CENTRAL COAST - Pearl Beach to Patonga - HIKE - 14 June 2009

Generally, it is a hard 3 ½ hour walk. The hard part is th coastal section. Start the walk an hour or two before low tide.

Park the car near café close to beach.

Walk along the beach towards the south. Cross over the trickle of Green Point Creek. The rock pool is deep enough for a reasonable swim. Walk along the rocks to green point. The cliffs to the right side are steep and have been buffeted for rock falls. The water is deep. Around the point is a flat area of rock great for sitting and admiring the views. There are some hoses built very close to the cliff edge. The rest of the walk involves flat areas of rocks, slippery rocks, scrambling over, under and around large boulders, some walking into the bush and swimming when there is no other option through. At one point the beaches on Lion Island can be seen quite clearly. Eventually, dark corner near Patonga is reached. 2 hours.

The creek empties out at the north end of Patonga. At this point there is a steep track leading upwards. This is part of the great Northern Walk. The track eventually joins with a trail towards Pearl beach. Along this route there are a number of turnoffs to the right for great views over broken bay. A turnoff the trail to the left leads to Warrah Trig. Further along there are some huge overhanging caves. Eventually, the streets of Pearl Beach are reached and it is a short walk to the car. 1 hour.