Beecroft Head, Gosangs Tunnel & Mermaids Inlet

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Route: Abrahams Bosom Track, Wreck Walk, Shell Beach, Wilson's Beach, Coomie's Walk, Gosangs Tunnel, Mermaid Inlet, Coomie's Walk, Abrahams Bosom Creek, Rock Shelter

Date: 26/10/2019
From: Currarong

Parking: Abrahams Bosom Reserve car park
Start Point: Abrahams Bosom Reserve
Finish Point: Abrahams Bosom Reserve
Region: Jervis Bay

Route length: 4.4 miles (7.1km)
Time taken: 02:08
Average speed: 2.1mph
Ascent: 126m
Descent: 125m

Points of Interest: S.S. Merimbula Wreck, Gosangs Tunnel, Mermaids Inlet

We have a car now which is helping us to venture away from the urban sprawl of Sydney to some of the slightly more distant places in New South Wales. One of these is Jervis Bay, an oasis of white sand beaches and perfect turquoise waters, located 3 hours south of Sydney.

During a weekend away, among other plans, we had a modest walk in mind around the northern headland of Jervis Bay, Beecroft Head. The headland forms part of the Abrahams Bosom Reserve and is home to some scenic cliffs and some pristine bush, linked by a wall-marked path - Coomies Walk.

Sunset at Erowal Bay - one of the smaller bays in the Jervis Bay area

After driving around the bay we parked in the village of Currarong which sits isolated on the headland. A free car park provided ample space and shade for our newly-acquired motor.

Entering the reserve

The Abraham’s Bosom Reserve came into existence ever since the first ships sailing started its voyage in the Australian east coast. The captains of the ships started referring the Beecroft Headland as Abraham’s Bosom, an Old Testament reference to safety, as the area afforded shelter to passing ships.

Footbridge over Abrahams Bosom Creek

Abrahams Bosom Creek

The Wreck Track

There are a couple of variations to this walk to make it longer and we made the most of it by first following the Wreck Walk from the footbridge over Abrahams Bosom Creek. The Wreck Walk is a short extension that leads through the bush and along the shoreline to Shell Beach and a view of the wreck of the S.S. Merimbula.

Native woodland

Shell Beach

Shell Beach

The ship ran aground during a storm in 1928 and, while all aboard were spared, the ship sank before it could be salvaged. While not much remains above the rocks, the Merimbula is a Historic Shipwreck, due to its integrity and accessibility for recreational diving.

The vague remains of the S.S. Merimbula

The Wreck Walk continues along the coastline to Wilson's Beach before it veers back inland after Honeysuckle Point to meet the Coomies Walk track. Away from the cooling breeze of the coast, the temperature quickly ramped up as we made our way through the bush to our next port of call, Gosangs Tunnel.

The coast at Abrahams Head

Wilson's Beach

The Wreck Track

Coomie's Walk

Another signed diversion leads away from the Coomies track, crossing a rocky plateau to find the entrance to Gosangs Tunnel. 2m wide and barely 1m high, the 20m tunnel is a challenge to negotiate - all fours may be preferable to some. It ends suddenly, opening onto a rock platform suspended high above the Tasman Sea, surrounded by towering cliffs and pounding waves. In a word, sensational.

Some directional signage

A sign can be found, pointing the way to Gosang's Tunnel

The entrance to Gosangs Tunnel

Gosangs Tunnel

Gosangs Tunnel

The rock platform at the end of the tunnel

The cliffs of Beecroft Peninsula

Gosangs Tunnel

A panorama of the Tasman Sea

Beecroft Peninsula

Gosangs Tunnel

Gosangs Tunnel

 Returning through the tunnel and to the bush track, we followed the signs for Coomies Walk once again though only for a short while before another diversion, this time to the spectacular Mermaid's Inlet. The inlet, a narrow cove in the cliffs, can be reached along a narrow, rocky path. It opens up as you reach a large platform where a few rock fishermen were taking their chances in the large swells. The cliffs are riven with fissures so it seems reasonable to believe that the inlet was the weakest among them, gradually being eroded over millennia.

Mermaids Inlet

Mermaids Inlet

Mermaids Inlet

Mermaids Inlet

One of the fissures in the rock

Mermaids Inlet

Mermaids Inlet

After marvelling at the power of the sea we returned to the Coomie's Walk path once again. We passed through a long section of bush, which was teeming it nuisance flies, to reach a trig pillar built on a rise on the headland. We continued through the bush until the path makes a descent to Abrahams Bosom Creek and the shady forest that lines its course.

View over Beecroft Peninsula

Coomie's Walk

Trig pillar

Entering the reserve once again

Abrahams Bosom Reserve

Abrahams Bosom Creek

Classic Australian bush

Shortly before reaching the car park, the path passes an Aboriginal rock shelter, an overhanging that has been occupied by Aboriginal communities for over 4000 years.

The Aboriginal rock shelter

Abrahams Bosom Creek

Beyond the rock shelter, the path returns to the footbridge over Abrahams Bosom Creek and the car park bringing an end to the walk. Being early afternoon we had time to take the car around to Hyams Beach, a sensational series of white sand beaches around Jervis Bay. While claimed to have the whitest sand in Australia, this is actually a myth but that doesn't detract from their splendour.

Hyams Beach

Hyams Beach

Hyams Beach