Day 1- The south bank of the Tweed River

Text and photosGreg Keaney

In this article Greg steps back in time a little and returns to the first stage of the walk from Point Danger on the Tweed River at Tweed Heads to Ballina at the mouth of the Richmond River.

Introduction

Total walk: 120 km, 6 days

It is not now, nor has it ever been, a crime to live before you die.

You can walk anywhere you want to if you have time. And while it has famously been said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, I’ve been reminded by my nearest and dearest that so too does falling into a ditch and breaking your neck! Nevertheless, last year I took my first step on a 1000 mile, 1000 beaches NSW coastal walk (broken into week-long chunks) and this article recounts the first week of the journey.

Day 1: The Tweed to Dreamtime

30km, 8 hours

I disembarked from my early morning flight at Gold Coast airport and left my pack at the Bilinga Youth Hostel. It was only a few hundred metres to Bilinga Beach and that long, lovely strip of sand and rocky headlands stretching south to Snapper Rocks and Point Danger. An excellent warm-up on this crisp winter’s morning – if winter it can ever be called on the Queensland Gold Coast.

It was easy beach walking to magical Snapper Rocks, renowned for its near-perfect surf break. Both Point Danger, marking the official NSW - Queensland coastal border, and Duranbah, the northernmost NSW beach, sit on the northern side of the Tweed River; while on the southern side of the Tweed, Letitia Spit and the perfectly named Dreamtime Beach stretch like a long, crooked finger into the Tweed River estuary.

I reached the NSW border and… well… it was a suburban street (appropriately named Boundary Street) with a small park and a fairly unremarkable monument. On the beautiful

Day 1: Duranbah Beach and the mouth of the Tweed River

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winter morning that marked the first day of my walk, the monument itself was under repair. Nevertheless, I announced to myself that the walk was about to officially begin, and with a few internal Beethoven symphonic chords, I took that momentous (to me) first step and I was officially on my way.

Through Lovers Rock Park and down the black basalt slopes to Duranbah beach, sometimes called Flagstaff but definitely D’bah to the locals. D’bah is the first of the 1000 NSW beaches I hope to walk along. Little Duranbah beach chalks up #2, and I was yet to even cross the Tweed River!

Moving on from Little D’bah, I followed the pretty walkway on the north side of the Tweed River and crossed it at the M1 bridge. I returned to the coast at the southern end of Dreamtime Beach and then headed north – a very rare time on the walk that I headed in the ‘wrong’ direction!

I strolled towards the mighty Fingal Head - Booninybah, the place of the big echidna. Fingal Lighthouse and amazing views northwards and southwards and over hexagonal rocks out to Cook Island greeted me from the tip of the headland. It was whale season and I never tire of the sight of these awe-inspiring leviathans. I was privileged to

have these magnificent creatures all around me at the headland and then as my near-constant companions for the walk. I rounded Fingal Head and continued to Letitia Spit and the south head seawall of the Tweed. I was

Day 1: Fingal Head and Dreamtime Beach

Day 1: Dreamtime Beach looking south

Day 1: Looking south from Letitia Spit

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eminently satisfied that I had traversed both the real and imagined northern tips of New South Wales.

I turned around and headed back to Chinderah, this time a little inland along the western side of the spit. The southern bank of the Tweed was glorious in the fading sunlight, and a pleasant change from the shadeless walk north along the beach. I returned to the hostel for a well-earned dinner and a friendly chat with a group of international backpackers. Ready and willing for the days ahead.

Day 2: Dreamtime to Pottsville

20km, 6 hours

Side trip 6km to Pottsville town and return

I checked out and caught a pre-dawn 601 bus to Wommin Bay. I headed to the southern end of Dreamtime Beach at the point I had been the day before and turned right – this time heading south in the ‘right’ direction. A glorious sunrise was a wonderful omen as I sauntered along Kingscliff Beach to Cudgen Creek, where I made a short diversion inland to cross at the small bridge.

Past Cudgen Headland and on to South Kingscliff, Bogangar, Casuarina, and Cotton beaches all with firm sands and gentle slopes making for perfect beach walking. Gorgeous Cabarita and sensational Norries Head provided a wonderful spot for lunch and a coffee. I returned to sand for a short stroll along Maggies Beach before coming to Cudgera Creek. As with its northern sibling Cudgen, I had a short stroll inland for a bridge crossing to Hastings Point Lookout where, far to the south I could just make out Walgan / Cape Byron - still more than two days’ walk

Day 2: Sunrise over Kingscliff

Day 2: Cudgen Creek

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Day 2: Rounding Norries Headland

away. Cudgera Beach stretches south from Hastings Point and once on the beach there was a much more wild and remote feeling until I neared Pottsville and my abode for the night.

My tired body and blistered feet were not thrilled when I discovered that my motel was 3km from the Pottsville pub and my dinner. The magic restorative powers of a long hot bath worked though and I was as good as new. With those extra few kilometres and a hot pub feed inside me, I slept very well indeed that night. My dreams were not of sugar plums but rather of whales and dolphins and headlands and beaches –a beautiful way to drift off.

