LARC Eurimbula National Park

The LARC seemed such a peculiar idea to me when I first saw it parked out the front of The Marina in 1770 in all of its hot pink glory. It wasn’t until I did the trip, that I understood how perfectly designed the hot pink amphibian is for The Eurimbula National Park.

LARC stands for Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo and they are so well designed for access to the National Park that they were used in the area to supply the Bustard Head Light House long before the Mergards started their quirky hot pink tours. The LARC can simply take you to places that no other vehicle could. The 3 river crossings would stop a 4-wheel drive and a boat is largely restricted to waterways—a LARC knows no such boundaries.

LARC’s eco credentials were also a surprise to me. It’s hard to think of a diesel belching army supply vehicle as eco-friendly but the impact of the tours is something that LARC take very seriously and they are rightly proud of their eco-certification. It’s a fragile ecosystem and it deserves our respect. I was really impressed by the determination with which the crew remained below the high tide mark to protect dunes and the breeding grounds of the sea birds. Their depth of knowledge of sea birds and local ecology was impressive.

Our guides, Jackie and Macka, were great entertainers and some of the quirky human stories were hilariously delivered. The trip through the National Park is simply stunning and the history of the lighthouse is as fascinating as it is macabre!

I’m a bit of a lighthouse nerd as well and earned my Coxswains Ticket in the Capricorn Bunker Group back in 1991 (so I know my lighthouse flash patterns by rote : ) The nerd in me was thrilled to be stood at the lighthouse looking out rather than the other way around. The designer in me loved the glass in the old lights and one them looked just like an owl!

I’ve booked a lot of our guests on the full-day Paradise Tour as well as the afternoon Sunset Cruise and now that I know where I’m sending them I can understand why they rave about it.

This is a wonderfully educational, fascinating and fun day out for all age groups—as proven to me by Lois who flew down that sand dunes on a boogie board waving her seniors card and laughing about her recent knee reconstruction!

You can do full-day, half-day or afternoon cruises on the LARC, pop down to reception and we can talk you through the trips and book them for you or check out their website: