Tag: coastal

Patonga to Warrah Trig, Central Coast NSW

A short walk from Patonga on the NSW Central Coast up to view points over the scenic Hawkesbury River just north of Sydney.

I’d never been to Patonga before, a sleepy village at the southern border of the Central Coast, just over the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney. It’s a very pretty and chilled out area, with one restaurant/bar on the waterfront. There’s also a bushwalking track that ascends about 160m over 2 to 3 kilometres from the beach to a trig point. The forest is nice, and there’s a couple of spots along the way with good views, including an official lookout, Warrah Lookout.

Continue reading “Patonga to Warrah Trig, Central Coast NSW”

Narrawallee Creek Nature Reserve Circuit, near Ulladulla NSW

A very pleasant walk through open forest, along long beaches and over colourful rocky headlands. And you’ll likely come across various birdlife along the way.

This circuit walk in Narrawallee Creek Nature Reserve exceeded expectations. It starts in fairly open forest and heads towards the coast, then passes through an area containing many cycads, ancient and attractive plants that predate conifers on the evolutionary timeline. It then runs south along Conjola Beach to the many colourful rocks on Buckley’s Point, further on to Narrawallee Creek itself, and then back to the start through a variety of open forest. There’s various bird life along the way, including sea birds nesting along Narrawallee Creek, and black cockatoos in the forest bordering the creek. Continue reading “Narrawallee Creek Nature Reserve Circuit, near Ulladulla NSW”

Bundeena to Marley Head Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney

A great section of the classic Royal National Park Coast Track, and you can make a circuit of it by heading inland on the way back (and avoid the crowds in doing so).

Bundeena to Marley Head is one of my favourite sections of the classic Royal National Park Coast Track, although choosing a favourite section is a bit like choosing a favourite child. It’s got what you want from a coast track: cliffs, beaches, heath, and interesting rock formations. You can keep going as far as you like, but the views from Marley Head are very satisfying, so we usually turn around there and head back. Continue reading “Bundeena to Marley Head Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney”

Jibbon Head Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney

A short circuit walk in the Royal National Park near Bundeena, taking in beautiful coastline, and you can extend it by continuing along the classic Coast Track to Marley Head or beyond.

The Jibbon Head Circuit is the shorter section of a longer walk we’ve done from Bundeena to Marley Head in the Royal National Park. It’s a mostly flat walk at the northern most end of the park, and offers very attractive coastal scenery for relatively little effort, including secluded looking beaches and rocky sections. When combined with the section of the classic Coast Track between Bundeena and Marley Head it makes for an excellent coastal walk of moderate difficulty, and all within easy reach of Sydney. Continue reading “Jibbon Head Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney”

Wattamolla to Garie North Head, Royal National Park, NSW

This section of the Royal National Park Coast Track passes by the famous Eagle Rock, and you can continue to Garie North Head for elevated views down the coast.

Most sections of the classic Royal National Park Coast Track can be visited as day walk circuits, however the section between Wattamolla and Eagle Rock cannot. We did this and continued on to Garie North Head for great views down the coast, then returned back along the Coast Track to Wattamolla. On this occasion the highlight for me was the novelty of seeing this area after substantial fire damage. The colours were intense blacks, blues, oranges, whites, browns, greys, pinks and greens, and we could see rocks and topography usually hidden by vegetation cover. Continue reading “Wattamolla to Garie North Head, Royal National Park, NSW”

Wattamolla to Marley Beach Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney

Wattamolla to Marley Beach is an excellent section of the Royal National Park Coast Track south of Sydney, taking in lots of cliffs and interesting rocks, plus tonnes of wildflowers in spring.

The Royal National Park Coast Track is pretty special from start to end, and this section from Wattamolla to Marley Beach is no exception. There are many cliffs and interesting rocks, windswept beaches and bays, plus a large variety of wildflowers in spring. And you can make a partial circuit by taking fire trails inland for a while. The vegetation is predominantly heath.  Continue reading “Wattamolla to Marley Beach Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney”

Kiama Coast Walk, Illawarra, NSW

The southern section of the Kiama Coast Walk, starting at Loves Bay, is an undulating track through ex-farmland, with open and breezy vistas of cliffs, rock platforms and boulder-strewn beaches for its whole length.

The pleasant coastal town of Kiama, at the southern end of the Illawarra region south of Sydney, is best known for its blow hole. Swell direction dictates whether or not the blowhole does its thang, but you are guaranteed an excellent coastal experience on the underrated Kiama Coast Walk. This undulating track hugs the coastline on the edge of farmland, and the relative lack of vegetation makes for an open windswept feeling, with views of cliffs and boulder strewn beaches along the whole route. You can access rock platforms in a few places for closer views of the cliffs. The tracks ends at Werri Beach in the also very pleasant village of Gerringong. Continue reading “Kiama Coast Walk, Illawarra, NSW”

Cape Hauy Track, Tasman National Park, Tasmania

A straightforward walk that provides spectacular views of coastal cliffs on the Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania.

The Cape Hauy Track forms part of the multi-day Three Capes Track, and takes in a variety of coastal scenery, including sheer sided cliffs on Cape Hauy itself. It’s roughly a 90 minute drive from Hobart; the last section is a dirt road to the picturesque Fortescue Bay, where they have a camp ground and facilities. The first part of the walk is through forest, which then opens up to heath vegetation and views of the surrounding cliffs, the most precipitous of which are at the turnaround point of the walk.  Continue reading “Cape Hauy Track, Tasman National Park, Tasmania”

Burning Palms Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney

One of my favourite Sydney walks that I’ve done multiple times, the Burning Palms Circuit from Otford takes in excellent coastal scenery in the Royal National Park, and passes through a unique and atmospheric palm jungle. Definitely one of my recommended walks in the area.

I’ve done the Burning Palms Circuit multiple times, and it remains one of my favourite walks around Sydney. It starts at Otford on the edge of the Royal National Park, and you soon pass by steep coastal cliffs, descend into a palm jungle, pass through grassy plains, then arrive at the very picturesque Burning Palms Beach, backed by the beginnings of the Illawarra Escarpment. There were very choppy seas on the day I took these pictures (…and I’ve now put a few extra pics at the end from a different day just a month later). Continue reading “Burning Palms Circuit, Royal National Park, Sydney”

Wodi Wodi Track, Stanwell Park NSW

The Wodi Wodi Track is a short but sometimes steep walk in the northern Illawarra. It passes through forest, and visits a number of viewpoints over the coast on optional, (but worthwhile), side trips.

When Sophia and I first tried to do this walk many years ago it was overgrown, and on that day we discovered the nearby Forest Walk, which goes to Sublime Point. I saw on Facebook that a friend had done the Wodi Wodi Track recently though, so I thought we would give it a go. It’s a fairly short circuit walk through eucalypt forest and rainforest, with some steep climbing and walking on roads. If you take a side trip near Stanwell Park station there are viewpoints over the suburb of Stanwell Park and the coast. Continue reading “Wodi Wodi Track, Stanwell Park NSW”