Hiking and Biking in Jervis Bay

Jervis Bay is surrounded by several different National Parks and Nature Reserves, so we were looking forward to doing a bit of hiking and biking and exploring them all during our stay in the Bay. Luckily, we organised our camping trip in Booderee National Park before the coronavirus restrictions started, as that National Park has now been completely closed to visitors. Booderee National Park is jointly managed by the Federal Government and the local indigenous community while the NSW Jervis Bay National Parks and Abrahams Bosom Reserve are managed by the NSW State Government, and are still open to the public at this stage.

Booderee National Park is situated off the southern coast of Jervis Bay, so with Cool Change moored at Hole in the Wall, we planned an overnight camping trip to explore some of the more remote beaches in the National Park. We obtained a permit to camp at Cave Beach campsite and then planned our route. While tallying up the kilometres, I soon realised that we weren’t going to be able to hike the route in one day, not while carrying full packs anyway.

So we decided we’d take the bikes, ride them with our packs on, and then ditch either the packs or the bikes for sections of the route, where appropriate. It worked beautifully and we covered 34 kilometres of hiking and biking in just under seven hours. The tracks alternated between sandy trails, 4WD gravel tracks, steep narrow single trails, and tight and twisty walking tracks, so was it quite challenging at times. We did the southern loop, stopping at Steamers Beach, Brooks Lookout, St Georges Head, Corangamite, Kittys Beach, Blacks Harbour and Whiting Beach. At Kittys Beach we stopped for lunch and a refreshing swim in the crystal clear waters. There were very few other people around, and we only encountered three other couples in this area.

By the time we reached Cave Beach campsite, we were both exhausted and looking forward to collapsing on the beach and then having a shower. The showers were cold, but still felt fantastic. The campsite was pretty basic and although it had been advertised as a remote campsite, there were lots of other campers there, and also a carpark that brought in a heap of day visitors the next morning. Not exactly how I’d describe remote!

There was also a large population of fairly tame kangaroos that lots of the tourists were having selfies with, and as we were to discover, a large number of very bold and very hungry possums. As soon as it was dark the possums came out to investigate and they weren’t at all shy, allowing us to come quite close. Once we’d gone to bed, they became even bolder, loudly trying to get into my pack where I’d stashed the remainder of our food. I had to get up and move it all into the tent with us. Upon waking, I discovered they had had a good rummage around the stove and washing up bag, which were the only things I’d left out overnight. No damage done.

We slept pretty well in our little hiking tent, the first time sleeping on solid ground in about a month. Weirdly, I felt a strange sensation as if I was swaying. Maybe my body is adjusting to the boat after all.

Here are some photos from the hike:

Map of trails in Booderee National Park and a map of our hike/bike:

Curious possums at Cave Beach campsite:

The following morning we left the busy Cave Beach and made our way to the more isolated Bherwerre Beach. It is a beautiful and peaceful place with kilometres of white sandy beach and enticing calm blue waters. There was only one other person there, a nudist swimming in the water, so we made our way to a different section where Matt declared, ‘Well, if he’s going nude, then I can too’ and promptly stripped off and headed for the water.

We walked a long way up the deserted beach, enjoying the space and the quiet. A big hermit crab out for a walk obliged us for some photos, and on the way back we spotted a pod of dolphins surfing in the waves quite close to the shore. Matt headed out to see if he could swim with them, and although he got quite close to a couple who were in the waves nearby, the dolphins didn’t want to play with us and headed out to sea.

A few days later we found ourselves on the opposite side of the entrance to Jervis Bay on the Beecroft Peninsula. Leaving Cool Change anchored off Bindijine Beach, we went for a walk past the very pretty but very busy Honeymoon Bay to Target Beach, Silica Cove and Longnose Point. These beaches were much quieter and absolutely beautiful. In the right conditions, Target Beach apparently has quite a good surf break, however not on this day. At Longnose Point we saw the wreck of St. Martin de Porres, a sailing boat which ended up on the rocks there in 1994.

A few weeks later we headed out to Abrahams Bosom Reserve on the North East coast of Jervis Bay. Cool Change was moored at Callala Bay so Matt put our bikes together and we cycled 12 kilometres to the little beach town of Currarong where the hike started. It was a lovely sunny day and we enjoyed being out and about after many consecutive days cooped up on the boat. We walked the 9 kilometre Coomies Circuit Walk through beautiful green forest, with numerous detours off to delightful beaches, a shipwreck, spectacular ocean views, massive sandstone cliffs and the incredible Gosangs Tunnel. At Gosangs Tunnel you need to get down on hands and knees to crawl through a cave before emerging onto a rock platform with views of the sheer cliff faces just below. Quite extraordinary!

Here are our favourite photos of the walk:

Jervis Bay certainly has an abundance of beautiful beaches and spectacular lookouts, as well as plenty of lovely hikes in the numerous National Parks. We feel fortunate that we’ve been able to experience and enjoy so many of them during our stay. We have been doing a bit more research on the current regulations for liveaboards and sailing vessels like ours and it looks as though we are free to move around NSW. So watch this space….. we might be moving on from Jervis Bay very soon. Fingers crossed!!