Wednesday 1/07/2020 Wattamolla – Curracurrang – Curracurrong – Garie North Head – Curra Moors Track
Royal National Park, NSW
Tharawal country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report), Trish Law, Dave Whitelaw
This walk is a section of the longer Coast Track in Sydney’s Royal National Park (the full walk extends from Otford in the south to Bundeena). The park is in the traditional lands of the Dharawal people. It is a classic track known for it’s stunning coastal scenery, rugged sandstone cliffs and sandy beaches.
Max elevation: 192 m
Total climbing: 796 m
Total descent: -619 m
Average speed: 3.86 km/h
Total time: 05:12:11
We dropped one car at the Curra Moors car park to increase our options for the return walk before driving to Wattamolla to start the trail. Wattamolla had long been a meeting place for the traditional owners to rest and recuperate.
We were blessed with a stunning winter day. Initially, we were a little chilly but we soon warmed up. Trish and Dave bought their huge bag to collect garbage and in Covid safe times also a pick up stick and gloves for said rubbish. Sadly, there was still much to collect.
Heading south we were soon at the lovely sandstone cliffs for which this walk is renowned. The seas were calm so it was perfect for whale watching. We hadn’t walked this section in more years than we were willing to admit to and we soon noticed how much work had been done on track maintenance. Recycled elevated plastic boardwalk now covers much of this section. This approach has its detractors but considering the proximity to a major capital city and the degree of use the track gets, it does prevent extensive erosion of the path.
The Xanthorrhoea (grass tress) were at their flowering best and a dominant species in places.
Waterfall on Curracurrang Creek
We followed Curracurrang Creek back a short distance off the main track to a pretty little waterfall. Back on the main track we explored Curracurrong Creek with it’s smaller waterfall, and Curracurrong Creek Falls as they spectacularly flow into the ocean. Good views of Eagle Rock and these falls can be seen just off the track from a rock platform adjoining the falls.
We stopped here for morning tea and enjoyed some whale watching, a wonderful benefit of doing coastal walks at this time of year. We saw many pods of whales, dolphins and a soaring eagles. A wonderful display of wildlife!
Soon we were looking down on the yellow sand and the crystal clear waters off Garie Beach. We descended the hewn sandstone steps and enjoyed lunch at the northern end of the beach. From here we returned along the shorter route back to the car via Curra Moors, rather than walk the 9km back to Wattamolla. The forest along Curra Moors trail was lush, green and very pleasant.
This was an excellent day walk with stunning scenery and wildlife viewing.
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