Bateau Bay Beach to Crackneck Beach

Download & Print Map and Notes

1 hr 15 mins

3.4 km Return

99 m

Experienced only

A great walk along the beach and rocky shoreline near Bateau Bay. The unnamed, rocky beach below Crackneck Lookout is a beautiful spot and there are plenty of interesting shapes and textures in the rocks and rockshelf along the way. There is a bit of rockhopping, but much less than when approaching 'Crackneck' beach from the south. Parts of the walk are very exposed to the ocean and should not be attempted at high tides or during high seas.

* This walk passes through very remote areas and sections have no visible track. At least one person in your group should have training and experience in off track walking and navigation. Even with these notes and a GPS these extra skills and equipment are required.

Bateau Bay Beach picnic area and lookout

This unnamed picnic area and lookout is within Wyrrabalong National Park, at the intersection of Reserve Dr and Harbour St, Bateau Bay. The picnic area overlooks Bateau Bay and the beach. There are large grass areas, plenty of shade and facilities including picnic tables, garbage bins, and beach access steps. There are beautiful views along the coast and out to sea from the picnic area. There are free electric BBQs at Sutton Reserve, a block further south along Reserve Dr. Takeaway food is available at a small shopping centre near the intersection of Harbour St and Bateau Bay Rd, one block from the picnic area.

(0km) Top of northern Bateau Bay Beach access steps → Bottom of northern Bateau Bay Beach access track

110 m

2 mins

-6m Moderate track

From the intersection, this walk goes down the timber steps, towards the beach. The walk follows the boardwalk and timber steps down the hill until reaching Bateau Bay Beach[1].

(0km) Bottom of northern Bateau Bay Beach access track → Southern end of Bateau Bay Beach

420 m

8 mins

13m

-12m Hard track

Continue straight: From the bottom of the northern Bateau Bay Beach[2] access stairs, this walk goes south along the beach, keeping the ocean to the left. Towards the southern end of the beach, the walk arrives at the base of some concrete steps, beside a concrete management trail.
Turn left: From the bottom of the southern Bateau Bay[3] Beach access track (beside the concrete management trail), this walk goes south across the sand, keeping the ocean to the left. After a very short distance, the walk arrives at the southern edge of Bateau Bay Beach[4], with a much narrower strip of sand continuing south.

(1km) Southern end of Bateau Bay Beach → Crackneck rockshelf

710 m

13 mins

18m

-17m Experienced only

Continue straight: From the southern end of Bateau Bay Beach, this walk goes south, along the narrow strip of sand, keeping the ocean to the left. The walk passes a concrete stormwater outlet (to the right) and a short distance later reaches the end of the sandy strip, with some mangrove trees to the left.
Continue straight: From the end of the narrow beach strip, this walk passes some mangrove trees, to the left, and follows the sandy track south, keeping the ocean to the left. After a short distance, the walk reaches the end of the sandy track, at the rockshelf.

(1km) Crackneck rockshelf → Crackneck beach

470 m

9 mins

18m

-15m Experienced only

Continue straight: From the end of the sandy track, the walk goes across the rockshelf, following the coastline south, keeping the ocean to the left. There are some interesting textures in the rock, with some regular, angular cracks in places, making for some intriguing scenery. The walk then goes around the headland and continues a short distance to the unnamed beach beneath Crackneck Lookout, covered in rounded fist-sized rocks.

Crackneck Beach

This unnamed beach is below Crackneck Lookout and can be reached with some difficulty by walking along the very rocky shoreline from Forresters Beach, to the south, or from Bateau Bay beach, to the north. The beach is covered in rounded rocks about the size of a fist.

Maps for the Bateau Bay Beach to Crackneck Beach walk

You can download the PDF for this walk to print a map.
These maps below cover the walk and the wider area around the walk, they are worth carrying for safety reasons.

Gosford	1:25 000 Map Series	91312S GOSFORD	NSW-91312S
Gosford	1:100 000 Map Series	9131 GOSFORD	9131

Cross sectional view of the Bateau Bay Beach to Crackneck Beach bushwalking track

Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Bateau Bay Beach to Crackneck Beach

Altitude analysis for Bateau Bay Beach to Crackneck Beach

Overview of this walks grade – based on the AS 2156.1 – 2001

Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.

