Hat Head to Crescent Head

22 km (489 km) | 7 hr

I don't want to sound too much like the 'everything is awesome' Lego guy but wow! Today was just another ‘to die for’ batch of headlands and beaches. I started out with the 3 km Korogoro track around the 'head' of Hat Head. It was another exceptionally scenic clifftop walk with plenty of kangaroos to add to the magic. The track is listed as grade 4 but there was nothing too difficult for anyone of average fitness although hiking shoes or trainers with decent grip would be highly recommended.

I then moved on to the Connors track, which was more 'oscar-winning' material. I ambled past perfect O'Connors Beach and Kemps Corner before touching down on the gentle sands of Hungry Gate and Killick Beach. The signage for Connors walk says 6.7 km return but I would suggest planning plenty of extra time as it's a headland walk not to be missed.

I had lunch at the northern tip of 14 km long Killick beach and then had a long afternoon beach stroll past the Hat Head sand dunes, Ryan's Cut, Richardson's Crossing and Killlick Creek before finally wending my way to Crescent Head where I was stopping for the night.

Once again, I was accompanied over the headland and onto the beach by a beautiful pair of sea eagles who put on a bit of a swooping mating show just for me. It was just like those on the nature documentaries with their perfectly synchronised, entwined soaring and gliding and diving and avian acrobatics... what a thrill!

I have been to Crescent Head many times over the years, as it is a renowned surfing destination, but it is always good to be back, and it somehow felt very different arriving by foot after many leagues of lonely beach ( a league is the distance a person can walk in an hour – 3 miles or 4.5 kms – and I find this ‘archaic’ measure of distance to be really useful in my mental planning). There’s a lot to be said for moving at the speed that we were built for.

The southerly wind started to drop over the day, which made the sauntering much easier. While I had appreciated the drama provided by the strong, chilly southerly winds over the previous few days, it had also made the walking a bit more tiring, so I was glad for a return to 'normal' north coast weather. It was a useful learning experience for me, though, as I had not previously taken wind much into account when planning my walks – a detail I’ll note for future stages.