Day 3: Pottsville to Brunswick Heads and Billinudgel, 12km, 3 hours

Side trips:

-1.8km, 2 hours ‘there and back’ from South Golden Beach to Brunswick Heads North Wall

-4km, 1 hour inland from South Golden Beach to Billinudgel

Leaving Pottsville at first light, I wandered across Mooball Creek via the Pottsville bridge. Day 3 was another long, long stretch of continuous beach (although broken into various named sections) from Pottsville to the northern edge of the Brunswick River.

Pottsville Beach became Mooball Beach with intriguing Black Rocks a little offshore. Mooball then morphed into Wooyung Beach, backed by Wooyung Nature Reserve. Even though the Tweed Coast Road is not that far inland, Mooball and Wooyung Beaches felt completely remote. Not a soul to be seen, just the sun, the sand, the ocean, the whales, the dolphins and me. A shout out to the Wooyung locals who have made a perfectly delightful spot to relax and beach-watch with a selection of comfortable outdoor Bunnings-style chairs and sofas and a large table just where I needed a rest... thank you whoever you are! I was so completely satisfied that I forgot to take a photo, so you will just have to leave your armchair, get yourself to Wooyung Beach and discover this little slice of paradise for yourselves!

Day 3: Pottsville Bridge across Mooball Creek

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Day 3: South Golden Beach observation deck

After a rest, a swim and lunch at Wooyung, I continued south. There is an inland trail through Wooyung Nature Reserve for those who prefer to leave the sand, but I continued my journey oceanside along Crabbes Creek Beach, Ferns Beach, South Golden Beach, Ocean Shores Beach and New Brighton before arriving at Harrys Hills Beach on the northern bank of the Brunswick River. Because of a long sand spit and the need to cross the Brunswick River the next morning, I had to backtrack to South Golden Beach and then walk a few kilometres inland to the Billinudgel Hotel for the night.

I was happy to follow my nose and discover that New Brighton ‘Road’ off Kolora Way is actually a walk/cycle path that heads through Marshall Creek Reserve coming out not far from Billinudgel. Billinudgel is a quaintly attractive town, and the Billinudgel Hotel has an authentic ‘olde worlde’ charm. I had organised a catch up with a couple of old friends who live nearby, which added a perfect end to another perfect day.

Day 4: Brunswick Heads to Byron Bay

16km, 4 hours

It’s 7km or so from Billinudgel back to the coast. I prefer to be walking on or near the beaches whenever possible, so I decided to take advantage of the early morning NSW TrainLink rail bus. I left the Billinudgel Hotel in the pre-dawn darkness and jumped on a wonderfully luxurious coach. A super friendly bus driver and a wonderful crew of locals heading to the train at Casino made for a convivial start to the day.

In Brunswick Heads I took the footbridge across the inlet and was then blessed with a glorious view of the sweeping stretch of sand curving gently toward Byron. With about 11km to Belongil Creek and then a few more to Walgan / Cape Byron, it was a pretty relaxed day’s walk. Simpsons Creek in the north and Belongil Swamp in the south make for a watery barrier behind the beach with most of the beach forming part of the Tyagarah Nature Reserve.

Tyagarah, like Wooyung, is a splendidly isolated beach. I love the work of my fellow beachcombers who have lovingly prepared

Day 3: The ‘road’ to Billinudgel through Marshall Creek Nature Reserve

Day 3: Wooyung Beach

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driftwood sculptures (that can double as wild camping shelters) as well as perfectly placed logs for a weary walker to rest and reflect. There has been a lot of effort in the area to provide protected habitats for a wide range of shorebirds and it seems to me that these have been pretty successful. As ever, on the songline of the sea eagle, white-bellied sea eagles swooped past me regularly, going about their business.

Whales remained my companions, although at this time of year generally swimming north. Despite being the middle of winter, the days were warm, and the walking invited many swims. Surfing dolphins are commonplace all along these beaches, and I stopped many times simply to enjoy their company. They seemed completely unperturbed by my presence, and I experienced the supreme bliss of being in the middle of a long stretch of beach with such magnificent creatures for company. Simply perfect! Being Australia I have to add a safety warning though - all of these long, long beaches have powerful and dangerous rips and cross-currents and swimming, particularly when on your own, is a high-risk activity even for very strong swimmers.

It was a wonderful feeling to see Walgan/Cape Byron grow ever nearer at my leisurely meandering pace. Two days earlier it had been a speck in the distance and now I was only a short distance away. I waded across Belongil Creek and past the old wreck lying in the surf near the seawall. Fortunately, my sister, Kathy, brother-in-law, Alex, and a few of their friends had some room in their holiday house in Byron Bay for me to spend a couple of nights. I met up with them and took the short stroll up magnificent Walgan /Cape Byron. We were rewarded with its absolute A-list view as well as the spectacle of a large pod of dolphins hunting and herding

Day 4: Brunswick Heads Main Beach towards Walgan/Cape Byron

Day 4: Brunswick Heads Main Beach

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a vast school of Australia salmon into bait balls. The dolphins seemed to take turns to swim through the bait ball, smashing into the salmon and picking off fish as they went – my gentle companions turned ferocious hunters!

