The Kiama Coast Walk is a true South Coast classic, stitching together some of the most striking scenery in the Illawarra. Winding its way from the Minnamurra River south to Gerringong, the track serves up an incredible mix of pristine beaches and dramatic, wave-battered basalt cliffs. With clear skies and cool winter air making for perfect hiking conditions, I hit the trail to take in the sprawling ocean panoramas and explore the otherworldly geology of this famous coastline.
The Kiama Coast Walk - Minnamurra to Gerringong
📍 ILLAWARRA
Distance21.9 km
Duration05:17 hrs
Elev Gain+605 m
Elev Lost-594 m
Date
04 July 2026
Starting Point
Minnamurra
Difficulty
Moderate
Pace / Gear
4.1 km/h — Full day pack
Highlights
Minnamurra River, Cathedral Rocks, Bombo Headland Quarry, Kiama Blowhole, Little Blowhole, Werri Beach
🗺️ Interactive Route MapPinch or use wheel to zoom
The Kiama Coast Walk is one of Australia’s most scenic coastal hikes, combining expansive ocean views with dramatic volcanic geology and a string of unspoilt beaches. The full walk is divided into three sections, stretching from the mouth of the Minnamurra River south through Kiama to Werri Beach at Gerringong. The terrain is generally gentle, making it accessible for most fitness levels, with a mix of sealed paths, grassy tracks, and beach walking.
This coastline has long been an important place for the Dharawal people, who lived along the Illawarra coast for thousands of years, relying on the rich marine environment for fish, shellfish, and other resources. Many of the headlands, rock platforms, and estuaries along the route would have been significant campsites and food-gathering areas.
Minnamurra
Making the most of a beautiful winter's day, I began my hike in Minnamurra village, having received a lift to the beach from a friend. The name Minnamurra comes from the local Dharawal language and is commonly translated as “plenty of fish", a fitting description once you reach the river mouth. The Minnamurra River estuary is a productive ecosystem where fresh and salt water mix, attracting fish, birds, and marine life.
From the river, the Coast Walk climbs onto Minnamurra Point, opening up sweeping views across the estuary toward Boyds Beach and the dramatic volcanic sea stack known as Stack Island. This formation is a remnant of ancient lava flows, part of the Illawarra’s basalt geology, which contrasts sharply with the sandstone landscapes more familiar around Sydney and the Blue Mountains. These basalt flows erupted around 20 million years ago, spreading across the region and later being sculpted by erosion into cliffs, columns, and isolated stacks like this one. The point is also an awesome point to launch a drone from.
Minnamurra River
Stack Island
Minnamurra River
Minnamurra River and Killalea Regional Park
Minnamurra Point
Minnamurra River
Stack Island
Minnamurra
Looking south along the coast towards Bombo and Kiama
Minnamurra Point
From Minnamurra Point the track heads south past a whale-watching platform — winter’s the best time to spot humpbacks as they migrate close to shore — then weaves briefly through suburbia before dropping down onto Jones Beach.
Minnamurra Whale Watching Platform
Rock platforms at Jones Beach
Jones Beach
Jones Beach is a long, open stretch of sand backed by dunes and low cliffs, popular with surfers — especially around Kiama Downs, home to the local surf lifesaving club. Long before European settlement, this coastline was a seasonal fishing ground, with rock platforms used to gather shellfish and fish traps set in the calmer waters.
Jones Beach
Cathedral Rocks
At the southern end of the beach rise the striking Cathedral Rocks, one of the most recognisable landmarks along the walk. You can reach them via a rock shelf, where these basalt sea stacks sit beneath the cliffs, their shapes evoking the walls and towers of a grand stone cathedral. Formed from columnar basalt, they were created as thick lava flows cooled, forming the vertical columns.
Cathedral Rocks
Cathedral Rocks
Cathedral Rocks
Returning to the beach, I noticed a rough path leading up the hill behind Cathedral Rocks and went off to explore it, revealing a stunning view of the formation from above.
Cathedral Rocks
Cathedral Rocks
The Boneyard
I climbed a little further, ending up on North Kiama Drive, where it rises gently over a low hill before descending towards the Boneyard. Even if Cathedral Rocks aren’t accessible from the beach, the road provides excellent elevated views back toward them, giving a better appreciation of their setting beneath the cliffs.
The Boneyard itself is a sheltered pebble beach, named not for anything macabre but after the powerful reef break known as Boneyards just offshore. The track briefly follows the shoreline before climbing into bushland on Bombo Headland, where the walk’s geology becomes even more dramatic.
The Boneyard
Cathedral Rocks
Bombo Headland
Unlike the naturally exposed basalt columns seen at places like the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, many of the formations at Bombo are the result of human activity. The headland was once a major blue metal quarry, supplying crushed basalt for roads, railway ballast, and construction throughout the Illawarra and Sydney from the late 1800s until the mid-20th century. Quarrying exposed vast walls of columnar basalt, leaving behind hundreds of tall, hexagonal columns that now form one of the most visually striking geological sites on the NSW coast. Today, the quarry is heritage-listed and protected.
