Murramarang coast walk

[groovymango21]

Hi all,

Has anyone done the murramarang coastal walk?

Curious to find out if there is a creek/freshwater source at Oaky beach campground. I understand there are no tanks here.


Thanks in advance

[sandym]

I just finished it this evening. Did it as a day walk - my feet are killing me.

I walked past Oakey campground and don't remember tanks, also don't remember a creek. There is a manky creek at Richmond Beach, a couple of kilometres to the north.

Otherwise, the nearest potable water is Maloneys (or Durras if you are coming from the north). There is a manky lagoon/creek at North Head.

A heads up that the signage could be better. I know the area well as I live just south of the Bay and have walked through dozens of time but still found it easy to lose the track. Lots of track junctions that are just unsigned.

Also, Durras Lake is currently open. We waded across upstream of the ocean channel (bit too turbulent there with wave action for crossing with a pack) and it was waist to chest deep on me, but I am short. Waist deep on my more normal sized partner.

The section from Pebbly Beach to Depot Beach you really need to avoid high tide as you won't make it around the rocks.

[groovymango21]

Thanks so much, really appreciate the info

[sandym]

My walking partner (started at opposite ends) who did not lose the trail between Oakey and Richmond reported there was a "nasty, smelly, sludge covered lagoon" near the north end of Oakey Beach.

[groovymango21]

thank you

[emydura]

I used to car camp at Oaky Beach before they locked the entrance road in. There is a creek there, but I don't think it is reliable. I was reading this and they point out that there is no water at Oaky Beach. https://blog.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/h ... oast-walk/

I am stunned that given this is one of the main campsites on the walk, they haven't installed a water tank at Oaky Beach.

[sandym]

Yeah, it's weird that they did not put a tank as there is a good sized roof over some tables at the walkers campsite. They have redone the Oaky Beach campsite so there is are now two defined areas, one for vehicles and about 100 metres north, tent platforms (wooden) for the walkers. There are some long drop toilets too. I wondered if they thought that putting a tank at the walkers camp would just result in drive in campers walking over and using all the water and then the walkers would arrive to a dry camp with no warning.

There is a few weird things about the walk, certainly, a bit more signage would help as you often come up from a beach and find a three way junction with no indication which way to go. The creek at Oaky is skank right now.

Even though Oaky is a "main" campsite, that's only if you do the walk over three or four days and, as the entire walk is 34 kilometres on a really good trail with no major elevation gain/loss, that's a very conservative pace.

[emydura]

They could have provided a water tank for the car campers as well. They seem happy to provide water tanks at other campgrounds in National Parks along the south coast. Given how much rain this area gets, it is hard to believe they would ever be empty.

Yes, you could do this walk in two days (not sure about one ), but these types of walks are best done at a snails pace. The beaches and headlands are so spectacular, it is a bit of a crime to just rush past it all. Go for a swim or a fish or just sit on the beach for a while. It is a very different walking experience to say the Blue Mountains or the AAWT. I could do the Mallacoota to Wonboyn in 3 days but I always take 6. I am never in a rush to complete it.

[Louise 2323]

Hi - has anyone done this walk recently. We're doing it in 3 weeks and just wondering if Lake Durras is currently open. Thanks

[GregR]

Louise,

I did the southern parts of it in very early August and the Durras Lake crossing was very open then.

Earlier I picked up 2 US backpackers who had just finished the walk, and when asked by me "how hard was the crossing at Durras Lake?" replied "what crossing??"
Hence, after dropping them back at their car I made a detour back to north Durras and found it pretty much sanded over.

Hope this helps

Greg
PS: the southern parts were extremely pleasant walking, I was planning on doing the whole walk in October but I'm currently on the short term injured list.

[Louise 2323]

Thanks very much that's great to know - we're heading oiff next week and the forecast looks fantastic

[sandym]

PSA: If anyone is walking the track soon take some tick treatment - Lyclear or something to freeze the ticks. Got three on a day walk today and I was being careful. Lyclear worked a treat at killing the one that embedded before I noticed it.

[Neo]

Yes Murramarang is tick-city definitely take a tick freeze spray. Avoid hanging out on any grass areas or lead litter. I haven't walked south of Durras. Depot to Pebbly beach section can't be passed around high tide safely so time it or wait it out. Merry Beach to Kioloa boat ramp, you could rock hop around the headland but much easier to zig zag the uiet streets. The property on the head is private land.

On the walk website it says contact Phil for a kayak crossing at Durras Lake. (G'day Phil ) He is the local sea kayak and tour guru.
Also there is a FB group friends of durras that post photos and could be contacted to see what the current lake opening is like.

The old walk went over Mount Durras between Pebbly and Pretty, so it could be extended a little by doing a double back loop to include this and do the new coast section again. Probably adds a decent day of walking, could leave your tent set up at pretty beach for a second night or similar.

[sandym]

The track actually ends at Pretty Beach and it is easy to walk around O'Hara Head on tracks without incursions onto private property. Durras Lake is solidly closed. The track from Pebbly over Durras is currently closed for trail work. Must be a lot of trail work as it has been closed for months. Currently, the tracks that run around Snapper Point from Pretty Beach to Merry Beach are also closed but they were terribly braided and eroded and in need of some maintenance.

[puredingo]

The track from Pebbly up Durras is no problem to walk. You’ll be right.

[sandym]

Cheers for that PureDingo. I never know what parks is doing as they keep some of these areas/trails closed for literally years.

[puredingo]

No worries Sandy, yep that they do. Me and NPs aren’t speaking at the moment as there’s been one two many indiscretions of inconvenience of late.

[Neo]

I'm pretty sure the closed walking track is just the part from the intersection north of Pebbly that leads either along the coast or up towards the summit. Washed out post fires. If walking south from Pretty and over the summit the track is wide mown, then as you re-enter the treeline 100m or two, a right fork leads down an old fire trail to the good dirt road, go left and back towards the top of the Pebbly road turnoff.

[Allchin09]

I walked south from Kioloa down to Clear Point and then up the track to the fire trail which goes over Durras Mountain after the big fires, no closures that I came across. Things might have changed since I guess.

[Neo]

I think the top was closed at first after the fires, since then they closed that yellow zig zag bit on that map image due to getting washed out. It's been 12 months since I was last there so a recent recce/walker would clear things up. Definitely I have been shared photos a week ago showing that the old over the summit bit is currently done via using the alternate trail section on the southern side of Mt as mentioned above.

[puredingo]

Yes Neo, that track you have marked plus the track that heads up to Durras mountain directly from pretty beach are both closed, well, they were 2 weeks ago anyway.
Both are perfectly safe to walk. The southern track seems to be for remedial purposes and the Northern one for precautionary reasons…which shouldn’t be closed but “enter at own risk” It’s fine.