		Length	3.4 km
		Time	1 hr 15 mins
		.
Grade 5/6 Experienced only	AS 2156.1	Gradient	Short steep hills (3/6)
		Quality of track	Rough unclear track (5/6)
		Signs	Minimal directional signs (4/6)
		Experience Required	Moderate level of bushwalking experience recommended (4/6)
		Weather	Forecast, unforecast storms and severe weather may impact on navigation and safety (4/6)
		Infrastructure	Limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged) (4/6)

Some more details of this walks Grading

Here is a bit more details explaining grading looking at sections of the walk

Gradient

Around 1.1km of this walk has gentle hills with occasional steps, whilst the remaining 570m has short steep hills.

Quality of track

870m of this walk follows a rough unclear track and another 730m follows a rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely. The remaining (110m) follows a clear and well formed track or trail.

Signs

Around 1.6km of this walk has minimal directional signs, whilst the remaining 110m has directional signs at most intersection.

Experience Required

Around 1.2km of this walk requires some bushwalking experience, whilst the remaining 470m requires a leader a with moderate level of bushwalking experience.

weather

710m of this walk is affected by storms that may impact your navigation and safety and another 530m is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation). The remaining (470m) is affected by forecast, unforecast storms and severe weather events that may impact on navigation and safety.

Infrastructure

Around 1.6km of this walk has limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged), whilst the remaining 110m has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced).

Similar walks

A list of walks that share part of the track with the Bateau Bay Beach to Crackneck Beach walk.

Bateau Bay Beach loop

892 m Circuit, 30 mins

A short and very scenic walk around the beautiful Bateau Bay, taking in the stunning views from the hilltop picnic areas, as well as a walk along the beach. There are well-built steps and paths to make the beach access easier. Lunch at one of the picnic areas would really enhance this walk and its s

Total climbing: 25m

Hard track

Wyrrabalong Shoreline walk

4.6 km One way, 2 hrs

This walk runs along the shoreline from Bateau Bay to Forresters Beach, in the southern section of Wyrrabalong National Park. The walk is very exposed to the ocean and should not be done at high tide or during rough seas. Much of the shoreline is strewn with boulders, which makes the walking harder

Total climbing: 183m

Experienced only

Wyrrabalong Coast Walk circuit

9.1 km Circuit, 3 hrs 30 mins

A fairly tough but fantastic walk in the southern section of Wyrrabalong National Park. This walk runs through a long, thin strip of beautiful coastal forest, with fantastic views of the coastline from many vantage points along the way, and returns via the boulder-strewn shoreline and beaches. There

Total climbing: 348m

Experienced only

Other Nearby walks

A list of walks that start near the Bateau Bay Beach to Crackneck Beach walk.

Bateau Bay Picnic Area to Crackneck lookout

1.7 km One way, 1 hr 30 mins

A short version of the Wyrrabalong Coast Walking Track, this walk covers some of the highlights through this long thin strip of beautiful coastal forest, with fantastic views of the coastline from many vantage points along the way. Crackneck Lookout, at the end of the walk, has stunning views and wo

Total climbing: 99m

Moderate track

Wyrrabalong Coast Walking Track

3.8 km One way, 1 hr 30 mins

An excellent walk in the southern section of Wyrrabalong National Park. This walk runs through a long thin strip of beautiful coastal forest, with fantastic views of the coastline from many vantage points along the way. The two main lookouts along the way, Crackneck and Wyrrabalong, have stunning vi

Total climbing: 178m

Moderate track

Stephenson Rd to Crackneck Lookout

646 m One way, 15 mins

A great short walk through some beautiful coastal forest, with some brilliant coastal views along the way. Crackneck Lookout, at the end of the walk, is a great spot for a picnic lunch, enjoying the views and atmosphere of this part of Wyrrabalong National Park. If you are doing this as a return wal

Total climbing: 17m

Moderate track

Wyrrabalong lookout

382 m Return, 15 mins

A short walk to Wyrrabalong Lookout, at the top of Cromarty Hill, with stunning views along the coastline near Forresters Beach. There are picnic tables and plenty of grassy area. Hang gliders and paragliders using the adjacent launch point, when the weather permits, add some interest.

