La Perouse to Maroubra coastal walk
La Perouse to Maroubra
Do you love walking along the coast? Do you fancy a good walk watching the spectacular endless ocean and the blue waters? If yes, then this walk is definitely for you. The La Perouse to Maroubra coastal walk is one of the famous coastal walks in Sydney. Just 14 kilometres from the Sydney city, this walk offers a great adventure along the coast.
The walk provides views over the breathtakingly beautiful cliffs. This walk is also very famous during the whale watching season (May to October). What makes this walk interesting is that it caters for people who love the ocean and/or the bushes. Certain sections of the walk are between the bushes and the rugged trees.
La Perouse as a suburb has plenty of things to do. Read the post 6 things to do in La Perouse for more details.
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How to get there?
There are two ways to get to La Perouse (Anzac Parade Terminus):
- Drive: La Perouse is around 14 kilometres from Sydney city. The best and quickest way to get to La Perouse is to drive. However, one needs to park at the Anzac Parade Terminus and after the walk take a bus or an Uber back to the Anzac Parade Terminus from the Maroubra beach.
- Public transport: The cheapest way to get to the Anzac Parade is by taking public transport. There is no train station at La Perouse but there are frequent buses between Sydney Circular Quay, Martin Place or Sydney Central stations, and Anzac Parade Terminus. There are also frequent buses between Maroubra beach and Sydney Central station or Martin Place. More up-to-date information can be found on the Transport NSW website.
Track details
The La Perouse to Maroubra walking track is divided mainly into two sections –
- Henry’s Head and Cape Banks Walk.
- Continuing the walk from Cape Banks to Maroubra beach.
Henry’s Head and Cape Banks Walk
A spectacular coastal walk in the suburb of La Perouse in Sydney is the Henry’s Head and Cape Banks Walks. The Cape Banks walk is an extension to Henry’s Head walk. The walk is an easy walk offering great views of the ocean and is a good spot for whale watching (even though I did not see a single whale on all the times I have been there). One can view the World War II bunkers and a fort at Henry Head.
I have done this walk multiple times and I also did this as part of my preparation towards The Bloody Long Walk.
Note: Be prepared to see lots of reptiles and wildlife on the way.
Logistics
- Starting point: Anzac Parade Terminus
- Public transport: Buses run between Circular Quay/Central/Wynyard/Martin Place and Anzac Parade. More up-to-date information can be found on Transport NSW website.
- Timings:
- 7 AM – 8.30 PM (November to March)
- 7 AM – 7.30 PM (April to October)
- National Park fee: FREE
Henry’s Head
- Type of walk: return or one can continue to the Cape Banks
- Distance: 2.9 kilometres one way
- Time taken: 30 minutes
- Grade: Easy
Cape Banks
- Type of walk: return or one can continue to the Maroubra Beach
- Distance: 1.2 kilometres one way from Henry’s Head
- Time taken: 30 minutes one way
- Grade: Easy
Cape Banks to Maroubra walking track
Extension of Henry’s Head and Cape Bank walks is to walk till the Maroubra beach. The Cape Banks to Maroubra walking track is a good long coastal walk and offers good views of the coastline. It is also a good walk to spot some whales. An easy good walk on a chilled out warm weekend is what this walk is about.
Note: There are golf courses in between and it is best to avoid walking on them.
Logistics
This walk a continuation of Henry’s Head and Cape Banks.
- Starting point: Anzac Parade Terminus (La Perouse)
- Finishing point: Maroubra
- Type of walk: One way
- Total distance: 13 kilometres (including Henry’s Head & Cape Banks)
- Distance: approx. 4 hours
- Cost: FREE
Trail
- There are three golf courses along the way. Be careful of these as the golfers would be playing while you are walking. It is best to avoid golf courses.
- The track is unmarked at a few sections, especially near the golf courses.
- Watch out for an aboriginal art on the way.
- There are a few cafes that you pass through (Malabar Beach Cafe) where one can use toilets by purchasing something at the cafe. Other than that there are very limited toilet facilities along the way.
Whale watching
As I mentioned many a times in this post, this walk is a great walk to spot some whales during the whale migration season. Humpback and Southern Right whales are often spotted on the eastern coast between the months of May and October. As they pass through the coastal line of New South Wales, every hiker takes an opportunity to walk on these paths to look out for these beautiful gentle giants.
For a complete guide to whale watching, read whale watching in Sydney.
Is it safe for solo female travelers?
Sydney is very safe for solo female travelers. And hence this walk is absolutely safe as well. There are many fellow hikers and walkers along the way and there is always help on the track. However, be extra cautious near the cliffs, edges, and golf courses as they can very dangerous especially when it is windy and there are golfers playing.
I was also advised by my taxi driver that one needs to be a little more careful at the Malabar and Maroubra suburbs and look out for suspicious people as sometimes these suburbs especially at night tends to be a bit dodgy.
Conclusion
I would recommend adding this coastal walk as one of the items in your hiking bucket list for sure. It is a beautiful walk over the weekend and it provides great views of the ocean. One can definitely have a relaxed half a day trip with a good amount of exercise. If it is a warm sunny day then it is worth the 14 kilometres of walk along the coast.
Do watch out for the whales.
Also read
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