A Guide to the Murramarang South Coast Walk, NSW

The Murramarang South Coast Walk is a fairly new addition to the “Great Walks” in New South Wales. The 35km trail runs from Pretty Beach to Maloneys Beach in Murramarang National Park near Batemans Bay on the South Coast. 

It hugs the coastline for almost the entire trail, with plenty of beach walking, stunning coastal views, and beachside camps. It’s still a really underrated walk, that is a moderate grade and perfect for beginners or those looking to tackle their first overnight hike.

Designed as a very achievable 3 day one way hike, I decided to complete it return over 3 days to get back to my van at Pretty Beach. While this meant longer days, it was so beautiful and I had absolutely no complaints walking the same trail back again.

In this post, I’m going to detail everything you need to know about hiking the Murramarang South Coast Walk, whether you do it one way over three days as designed or decide to complete it return like me.

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Quick Overview

• Total distance: 35 km
• Recommended time: 3 days
• Total ascent: 809 m
• Trailhead: Pretty Beach Campground, Murramarang National Park
• End: Maloneys Beach, Batemans Bay
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Location: Murramarang National Park
• Closest town: Batemans Bay and Ulladulla
• Respect: On the land of the Yuin Nation

How to Get There

Sydney to Pretty Beach: 267 km or 3.5 hour drive via A1

Pretty Beach is an easy place to reach off the A1 Princes Highway. It’s located between Ulladulla and Batemans Bay in the Murramarang National Park. It’s about 3.5 hour drive from Sydney, depending on traffic.

You’ll need a Parks Pass to drive and park inside the national park. There are day and annual passes available. Buy it here.

Hiking Direction: One Way vs Return

The trail is designed as a one way hike to be completed comfortably over 3 days. This means the first day is from Pretty Beach to Depot Beach for 10.5 km, the second day is from Depot Beach to Oaky Beach for 17.5 km, and the final day is finishing at Maloneys Beach for 8 km.

However, as a solo hiker, I had to get back to my van at Pretty Beach. I was also keen for a longer hike, so I decided to complete the trail return, making it a 70km hike altogether. 

But rather than do it return over 5 days or so, I opted to do it in 3 days return, by skipping Depot Beach Campground. This meant that I was able to camp 2 nights at Oaky Beach. My itinerary was as follows:

• Day 1: Pretty Beach to Oaky Beach
• Day 2: Oaky Beach to Maloneys Beach and back
• Day 3: Oaky Beach to Pretty Beach

Most people would not choose to do what I did, but if you’re a fit solo hiker and don’t want to pay for return transport, then I can recommend doing it return. I genuinely enjoyed completing the trail out and back, and definitely did not get bored, it’s so beautiful!

Transport and Trail Transfers

If you do not wish to walk the trail back again and can’t organise a car shuffle with a hiking buddy, then you can arrange transport or a shuttle to get you back to Pretty Beach.

Region X offers a Murramarang Shuttle Service for the South Coast Walk for hikers. It starts at $250 for up to 4 people.

Otherwise you can easily pre-arrange a taxi with Batemans Bay Taxi Service.

Read next: 10 Tips for Your First Overnight Hike

Daily Trail Notes: Murramarang South Coast Walk 

For an insight into what the trail was like day by day, this is my personal experience tackling the trail return over 3 days.

Day 1: Pretty Beach to Oaky Beach

• Distance: 28 km
• Time: 8 hours
• Ascent: 609 m
• Descent: 603 m

I camped at Pretty Beach Campground the night before starting, so I was able to head off early at around 8.30am to cover the big distance. 

I had just over 28km to cover and with short daylight hours, I had to move at a decent pace. The trail hugged the coastline around from Pretty Beach, crossing several beaches until heading above the cliffs to Pebbly Beach. 

I then had to walk across the loose pebbles and rock shelf around to Depot Beach. For most people, this is the first night stop of the trail, with a nice campground here along with cabins. But for me, it was just the beginning. I had a quick break at the beach and then continued as the trail followed a sealed road past the campground and up a steep hill. 

