Discover the beautifully isolated Tallow Beach and Little Tallow Beach in Bouddi National Park by doing a short bushwalking trail.
The main track largely follows a fire trail, with a brief detour leading to the smaller beach along a narrower and more adventurous bush path.
| Tallow Beach Trail | |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 4 km (return) |
| Duration: | 1.5 hours |
| Grade: | Easy/moderate (steep sections) |
| Dogs: | Not allowed |
Getting There
The trail to Tallow Beach begins at the end of Hawke Head Drive in the suburb of Hardys Bay, within Bouddi National Park.
At the end of that road, you’ll find a spacious car park near the Bouddi National Park signpost (see location on map).
While the final stretch of Hawke Head Drive is unsealed, a 4WD isn’t essential. However, we advise against taking a low-clearance 2WD vehicle after heavy rainfall.
This car park also provides access to the Box Head Track, which leads to Box Head Lookout. For those keen to explore both trails, the combined walking distance is roughly 7 km.
Track Notes
The 2 km walk down to both beaches along the management trail is relatively easy, though it is moderately steep in parts with some gentle undulations.
While not a particularly challenging hike, the fire trail can feel a bit uninspiring, despite offering some lovely views of the beach.
Map
In the map below, we have marked the two beaches and the car park:
- Tallow Beach
- Little Tallow Beach
Fire Trail
From the car park, follow the trail past the Bouddi National Park Tallow Beach signpost and continue around the gate along the fire trail.
Soon, you’ll reach a junction with the trail to Lobster Beach where you need to keep going straight ahead on the main trail.
A minute later, you’ll come to another junction marked Tallow Beach and Box Head. Turn left onto the Tallow Beach Trail to head down to the beach.
While the management trail may feel a bit uneventful at times, it’s a short walk, and you’ll reach the beach in about ten minutes.
Just before arriving at the beach, you’ll pass the entrance to the Tallow Beach camping area, a secluded campground suitable for tents only.
If you’re keen to camp there, bookings can be made via the NSW National Parks website.
Tallow Beach
To the right of the camping area sign, you’ll find a path with a series of wooden steps leading down to the beach.
Tallow Beach in Bouddi National Park is a beautiful 500-metre, southeast-facing stretch of sand nestled between two vegetated headlands, with a spacious campground backing it.
Fishing is a popular activity here, but Tallow Beach isn’t ideal for swimming due to frequent rips and the absence of surf life-saving services. That said, there’s no harm in dipping your toes in the water!
When you’re ready, retrace your steps along the management trail to visit the smaller of the two beaches.
Little Tallow Beach
To find the trail to Little Tallow Beach, look for the path entrance, as shown in the photo below.
The short bushwalking trail winds along a fairly narrow track before opening onto a rocky area with clear views back to Tallow Beach and Box Head on the far side.
Continue along the trail, keeping the coastline on your left, until the sand of Little Tallow Beach comes into view.
Little Tallow Beach is so small that it can disappear almost entirely at high tide, as shown in the photo below.
The views behind the beach are particularly striking, with the ocean and headlands on one side and a steep, vegetated valley on the other.
Like its larger neighbour, Little Tallow Beach is unsuitable for swimming due to the rips and currents that are almost always present.
If you do feel like swimming in this area, we recommend driving or hiking to nearby Lobster Beach, where the water is usually calm. You can get there via the signposted walking trail closer to the car park, or you can simply drive to High View Rd in Pretty Beach, and follow the short walking trail from there.
