Man, where do I start? This walk was AMAZING! Good weather, good company and epic sights.

Day 1: Angourie to Lake Arragan and Red Cliff

Starting early, we did a car shuffle leaving my car at Station Creek Campground. The dirt road in was good and suitable for 2WD vehicles if you don’t mind getting a bit muddy (there was a small water crossing that could be a bit sketchy after rain though).

After that if was a bit over an hour drive to our starting point at Angourie Headland.

You can start the walk from Mara Creek picnic area but it was low tide and it’s a nice walk along Angourie Back Beach so we decided to go that way. Keep in mind there’s a small section of rocks that might be tough to get around if it’s high tide.

Climbing off the beach onto Shelley Track we were treated to some pretty special views with whales jumping out at sea and a few dolphins playing closer to the rocks.

Onward for another 5km or so got us to Shelley Head Campground which is a great place to stay if you’re just looking for a quick overnighter. There’s toilets but no water so bring your own.

The rock pools here are full of life and there’s even a cave that takes you through to the next beach which is only accessible at low tide.

The track to Lake Arragan runs behind the dunes but it’s probably quicker along the beach if the tide lets you. We ended up doing a bit of both but there was some sketchy bits scrambling along the rocks as the tide came in.

Arriving at Lake Arragan we were greeted with a beautiful sunset, heaps of kangaroos/wallabies and a really helpful camp manager who let us fill up some much needed water (the nearest tap is near the campground entrance which was a fair walk away).

Day 2: Lake Arragan to Sandon

Heading south it’s a short walk to Brooms Head where you can grab a coffee and top up on water if needed. If you need cash for the river crossings there should be an ATM in the Bowles Club although I didn’t confirm this.

We hung around on the beachfront for a while and watched someone get their boat trailer stuck in the sand so had to leave from second hand embarrassment. Up and over the headland and you’re faced with a pretty daunting trudge to Sandon. Lucky for us the tide was on our side and we had firm sand the whole way.

Sandon campground was surprisingly empty (considering it was supposedly booked out). The camp manager Geoff was an absolute legend and brought us fresh water. There’s tank water there but you might prefer to treat/boil it before drinking.

Day 3: Sandon to Minnie Water/Illaroo Campground

Paid Geoff our ferryman to get us to the other side of the river, it’s only a short trip but he assured us there was some decent sized bull sharks in there and I wasn’t going to argue with the man. Heading south we wandered through the village choosing our dream beach shack.

Signage on this whole walk is pretty lacking but luckily Geoff gave us the heads up that we were to follow the road out of the village then take a left down to the beach which worked out well.

Another long stretch of beach and we were at Illaroo Campground.

Day 4: Minnie Water to Pebbly Beach

Leaving Illaroo we walked over the headland and stopped in at the Minnie Water General Store and I have to say, the food here was amazing! Everything was just so good, coffee, pies even the blueberry muffin was unforgettable. We even joked on the drive home that we should stop in at Minnie Water for another pie.

Again the lack of signage threw us off but we ended up just walking down to the and following it to the end and taking Beach St up to the lookout and picnic area. After that it’s a nice walk through the forest over the headland.

The tide was still pretty low so we tried sticking to the beach/rocks as much as possible but eventually had to do a bit of a scramble up to Boorkoom Campground (they were painting the stairs so couldn’t go that way).

Wilsons Headland Walk was amazing with more views of whales, dolphins and even turtles while we stopped for snacks.

We still had a fair way to go and another boat trip across the Wooli River.

So I’m not sure what I was thinking when I planned this trip but at the time a 25km day seemed totally normal. It’s definitely different when a lot of your walking is on soft sand or scrambling over rocks at high tide.

The next few km to Pebbly Beach were a struggle, with the tide coming in we were either walking on soft sinky pebbles, scrambling over rocks or bashing a trail higher up off the beach. I think we were all starting to lose it towards the end but it was still pretty spectacular and we were treated to an amazing sunset.

It was dark by the time we made it to Pebbly Beach and the tide was way too high to cross the creek (something I’d just neglected to think about). No one was really keen to get in the water as we were convinced it was full of sharks anyway with all the splashing going on so we decided to spend an extra night.

With limited food and minimal water we setup camp, had a quick dinner and crashed out to the sounds of the waves breaking.

Day 5: Pebbly Beach to Station Creek

Up early the next morning to catch the sunrise we had plenty of time until low tide to make our crossing.

We had a little explore around the campsites until it was time to make a move. Again a little signage wouldn’t have hurt but we fumbled our way along the creek until we found the main track up to Station Creek and back to the car.

Overall an amazing adventure with spectacular views, perfect weather, a couple of boat trips and as always, great company.