Like many Australians I had always assumed that Byron Bay obtained its name from the poet so was fascinated to learn that it was actually named in 1770 by Cook who found safe anchorage here. Cook named Cape Byron after a fellow sailor Vice Admiral 'Foul-Weather Jack' Byron, who had circumnavigated the world and was the grandfather of the poet Lord Byron.

Day 5: Byron Bay to Lennox Head

21km, 4 hours

Byron Bay to Lennox Head was another ‘to die for’ day walk. I had a ‘support crew’ but there are good public transport connections at both ends of the walk. I walked with Alex, for this stretch and after 4 days of walking alone I was reminded of the oft-cited quote: ‘If you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go far go together’.

We dropped down from Walgan / Cape Byron to Tallows Beach past a handy CoastSnap camera viewpoint. Here you can get both a perfect shot of Tallows Beach looking south with the opportunity to upload your pic to CoastSnap for beach monitoring purposes.

CoastSnap uses repeat photos at the same location to track how the coast is changing over time – important work.

Byron Bay Recreation Reserve, then Arakwal National Park and the Broken Head Nature Reserve back the beach and the three small but incredible beaches of Kings Beach, Brays Beach and Whites Beach came next. We dropped back down to the sand across lush Jews Head and arrived at the northern end of Seven Mile Beach. Despite the name, the beach is, in fact, less than six miles long. Newrybar Swamp and the freshwater tea-tree Lake Ainsworth back the beach and give it a beautifully wild feel despite being in the tourist heartland of the far north coast. The odd cyclist riding along the beach and a group of horse riders did add a reminder that we were not quite as ‘away from it all’ as we felt.

Day 5: Tallows Beach CoastSnap

Day 5: Seven Mile Beach and Jews Point

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Arriving at Lennox Head with its dark Pleistocene coffee rock and panoramic views was a suitable reward. The Lennox Head surf club building was originally constructed on large concrete skids (still visible today) that would enable the building to be towed away by bulldozers, should rising sea levels threaten. Let’s hope that day never comes!

Day 6: Lennox Head to Ballina

12km, 3 hours

Day 6 was the final day of walking for this first chunk of my coastal odyssey. As all bushwalkers know, there is something almost bittersweet about the final day of a longish walk. There will be the sense of accomplishment of ‘arriving’ but also the tinge of sadness that the journey cannot just continue forever, or at least for a little while longer.

I started today at Lennox Head and then walked along Skennars Beach and up to Skennars Head. Boulder Beach, Sharpes Beach, Angels Beach, Shelly Beach and Lighthouse Beach followed – each one exquisite in its own special way and then… finally… ta da… the Richmond River and Ballina.

By the time I arrived at the mouth of the Richmond River at Ballina I had completed 45 or so ‘official’ NSW beaches with another dozen unofficial ones, 13 headlands, 120km or 75 miles of beaches, headlands and nature trails, a few (!) cold beers and a golden week of perfect memories.

And, as a pleasant book end to the week, I spent the evening at the Duelling Pianos show at the Northern Hotel in Byron Bay, featuring an old schoolmate and his team on a couple of grand pianos. A magnificent venue and a great party crowd. Despite being the oldest patron (by a few decades) I loved the singalong and particularly enjoyed the booming rendition of the hit – I will walk 500 miles – and I will walk 500 more – a contender for the theme song of my Dreamtime to Eden walk!

Conclusion

And so, I hopped on my Jetstar el cheapo flight back to Sydney from Ballina. Normal life was about to resume, but I was buoyed by

Day 6: Angels Beach looking towards Black Head

Day 6: Boulder Beach

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the knowledge that I would have the solace of planning and plotting Chunk 2 – from the Richmond to the Clarence – the following month. Next time, hopefully, as an ever so slightly older and wiser coast trekker.

Having had the sun and a gentle northerly at my back, pods of dolphins and whales simply everywhere, sea eagles and pied oystercatchers and mini-terns and lots more avian life to accompany me and the occasional cheery chat with my fellow beachcombers along the way, this had been a week to savour and cherish. It is difficult to convey how therapeutically satisfying the simple act of walking these wondrous beaches can be.

My abiding lesson, as I write this after completion of the first three chunks of the walk, is that the NSW coast is simply one

of the most sensationally beautiful, and yet fantastically doable, great walks of the world. I’ve heard that there are preliminary plans to develop and package the 1000 mile walk into a cohesive whole and for me this is an absolute no-brainer. But for anyone interested there is no need to wait! From the Tweed to the Richmond is absolutely and completely perfect right now – part of our very own Camino for those who worship the sun, the sand, the sea-eagles, the dolphins, the whales, the waves, the ocean and the coast.

And so, to update the Irish toast for a Dreamtime to Eden setting:

May the sun shine on all your journeys, may there be a perfect resting spot on your way, may there be fresh water near at hand with a cold beer at the end of a hot day, and may the wind be always at your back...!