The Bouddi Coastal Walk - Bouddi National Park

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Route: Putty Beach, Gerrin Point, Maitland Bay Beach, Boouddi Point, Cave Gully, Bombi Moor Trail, Little Beach Trail, Little Beach, Mourawaring Moor Trail, Beachview Esplanade

Date: 28/12/2020
From: Putty Beach

Parking: Putty Beach / MacMasters
Start Point: Putty Beach
Finish Point: MacMasters Beach
Region: Bouddi National Park

Route length: 5.0 miles (8.0km)
Time taken: 02:28
Average speed: 2.1mph
Ascent: 394m
Descent: 345m

Points of Interest: Putty Beach, Tessellated Pavement, Maitland Bay, Little Beach

During the Christmas break, we had a week away from Syndey on the Central Coast, a sprawling peri-urban region north of Sydney. I had to look up the definition of peri-urban, it means 'of dispersive urban growth that creates hybrid landscapes of fragmented urban and rural characteristics' which exactly sums up the Central Coast - several small towns dotted around a large, rural area.

Central Coast is home to several national parks including the vast Brisbane Water. My choice, however, was the much smaller Bouddi National Park which is strung out along the coast. between Killcare Heights and MacMasters Beach. The Bouddi Coastal Walk is a one-way hike along the spectacular Bouddi coastline - the longest hike in the national park (I said the park was small, the Coastal Walk track measures in a little over 6km). Public transport is pretty limited in the villages so you will probably need two cars to complete this hike from end to end.

After being dropped off I set out from Putty Beach, a large south-easterly facing beach that is almost completely framed by the national park. The Bouddi Coastal Walk trail begins from the east end of the beach at a set of wooden steps. After a short climb, a wooden boardwalk hugs the top of the cliffs as it heads towards Bullimah Beach. This passes a geological feature called tessellated pavement - a flat surface that has been naturally divided into almost equal-sized blocks. A notice board explains all.

Box Head seen from Putty Beach

The Coastal Walk track begins at the end of Putty Beach

The beautiful Putty Beach at the start of the track

Its currently Cicada season in NSW - many meet their demise in the webs of the large Garden Orb spiders

Box Head

Bullimah Beach and Gerrin Point

The track follows a boardwalk towards Gerrin Point

The Barrenjoey headland on the opposite side of the bay

The cliffs below Gerrin Point

Tessellated pavement

Tessellated pavement - closeup

The track continues from the tessellated pavement into the bush, emerging at Gerrin Point Lookout which has a view northwards to Maitland Bay. I had to avoid blundering into the many large spider webs that were strung out along the path, such is the nature of hiking in Australia. From the lookout, the Coastal Walk heads back into the bush for a short distance, descending to the stunning Maitland Bay but offering occasional views back along the cliffs.

Maitland Bay from Gerrin Point

From Gerrin Point the track returns to the bush

Bouddi Coastal Track

Views of the cliffs open up after a short distance

Looking back towards Gerrin Point

Maitland Beach is a beautiful sandy beach. It gets its name from the S.S. Maitland, a paddle steamer which was as overwhelmed by the aptly-named "Maitland Gale". The storm which wrecked the Maitland also took numerous other ships on May 6, 1898. Of the 36 passengers aboard the Maitland, 24 lost their lives. Parts of the boiler and a section of the iron hull still lie strewn across the rock flats of Bouddi Point.

Maitland Beach and Bouddi Point

Maitland Beach

Maitland Beach and Bouddi Point

Maitland Bay

After crossing the beach, a short climb takes you up and over the neck of Bouddi Point and on to a section of high cliffs. It crosses two incised gullies before reaching a slightly uninspiring fire trail. The Bombi Moor Firetrail climbs to the highpoint of the moor where it meets a series of junctions - other trails that dart off to various lookouts along the cliffs. They are optional out-and-back hikes and, given it was well over 30 degrees, I opted against them.

Maitland Beach

The track has a good view of Broken Bay from the cliffs

The Bouddi track crosses the first of two gullies

Looking west along the Bouddi coastline

A small wooden bridge crosses one of the gullies

Cave Gully

Bombi Moor Firetrail

The fire trail continues until it reaches another National Parks sign for the Coastal Track and heads back into the bush. The path winds down through the woodland to the Little Beach Trail, a track linking Little Beach (and its camping area) to a small car park.

The track is well signed along its length

The track to Little Beach

Little Beach is exactly that, a small, secluded beach. It is home to a fairly exclusive camping area with room for 5 or 6 tents. Anyone can book a place but you have to plan well in advance. Like all good campsites in Australia, it comes equipped with a single electric barbeque. 

Little Beach

Little Beach

The cliffs beyond Little Beach

On the opposite side of the beach is the continuation of the Coastal Walk track - a series of newly refurbished sandstone steps that climb away from the beach and up to the Mourawaring Moor Trail. This sandy trail ultimately leads to the road at Beachview Esplanade in MacMasters Beach at the end of the trail. As I mentioned at the beginning, public transport is very limited so you'll likely need a second car here or, as in my case, a willing driver to pick me up.

A new set of steps climb away from Little Beach

Low clouds begin to swirl ahead of an afternoon of thunderstorms

Mourawaring Moor Trail

In all, a very pleasant walk, though the highlights are weighed towards the Putty Beach end of the trail. I was fortunate to have a good weather window for this hike - believe it or not, this summer in NSW has been exceptionally wet, more like the UK than Australia. Fingers crossed things cheer up as the summer progresses.