Bombo Headland
Bombo Headland
Bombo Headland quarry
Bombo Headland quarry
Bombo Headland
Bombo Headland
The coastal path offers views over the quarry, while the hike continues into it for a closer look at the towering walls and geometric columns. It’s a stark, almost otherworldly landscape.
Bombo Headland quarry
Bombo Headland quarry
Leaving the quarry behind, I made our way south to Bombo Beach — another long, golden stretch of sand with its own train station and little else, a reminder of how the railway opened up the south coast to tourism and industry in the late 19th century. You can opt to hike along the sand or speed things up a bit by following a footpath alongside the Princes Highway.
Kiama
Bombo Beach
Bombo Beach and Headland
Kiama
At the southern end of the beach, you'll cross Spring Creek and head to Gipps Road, which leads into the town of Kiama. There is a low-tide route along the base of the cliffs; however, my visit coincided with a rising tide, so I gave it a miss on this occasion. Whichever route you decide to take, you'll find yourself in the bustling tourist town of Kiama.
Kiama Harbour
Kiama
Kiama is a classic seaside town, shaped in its early European days by fishing, dairy farming, and quarrying. The Kiama Lighthouse, perched on Blowhole Point, was built in 1887 to guide ships safely along this rugged stretch of coast, just ten years after the construction of the man-made Kiama Harbour below. Today, both the lighthouse and harbour stand as reminders of the town’s maritime history and its connection to the sea.
Kiama Lighthouse
Beneath the lighthouse sits the famous Kiama Blowhole, a natural cavity in the basalt cliffs formed by wave erosion exploiting cracks and weaknesses in the rock. During strong swell, seawater is forced through the cavity and blasted high into the air, sometimes reaching more than 20 metres. Sadly today, there was no swell to speak of, so the blowhole was silent.
Blowhole Point
Blowhole Point
From Blowhole Point, the Coast Walk continues south past the rugged Storm Bay before climbing over Church Point toward Surf Beach and Kendall's Beach. This sheltered cove, backed by Norfolk Island pines, offers a gentler coastline compared to the exposed basalt platforms further north, making it a popular spot for swimming and family picnics.
Storm Bay
Blowhole Point
Surf Beach
Kendalls Beach
Kendalls Beach
Continuing along the grassy Kaleula Head past Kendall's Beach leads directly towards Easts Beach, a crescent of golden sand enclosed by high basalt cliffs at either end. Along the way is a short side track leading to the Little Blowhole, a smaller but often more consistent natural vent than its famous northern counterpart. Because of its narrower cavern structure, even a moderate ocean swell forces water high into the air with impressive force and frequency.
Kaleula Head
Kiama
The Coast Walk
Beyond Easts Beach, the walk transitions from suburban footpaths onto the expansive grassy clifftops of the final section, leading towards Gerringong. This stretch follows an undulating trail high above the ocean, offering sweeping panoramas back along the Illawarra coastline and down into clear, turquoise rock pools carved into the wave-cut platforms below.
Easts Beach
Easts Beach
Into the green pastures
The rugged Loves Bay
Loves Bay
The track skirts the edges of rolling dairy pastures, where cattle graze right up to the cliff edge—a striking contrast of rural green farmland meeting the open Pacific. Historically, these lush pastures were cleared in the 19th century as the Illawarra became one of Australia's pioneering dairy regions, supplying butter and milk to the growing Sydney market via coastal steamships.
Marsden Head
Bare Bluff
Bare Bluff
Wave-cut platforms below the cliff
Kiama Heights
Climbing Bare Bluff
Wave-cut platforms
Looking north back towards Kiama
Unnamed cliffs along the Coast Walk
As the path approaches Gerringong, it descends gently towards the northern end of Werri Beach. This broad, windswept stretch of sand is flanked by two prominent headlands and backed by a natural lagoon system, forming the mouth of Werri Creek. Long before the arrival of dairy farms, the lagoon and surrounding wetlands served as an abundant hunting and gathering ground for the Dharawal people, providing reliable access to fish, waterfowl, and plant material.
Kiama Coast Walk
The Pacific Ocean
Kiama Coast
Approaching Gerringong
Last of the wave-eroded cliffs
Werri Lagoon
Werri Lagoon
The trail officially concludes at the north end of Werri Beach, near the rock pool and headland lookout. You'll probably need to wade across the lagoon to get to the expansive Werri Beach.
Werri Lagoon
The final stretch into Gerringong perfectly caps off what is undeniably one of the state's premier day hikes. From the early morning views at Minnamurra Point to the dramatic heights of Bombo Quarry and those final, sprawling grassy clifftops, the track packs an incredible amount of variety into a single route. With the lagoon successfully navigated and the trail behind me, I headed up into the village to grab a bite to eat, completely satisfied with an epic day spent exploring the Illawarra coastline.
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