This is the biggest hill of the whole hike, and it eventually turned onto a dirt trail again as it climbed switchbacks up to Point Upright. Heading down from there, I finally hit Durras Beach. This is the start of the epic beach walk, which stretches for over 5km. 

I was having a great time until I came to the inlet crossing at North Durras. Usually, this is closed and dry making it safe to cross. But, that was not the case for me. The ranger hadn’t mentioned this, but I later found out that the inlet had just been opened, so it was at its worst.

It was extremely wide and fast flowing and the sand was like quick sand and I quickly sunk up to my waist. I remembered from other coastal trails that I’d done before, that inlets are generally shallower and more stable closest to the ocean. So even though it was widest there, I put my pack cover on and started to walk towards the waves. The sand was much harder and I was able to navigate my way across slowly, but the water was up to my hips.

Tips: Read my info on the tides and inlet crossings further below, to ensure you have a safe hike

Safely across the other side, I had a bit of adrenaline after that to push me through the rest of the beach walk to South Durras. I stopped to have my lunch at one of the picnic tables at the resort and filled up water for the next 24 hours as Oaky Beach didn’t have any. I carried 5L from here and I really felt the added weight.

The trail wound up and down over headlands and into beautiful coves. It was late in the afternoon when I finally made it to Oaky Beach.

There’s a 4WD camp and a hiker’s camp next to each other. I headed to the hiker’s camp, which has nice timber platforms to set up on. I was the only one there for the whole night which was surprising considering it was Saturday.

I made noodles and then relaxed for a bit and made my dinner just after dark. I’d been warned about possums here and they were very friendly coming up to my platform. I was a little worried about them trying to get into my tent, but I never had problems with them overnight.

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Day 2: Oaky Beach to Maloney’s Beach and Return

• Distance: 16 km
• Time: 4 hours
• Ascent: 406 m
• Descent: 409 m

From Oaky Beach, I was only 8 km from the end of the trail. However, I was, of course, planning to walk the entire trail back again. So, my plan was to walk from Oaky Beach to the end at Maloneys Beach and back on day two.

I’d brought my little packable daypack, so I was able to leave my tent set up and just carry some water and snacks for the day. I set off from Oaky Beach just after 9am. It was a really nice walk along the cliffs to North Head Beach. There’s a great campground here too and I’d actually stayed there in my van a few days before. 

I then had a few beach crossings as I made my way around to Maloneys Beach. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and I passed a few day walkers enjoying the weather. At Maloneys Beach, I stopped to have a break and fill up my water bottles as well, enough to get me back to South Durras the next day.

I actually met a lovely family here who chatted to me about the trail. They live in North Durras and were very impressed that I’d made it across the inlet the day before!

It was time to do it all again. I turned around and headed back the same way to Oaky Beach. I stopped for a quick lunch break at North Head and enjoyed the lovely view, before making it back to camp at 2.30pm.

In the evening, it was a full moon, and I enjoyed watching it rise just after sunset on the beach. There were actually a couple of other people at the hiker’s camp, but they turned up quite late so I never got to chat with them. I had dinner and was in bed around 9pm to get ready to do the 28 km all the way back to Pretty Beach again the next day.

Day 3: Oaky Beach to Pretty Beach

• Distance: 28 km
• Time: 7.5 hours
• Ascent: 603 m
• Descent: 609 m

I originally planned to head off early but then realised that low tide wasn’t until 2pm so I couldn’t really leave too early and risk not being able to get across the inlet. So, I left just before 8.30am. 

It was much more overcast than the previous couple of days so it felt a bit cooler. I crossed several remote coves which were completely empty and made it back to South Durras at 10.30am. 

I passed through the caravan park here and decided to walk along the sealed footpath for a bit instead, because I wanted to avoid at least some of the sand on this long beach walk.

Arriving at the inlet crossing at 11.30am, it looked even wider than two days ago. I was 2 hours before low tide, so I figured I may have to wait a bit, so I sat down and had some early lunch. But honestly I was a bit impatient and thought I may as well give it a go.

At midday, I attempted to cross. I had to go out a fair way into the waves in order to get the most shallow part and basically zig zag my way across in order to avoid random drop offs and soft sand. I successfully got across with the water level only just reaching the bottom of my pack and was absolutely stoked.

