Botany Bay Coastal Walk (13km)

The Botany Bay Coastal Walk is a rewarding 13 kilometre journey through some of the most varied coastal scenery in southern Sydney. Beginning near the cliff tops at Kurnell and finishing at Cronulla station, this grade 4 hike typically takes around four hours, though you may want longer to explore the rock platforms, dunes and quiet corners along the way. It combines raw ocean frontage with pockets of heath, hanging swamps and long beaches, finishing with the relaxed coastal atmosphere that Cronulla does so well.

From the end of Polo Street, the walk slips past a National Parks gate and follows a service trail heading south east. Power lines run off to the right at first, but the track soon settles into open heath as it climbs gently to a low rise. At the junction with the Cape Bailey track and the radar service trail, turn left briefly, then continue on the main bush track, keeping the water tank and radar installation to your right. The path winds through low forest before reaching a four way intersection with a wider management trail. From here, veer left and head south along a sandy track that soon transitions onto exposed rock shelf.

This stretch is a highlight. With the ocean about 150 metres to your left, the track threads through dense coastal scrub and across sculpted sandstone. Wind and water have carved small holes and textures into the rock, giving the surface an almost honeycombed appearance. At Tabbigai Gap, turn left onto a thinner coastal track that hugs the shoreline more closely. It weaves in and out of heath, occasionally opening to sweeping coastal views before bending inland to rejoin a more defined path.

As you continue south west along the cliffs, the landscape becomes more varied. Blue Hole Gap sits below, and ahead the track rises over a series of sand dunes. Tucked among these dunes are several hanging swamps, fragile ecosystems formed where rainwater seeps through the surrounding hills and collects in shallow depressions. They can be easy to miss at a distance, as thick reeds and vegetation often conceal the water beneath. From the top of the dunes you can look across these wetlands before descending again, the track undulating through soft sand and low scrub.

A short side track leads to Cape Bailey Lighthouse. The final metres can be slightly overgrown, but the lighthouse is usually visible ahead. Established in 1950, it was built to guide north bound ships safely along the coast and away from stronger offshore currents. Views inland are expansive, though coastal views are partly screened by tall scrub. After visiting the lighthouse, return to the main track and continue south along the management trail, descending through tall heath to broad rock platforms that edge the sea.

The trail eventually reaches the Sir Joseph Banks Drive car park. From here, the walk continues along the coast towards Boat Harbour Aquatic Reserve. A long rock platform leads to the reserve sign, then the track bends west around a small shelly beach before climbing gently along grassy slopes. It passes the remnants of an old pipeline and drops via a narrow concrete path to the beach. From this point, the character of the walk shifts as you follow the sand north west along a wide arc of coastline.

The beach section is long but straightforward, with the South Pacific Ocean rolling in on your left. After about 4.5 kilometres you pass Elouera Beach Surf Life Saving Club and join the beachfront footpath. This paved stretch offers an easy finish, running behind the beach with open views across the water. The path continues past North Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club, ocean pools carved into the rock, and the lawns of Cronulla Park.

The final section leads through the park, across Gerrale Street and along a laneway between shops and green space. After crossing Cronulla Street at the lights, you arrive at Cronulla train station. If time allows, it is worth pausing at the ocean pools for a swim before heading home. It is a fitting way to end a walk that showcases wild headlands, fragile wetlands and one of Sydney’s most loved stretches of coast.