spots to explore nearby that don't require special permissions including the old Mission site at Pago and the WW2 aircraft wrecks near the airfield. The Mission itself and especially the museum is worth half a day. Not to be missed.

How long to get there? Depends on your rig and the road on the day you travel.
We would have typically travelled at 60-70kph on the main road to Kalumburu, then maybe 50kph for 20km and 20kph for the last 10km (sandy and twisty), but that was a while back now.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

We stayed at McGowan's Island for three days. Best fish we have ever tasted were caught there, but need to go out in a boat for a good catch. At Kalumburu you can only take what you can eat; no stocking a freezer. This keeps fish plentiful for others. As Peter says, the Mission tour is a must-see.

We were towing a caravan, and found 100 kilometres took a good three hours, and that was tiring enough to call it a day. We stopped at the King Edward River campground to do a day trip to Mitchell Falls (stayed three nights) then stayed another night on the way back, as it was around 100 from there to Kalumburu. We also stopped at Drysdale River Station both ways as well.

Been to McGowans and poked my nose into Honeymoon 4 times in the past 12 years. Is it worth it? Fishing is great but you need a boat. Scenery is superb, but in my view not worth the trip unless you are going exploring and have say 5-7 days available. Was on the Kalumburu Road a month and half ago, and was not too bad...maximum of around 50-60 kph if you want to look after your rig. It can be worse than that, but not better. It depends on whether a grader has been through, but this doesn't happen much after the Mitchell Falls turnoff. Track north of Kalumburu to Honeymoon ranges from very good to lousy, depending on whether a grader has been used. Last year it was very corrugated and prone to break trailers.