The Pinnacles Walk is a popular short walk in the Pambula section of Beowa National Park near Eden in Southern New South Wales. We stopped by as we looked around the beautiful park.
The trail is an easy, 1km loop walkl that weaves its way through the coastal bush to a couple of lookouts where you can see the Pinnacles -some colourful exposed cliffs.
Allow 45 minutes, add another 30 minutes if you do the extra walk to Pinnacles Beach.
Here is a quick guide on what to expect if you are thinking about stopping here.
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Contents
Where is Beowa National Park?
Beowa National Park, formerly Ben Boyd National Park is split into two sections north and south of Eden.
The Pinnacles walk is in the Pambula – Haycock part of the park. It is 10 minutes from Eden and 20 minutes from Merimbula.
The turn off to the park is on the main road between Merimbula and Eden. From the turn off you have a 1.5km drive on an unsealed road to the Pinnacles Walk Car park. The dirt road is suitable for 2wd
There are no park fees for the Pinnacles Walk
One slightly odd thing about Beowa National Park is that there are no park fees for the northern Pambula – Haycock section but there are for the southern Green Cape Section.
So, if you are just doing the Pinnacles Walk, or looking around Haycock Point, Barmouth Beach, Severs Beach or Pambula Beach, you don’t have to worry about buying a park pass.
Starting the Pinnacles Walk
The Pinnacles walk is well signed, at the end of the dirt road you finish at good sized car park that has toilets.
From the car park you have a couple of options.
There is a 1km loop trail that takes you through the bush and along the coast to the lookouts. The other option is an outback walk to the Pinnacles lookout.
The loop walk starts at the main sign board. Otherwise, you can walk further around the car park to where the loop finishes, and walk to the lookout from there.
With little difference in distance between the loop walk and return walk we headed off on the loop.
Walking the Pinnacles Loop Track
The first part of the walk is through eucalypt forest, at one point there were a handful of small steps to go up and down, but the level dirt track is an easy walk.
The air was full of the sound of bellbirds and fairy wrens. There wasn’t a lot of bigger wildlife to see but there were several large termite mounds and lots of little holes in the ground. Not sure what they belong to, maybe ants, moths or spiders.
From the forest, the trail makes its way to a more open coastal area although you can’t see the water. We did however spot a couple of sea eagles right above us which was a great sight. They are common along the coast here so keep an eye out for them.
The Pinnacles Lookouts
You soon arrive at a couple of lookouts that have views of the Pinnacles. If you have seen the Pinnacles in Western Australia, brace yourself, you are in for quite a different view here!
The Pinnacles in Beowa are 65 million years old eroded cliffs showing a layer of bright white sand topped by a cap of orange clay. Pine trees grow in the gully beneath the cliffs.
You get views of the water from the lookouts. In the distance you can spot Lennard’s Island and Long Beach.
Best time to see the Pinnacles
The Pinnacles shine brightest when the sun is out so if you want to really see them in full glow pick a fine day.
We did the walk in the second half of the day in February and the sun was shining right onto the cliffs which added to the display. Earlier in the day the gully would have been in shadow, but that might change at different times of the year.
Other walks from the Pinnacles car park
If you want to get in a few more steps after the Pinnacles Walk, there is a second track you can take from where the loop walk begins.
A raised boardwalk takes you along the coast north of the Pinnacles to Pinnacle Beach. You can either walk 650m return to a lookout or there is a 950m return walk down to the beach.
Pinnacle Walk Review
It is only a short drive and short walk to see The Pinnacles. Are they the most spectacular thing in Beowa National Park? Probably not for us but it wasn’t a big investment to see them. If you are exploring the Pambula – Haycock Point section of the park it is worth popping in for look. The walk down to the beach might be of more interest to some!
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