Total climbing: 20m

Moderate track

Wyrrabalong Lookout to Crackneck Lookout

1.6 km One way, 45 mins

The fantastic scenic walk includes some of the highlights of the longer Wyrrabalong Coast Walking Track. The walk passes through a variety of beautiful forest landscapes, and there are excellent views of the coastline from many spots along the way, including the lookouts at the start and finish of t

Total climbing: 56m

Moderate track

Forresters Beach to Crackneck Beach

5.8 km Return, 2 hrs 30 mins

A great walk along the boulder strewn shoreline to the unnamed beach below Crackneck Lookout. Much of this walk is very exposed to the ocean and should not be attempted at high tide or during rough seas. Plenty of rock hopping over the boulders makes the walking harder but also makes the scenery mor

Total climbing: 254m

Experienced only

St Johns Lookout

166 m Return, 10 mins

This is a very short walk across the picnic area to the lookout - you can see the end of the walk from the start. The council has installed a sandstone footpath that arcs around the picnic area and leads to St Johns Lookout. The path also leads to picnic tables and accessible toilets. You will als

Total climbing: 13m

Very easy

Katandra Circuit

4.8 km Circuit, 2 hrs 15 mins

This walk explores many highlights in Katandra Reserve. Starting from St Johns Lookout, this walk winds down the hill into the much denser forest of the valley, enjoy many interesting rock formations on the way. Once in the valley, you walk past some fantastic examples of strangler figs before hea

Total climbing: 308m

Moderate track

Toomeys Walk

2.9 km One way, 1 hr 30 mins

This walk is a great way to explore the diverse forests of Katandra Reserve. Starting with the views from St Johns Lookout, this walk heads through the open forest, past many mossy rocks, then heads into the valley and rainforest. On the valley floor, the walk gently meanders past some great examp

Total climbing: 135m

Moderate track

Guringai Walk

1.2 km Circuit, 45 mins

This is a surprisingly spectacular walk, following the base of the cliff below St Johns Lookout. From the car park, you will follow a gentle track through the bush before heading down some stairs to the cliff face. Handrails and timber walkways have been installed to make this walk more accessible.

Total climbing: 80m

Moderate track

Graves Walk

1.5 km One way, 45 mins

On this walk, you follow the signposted Graves Walk between the two main picnic area in Katandra Reserve. Starting near St Johns Lookout, this walk follows Graves Walking track down the ridge. You will see some valley views, open drier forest, some faint Aboriginal markings and plenty of interesti

Total climbing: 13m

Moderate track

Mouat Trail (Katandra to Rumbalara)

4.1 km One way, 2 hrs

This walk follows a series of tracks and management trails along the top of the ridge between Katandra and Rumbalara Reserves. You will at times think you are a million miles from anywhere and other times enjoy views across the suburbs of the Central Coast and out to sea. In spring and early summe

Total climbing: 139m

Hard track

Plan your trip to and from the walk here

The Bateau Bay Beach to Crackneck Beach walk starts and ends at the Top of northern Bateau Bay Beach access steps (gps: -33.382053, 151.48403)

Bus. (get details)

Car. There is free parking available.<br /> (get details)

Weather Forecast

This walk starts in the Hunter weather district.

Current Alerts

Park Information

Wyrrabalong National Park

Wyrrabalong National park on the NSW Central Coast is divided into two main sections. The northern section sits between the South Pacific Ocean and Tuggerah Lake (with the Central Coast Hwy cutting up the middle) south of Norah Head. The south section covers a coastal strip from Forresters Beach to Bateau Bay. The park is rich with great views, sandy beaches and the last significant coastal rainforest in the area. A great place for walking, swimming, fishing and relaxing.

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