It was smooth sailing after that. I got to the end of the long beach walk and headed up basically the only hill of the trail to Point Upright. I made it to Depot Beach and pushed onto Pebbly Beach, where I had to stop for a snack and some electrolytes. 

A group of people were heading down the beach with big packs on and I stopped to chat with them at length about the inlet crossing. They had no idea about it either, so they were really grateful with the tips I could provide.

The last stretch around to Pretty Beach is really beautiful, with amazing coastal views. I was starting to get pretty tired by this point, but just as I could see the end, this beautiful rainbow appeared.

I got back to the car park just after 4pm. I decided to camp for the night in my van there again, so I could utilise the hot showers and laundry.

It’s definitely up there amongst some of the best coastal trails in Australia. And considering it’s still quite underrated, I suggest planning a trip soon!

Essential Information for this Multi-Day Hike

Below I’m detailing all the information you need to know to complete the Murrramarang South Coast Walk. 

When to Hike the Murramarang South Coast Walk

You can certainly hike at Murramarang National Park at any time of year. However, summer will be quite hot and winter is likely to be cold, wet, and windy. This means that spring and autumn are technically the best times to hike on the south coast, with the most favourable weather for hiking. 

Keep in mind that summer, school holidays and long weekends are usually really busy, so expect the campsites to be booked well in advance. If you prefer quieter trails, then definitely plan around school holidays.

Camping Options and Other Accommodation

The trail is designed for hikers to utilise the national park campgrounds along the trail. The two camping areas recommended for hikers are: Depot Beach and Oaky Beach.

Depot Beach: This camp is a large area for caravans, camper vans, and tents. It offers toilets and hot showers , drinking water, and BBQs. There are also cabins available through the national park office here.

Oaky Beach: This more isolated spot is ideal for tent camping with drop toilets and picnic tables. No water. There are ground sites and a few tent platforms for hikers.

However, you can opt for other camping areas and accommodation along the trail as well, if you want to change up the designed itinerary.

Pebbly Beach: Just 8km from the start, this is a good alternative to Depot Beach. It offers tent and camper trailer sites, along with toilets and showers, drinking water, and BBQs.

Lakesea Caravan Park: Just back from Durras Beach, you could utilise this caravan park for unpowered camping or a cabin. It’s about 4.5 km onwards from Depot Beach.

Murramarang Beachfront Nature Resort: The trail passes right by this caravan park and resort on the beach. If you want a nice place to stay the night, they have everything from camp spots to luxury cabins with beach views.

North Head Camp: About 3km further on from Oaky Beach, this bush camp is a nice alternative spot. It has unpowered camp sites and drop toilets. No water.

How to Book the Murramarang South Coast Walk?

NSW Parks offer package deals for self-guided hikers. The camping package includes three nights camping to allow for a night at Pretty Beach before you begin your hike. Then it includes a night at Depot Beach and a night at Oaky Beach. This package costs $160 for 2 people.

The cabin package includes two nights on the trail, with the first night in a cabin at Depot Beach and the second night in a cabin at South Durras. This costs $670 for up to 4 people.

If you’re a solo hiker I would suggest booking your campsites individually through the Parks website, as it’s much cheaper. A night at Pretty Beach before you hike is $35, a night at Depot Beach would cost $35, and a night at Oaky Beach is $6.

Prefer not to camp? You could also do the trail using cabins/accommodation. Book a night in a cabin at Depot Beach and then book one of the two caravan parks at Durras Beach that are on the trail.

Important! Inlet Crossing and Tides

One of the most important things to know about this hike is that walking at low tide is essential. The trail hugs the coastline for much of the walk, including several beach crossings and inlet crossings that it can be impassable at high tide.

Try to head off before low tide to time most of your walk with the lowest tide. Luckily for me, low tide for my 3 days was around the middle of the day, so it meant it was quite easy to plan.

