Bouddi Coastal Walk: 10kms in under 4 hours

Yesterday we FINALLY got to do a nice long bush walk. I have been itching to do the Bouddi Coastal walk for months and months and months and months! We didn't do the entire track, mainly because the part we didn't do it mostly sandy access road not bush track so we figured it wasn't worth our energy.
We also had to walk all the way back so shaving off the extra 3km or little of no ocean view was worth it. I am SO SO sore today! But I don't regret it at all. It was beautiful, spectacular, gorgeous. Any words you can think of, it was a lovely walk! We started just after 10am and go back right on 2pm. We decided to start from Putty Beach because there is a picnic area there where we would be able to have lunch when we finished the walk. Parking inside the National Park area is $7 a day and the toilets have REAL toilet paper not that horrid tracing paper most have! I'd pay 7 bucks just for real toilet paper!

The very start of the walk (coming from Putty Beach) is possibly the most beautiful part. I couldn't choose just a couple photos to put up, so I added a heap. Sorry! It was just so cool. Not may people walked out onto this area and you couldn't really appreciate it unless you did.

Awkward squat photo

Tessellated pavement

The first part of the track is pretty easy and it's mostly board walk. After that it turns into a bit of a rough mud/dirt track. But it's still not very difficult. We saw a lot of families with small children walking this part of the track, up until about Maitland Bay.

A bit of a rough track

A bit of acrobatics was needed at times

About 10 minutes into the proper walk, that is after the board walk finished, I loudly proclaimed that the best part of walking near the coast was NO LEECHES! About 5 minutes later I look down at my boot to see a nice fat leech trying to chew its way to my foot. Pants were then tucked into socks and mutterings were heard from me about leeches being in places they shouldn't.

about 90% of the walk is just up and down constantly. Obviously, because you are walking along a shore front that is mostly cliffs with beaches dotted in between. The path is also really well signed for a NSW NP. Although not as good as those you find in Tasmania. They will have a sign pointing you to Maitland Bay for example, but they won't have distance or time written on the sign.

Puddles instead of stairs

Maitland Bay

Super steep stairs at the eastern end of Maitland bay

Looking back to Maitland Bay

After Maitland Bay the walk got a bit more serious and we saw a lot less people. There was still the odd group walking barefoot/ in thongs. I doubt they were enjoying squishing through the muddy track though. I was starting to get pretty worn out but I was definitely not quitting yet! We had been walking for about an hour and a half.

Brandon going bush - trying to find a lookout

We stopped for a protein bar and a sit down at about 12 on the edge of Mount Bouddi. It was lovely just sitting there and looking at the coast. So relaxing. Then I got up and realised I had been sitting in a puddle... My but was soaked through. I thought it would never dry and the next half hour was very uncomfortable indeed.

Stop for mid morning protein snack

Such a lovely, relaxing view...

Wet bum...

We eventually made it to our destination of Bombi Point. From there the walk turns into a service road and the only real point of interest is Little Beach. Since we walked from Mcmasters Beach to Little Beach in January we decided that bit wasn't necessary, it's actually really boring. I recommend skipping it. We couldn't quite find the lookout at Bombi point so we both sat down to zip off the bottom of our pants. At this stage overheating was more of an issue to us than the odd leech. It was like we were rejuvenated from taking off the lower part of our pants and we were jogging down the stairs, and at times up them, all the way back.

There were a lot of stairs! And a lot of watery stairs!

It has never felt SO good to take off my shoes and walk in the cold wet sand! I had heel band aids on to stop blisters there but I did get a blister on my big toe. I don't think bamboo socks are as amazing as people think. 

Anyway we had a lovely lunch. Then I started to feel nauseous and developed a headache on the way home. So I spent the rest of the night laying around just feeling horrid in general. I think I just got horribly dehydrated. It seems 2 and a half litres of water each was not enough. Especially if you plan on doing some running! It was a great day though and I think I am cured of my long hike hankering, for now anyway!

THE END