cockle creek to south cape bay

[gorby]

can anyone tell me the walking conditions on the cockle creek to south cape bay walk?
steepness,underfoot conditions etc,trying to convince better half to enjoy some nature.
walking time return is quoted as 4 to 5 hrs return?

[Mickeymoo]

Gday Gorby, I did this one recently, the track is very good with a large percentage being duckboarded and mostly very flat, there are only a few little ups and downs along the way. Track conditions are very good on non duckboarded sections as well but of course when wet there would be a little bit of mud/puddles in places etc. 4 to 5 hrs return is reasonable for a fairly leisuerly pace. All in all a very easy and worthwhile walk.

Cheers,

Michael.

[tas-man]

Great bit of track - however my experience may be a little influenced by the fact that I walked this section last Easter from South Cape Bay to Cockle Creek in sunshine, the day after a L O N G and wet and muddy day over the South Cape Range. This stretch was like the A1 after a C99

[gorby]

thanks for the replies,looks like we have a party of six adults and four kids doing the walk in november

[Robbo]

My family walked in to the beach and back a couple of years ago. It is a good easy walk.

Robbo

[Singe]

I was down that way a few months ago, and agree with the previous posters - it's a mostly flat, easy walk on an excellent track.

4-5 hours return would be pretty conservative, but should give you plenty of time at the beach...

Most of the track looks much like this:


The only proviso would be to keep a close eye on any young kids when you walk along the clifftops at the South Cape Bay end...

[tas-man]

Some views of the cliffs around the headland where the track from Cockle Creek access the beach via the "39+++" steps. The track above the cliffs is easy and open, but certainly keep your eyes on any children. There are some warning signs about the fragile nature of the cliff top edges.

[flyfisher]

Hey Guys, love those photos ,especially the last couple
FF

[gorby]

just back from the walk to south cape bay and it was just as described by the forum members

The three families (10 ) in total that did the walk were stoked.

Even my non bushwalking wife enjoyed herself.

one thing I was alarmed to see was the amount of washed up plastic items on such a remote beach.

Most bits were only small (around the size of a 5 cent coin ) but it was the bright colours that made it noticeable

It goes to show that even if a place like Tasmania does the right thing by not polluting,
the other countries and ships that don't do the right thing still affects us.

Due to my dislike of sand,I have not visited a beach that fronts the ocean for over 20 years
and it came as a rude shock.

[Marky]

The southern Ocean is a dumping grounds for fisherman. Unfortunately the currents bring all the crap to our shores! Alot of the debris you find comes from South America.

[Robbo]

one thing I was alarmed to see was the amount of washed up plastic items on such a remote beach

It is a real concern. The news link below looks at this.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008 ... 164780.htm

Tony Robinson

[the_camera_poser]

Did anyone have a look at the two campsites there? Any info on them?

[Mickeymoo]

The camp sites at western end of South Cape Bay are reasonable, fairly sheltred and flat, there are two lots of camp sites one you go up and over the dunes following the stairs up past the toilet where there are a number of sites (from memory maybe half dozen) and there are another couple just upstream of the creek on the right. I liked the look of the ones on the right bank under the banksias next to the creek but are a bit more open. Water is from the creek which was ok when I were there, but I'd imagine after some heavy surf the salt spray may make it a little salty maybe? probably then just have to go upstream a bit further.

Michael.

[the_camera_poser]

Sweet Michael- this might the first overnight hike I've been looking for for my 4 year old. (That's a lot of 4's!)

[Whos_asking99]

Are there any permits required for this?

May seem like a silly question, but this is my next planned walk, and just want to know before hand.

[Robbo]

Are there any permits required for this?

Just a valid Parks Pass as it is part of the SW National Park.

Tony Robinson

[Whos_asking99]

Ah, thats not to bad then, thanks Tony.

[woka]

The only time I've camped here (the top site above the creek). The campsite was good, the water in the creek was a bit brackish. Passable though, and on the positive side, I didn't need salt for cooking!!

Lion Rock @ South Cape Bay

Lion Rock.jpg (25.3 KiB) Viewed 14777 times

Cockle Creek Beach

Shack Life.jpg (31.5 KiB) Viewed 14772 times

[TassieMargie]

Awesome info there guys, and I really like the images. Definitely a place I want to go when I'm not so busy.