The Durras Lake inlet is generally closed for most of the year. This means it’s safe to walk the entire length of Durras Beach without getting wet. However, some years after heavy rainfall, the inlet is opened and the lake flows into the sea. When this occurs, it can be potentially dangerous to cross the inlet.

When I did this hike mid-May, the inlet had just been opened a few days before. This meant the inlet was incredibly deep and fast flowing. I was not aware of this before setting off. After a fair bit of trial and error I was able to get across, but the water level was up to my waist. It would be dangerous for children or those not confident crossing rivers.

The sand is incredibly soft and you’ll sink as soon as you try to cross the inlet. My advice would be to head towards the waves into the ocean where the sand will be more solid and the tide is not as strong.

The inlet is only open generally for a couple of months over winter. Outside of this time, it will be absolutely fine and dry. Check with the Parks Office at Pretty Beach before heading off if you’re attempting this walk in winter.

Water Sources

Water is not as plentiful on the trail as you might expect. You can certainly fill up before you leave Pretty Beach. There is drinking water available at Depot Beach.

The next available water is at Murramarang Beachfront Nature Resort near Durras Beach. You need to fill up here, as there is no water at Oaky Beach Camp. Ensure you have enough for the night and next day until you reach the end.

There’s a drinking water tap at the end of the hike at Maloney’s Beach. I filled up here on my return hike from Oaky Beach.

Read more: How to Plan Your Food for Hiking

Safety

Serious dangers mainly come in the form of injury or snakes. Make sure that you carry a first aid kit, including a snake bite bandage, in case of emergency.

Snakes are pretty common on the coast, especially when the sun is out. While I didn’t come across any on my three days in winter, expect to see a few out and about in spring and summer. Just give them room to move away and they won’t bother you.

Phone signal is not reliable on the trail. However, there is reception along the trail in various spots, depending on which provider you’re with. The camps can be hit and miss. I didn’t have any at Oaky Beach Camp.

Other animals like possums, mice and kangaroos are commonly seen on the south coast. In particular, possums and mice may try to get into your food or rubbish, so do NOT leave any food out around camp.

Always carry a Personal Location Beacon (PLB) in case of emergency, like this Ocean Signal PLB which is small and lightweight.

Trail Navigation

The trail is pretty easy to follow and is in good condition with signposts at trail junctions. However, to ensure you’re staying on track, I recommend AllTrails app. You can find the trail on there and download it for offline use if you have AllTrails+.

👉 I recommend AllTrails for navigation and finding new trails, with offline GPS maps and trail reviews from other hikers. Use code elisha30 for 30% off an AllTrails+ subscription by clicking here!

Essential Gear to Pack

• Tent: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2
• Sleeping bag: Sea to Summit Spark IV
• Sleeping mat: Sea to Summit Ultralight Mat
• Inflatable pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Pillow
• Backpack: Gossamer Gear Mariposa
• Headlamp: Black Diamond Spot Headlamp
• Emergency device: Ocean Signal PLB
• First aid kit: Small first aid kit
• Personal Toiletries
• Sunscreen: Wotnot Natural Sunscreen
• Water filter: Sawyer Squeeze Filter
• Hydration reservoir: Camelbak 3L Hydration Reservoir
• Hiking stove: Jetboil Zip
• Spork: Sea to Summit Spork
• Mug: Titanium mug
• Power bank: Nitecore 10,000 Power Bank
• Hiking shirt: Amble Sun Shirt
• Merino hiking tee: Ottie Merino T-Shirt
• Walking shoes: Altra Lone Peaks

Read more: Complete Overnight Hiking Packing List

Other Multi-Day Hikes to Do in Australia

• Wilsons Prom: Guide to the Southern Circuit
• Great Ocean Walk: Complete Guide to the Great Ocean Walk
• Warrumbungles: Ultimate Warrumbungles Overnight Hike to Grand High Tops
• Larapinta Trail: Ultimate Guide to Hiking the Larapinta Trail
• Jatbula: Complete Guide to the Jatbula Trail in NT
• Cape to Cape: Complete Guide to the Cape to Cape Track, WA
• Alpine Crossing: Essential Guide to the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing
• Wild South Coast: Guide to the Wild South Coast Way in SA

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