Time: | 6 hrs |
Distance: | 16 km |
Fitness: | EM |
Skill: | E |
Ascent: | 130 m |
Maps: | LPI Sussex Inlet 9027-4S 1:25000 |
Notes: | Print-friendly notes (opens in new window) |
Introduction
Steamers Beach is a popular walk-in surf beach lined by cliffs. It is only about a half hour walk, but combining this with a trip to St Georges Head can make for a full day of walking. There are numerous interesting side trips worth investigating.
The walk is best in summer to allow for swimming, keeping in mind that there are a couple of sections with little shade.
Access
The walk starts from the Steamers Beach Car Park, which is a short drive from the park entrance and from the various camping areas in the park.
From the park entrance, head into the park on Jervis Bay Rd for 3km. Turn right on to Wreck Bay Rd and follow it for 2km. Take the first left on to Stony Creek Rd, which is a dirt road and somewhat rutted. Follow it for 1km and take the first right, and then right again after another 400m. Another 600m brings you to the Steamers Beach Car Park.
Track notes
From 09 Feb 2010, last checked 09 Feb 2010
Starting from the Steamers Bay Car Park, ignore a fire trail off to the left after 100m or so and continue down through pleasant open forest to a track junction. Take the right hand junction and follow it around to Blacks Waterhole. Continue past Blacks Waterhole to a large signpost pointing to a small track leading down to Whiting Beach. Whiting Beach is only accessible at low tide. You need to rock hop along the rock shelf around to the beach. It is a beautiful beach, and there are plenty of whiting in the shallows.
Back at the main track, a little bit further along is another detour down to Blacks Harbour. Blacks Harbour is a very small harbour suitable for sheltering kayaks. Unlike most of the coast, the rocks are not sandstone, and appear to be some kind of granitic intrusion.
Just past the turnoff to Blacks Harbour, the main circuit track leads up a hill, and a small foot track leads off to the right. Head along this for a few hundred metres to another side track, this one winding down throuh the forest to Kittys Beach. Kittys Beach is pleasant, but a little stony, and would be very small at high tide. If you had to choose between Kittys and Whiting Beach, Whiting would be the better choice, but the tides may not give you the option.
Continuing along the foot track, you hit another fire trail, with a sign saying left back to the circuit track. What the sign doesn't say is that to the right leads to Kittys Point, Corangamite and St Georges Head. Kittys Point is a pleasant grassy patch overlooking a rocky point,that would be an island at high tide. Corangamite is a small cliff looking over a big flat sea ledge, and St Georges Head is rocky slabs and outcrops emerging from the ocean. St Georges Head is the end of the road, so return back to the Kittys Beach turnoff and continue along the main fire trail again.
It is several kilometres of walking walk along cliffs and through open heath and forest with lots of dead banksias to the turn off to Steamers Beach and Brooks Lookout. Only a short distance along this fire trail, the track forks, right to Brooks Lookout and left to Steamers Beach. Head to Brooks Lookout first. At the end of the track to Brooks Lookout, a short steep track leads up to a turning circle up the top which has views over Steamers Head.
Returning to the junction, the fire trail towards Steamers Beach heads down to another junction, where you should turn right. The fire trail becomes a foot track, which descends a long set of stairs that get steeper and steeper towards the bottom down to the beach.
The beach is great for swimming, though there are no lifeguards, so swim at your own risk.
Returning to the previous fire trail junction, keep right which will take you back to the very first fire trail junction. Keep right again and it is easy walking through open forest back to the car park.
Personal reports
09/02/2010 - Steamers Beach Loop: (photos)