Southwest Rocks to Hat Head
30 km (467 km) | 10 hr
What a day! Just when I thought the coast walk couldn’t possibly get any better... it did... again!
It was serene walking at first light from Southwest Rocks (so-called because it's southwest of Laggers Point) to Trial Bay Gaol along Front Beach. The beach curves for about 4 km facing northeast then north and finally west, terminating against Laggers Point. Once around Laggers Point, I had coffee with the kangaroos at Trial Bay and then took the superb Monument Hill trail over to Little Bay before the 'up hills and down dales' track to Smoky Cape via the Gap Beach, North Smoky Beach and the 'Ledge'.
For those who fancy a 'trail' as opposed to a beach walk on the coast, the Monument Hill track, combined with the Little Bay and Smoky Cape ones is an absolute pearler. You can add a detour to sublime Gap Beach. This has a steep descent on the north side, and likewise a steep ascent via a 4WD track on the south side, but an untouched 'perfect' beach is your reward. The National Parks signage says it's a 4 hour walk minus the detour to Gap Beach, and for amblers like me, that's about right. Probably 'marching bands' could do it in a lot less, but why would you want to hurry through paradise? Tree ferns and subtropical rainforest and pretty glades and gorgeous culverts and incredible views – just amazing!
I had lunch at Smoky Cape lighthouse (built in 1891), which fortified me for another long, long beach trek for 16 km along South Smoky Beach. I’m not ashamed to admit that the old Billy Joel song 'Don’t forget your second wind' was playing in my mind towards the end, although I took comfort in a pair of my totem sea eagles intermittently soaring south to keep me company.
There were a few friendly folks in 4WDs cruising the beach or parked up for fishing, but otherwise it was just the firm, flat sand, the incredible Pacific Ocean (not so pacific today) and moi.
I was pretty exhausted by the time I arrived at magical Hat Head, where I stayed for the night in a quaint little 'container' Airbnb. It had a gorgeous outdoor bath that had a wonderful view of the night sky. It was crystal clear and the milky way was 'full fat unpasteurised'. I soaked in the hot water, looking at the amazing starry, starry night, and reflected on another magnificent day on the Dreamtime to Eden quest while pondering the classic Tolkien quote, 'Not all those who wander are lost'. I looked forward to the morrow’s walk from Hat Head to Crescent Head with even more sacred coast to celebrate on the way to one of Australia's top surfing spots. Lucky me!