Tura Headland and the rock pools at the end of the walk are a spectacular sight. We ventured out to the headland on a day when it was blowing a gale. Even though the weather was less than perfect, it is still a stunning spot to see.
In this short guide to the Tura Headland walk, we’ll let you know about the walk, what you will see on the way and how to find the rock pools.
We also did the short walk to Dolphin Cove from the Tura Headland Carpark, so we’ll let you know about that too.
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Contents
Where is Tura Headland?
Tura is a small town on the south coast of New South Wales. It is 30km from Bega and just over 5km from Merimbula.
Access to the headland is off the appropriately named Headland Drive. Look for the green sign and short dirt road between the tea trees to the carpark.
Is the Tura Headland Walk Easy?
There are actually two walks signed from the car park. As well as the Headland walk, you can also do the 2km return walk to The Point and Dolphin Bay. We’ll come back to that later.
In the carpark, look for the blue sign that directs you to the 1.7km return Tura Headland Walk. Until you reach the headland, it is a flat compacted dirt track.
The walk is part of the accessible nature trails program, so it is easy going and suitable for prams and mobility devices. Just be aware that there is no access friendly way to get around the headland.
What do you see on the walk?
As you can see from our pictures, it might have been a sunny day for our walk, but it was blowing a gale. Forget wearing a hat, it was the sort of wind where a gust would almost knock you over.
Needless to say, our hope of getting that spectacular overhead shot of the rock pools with the drone was, pardon the pun, blown out of the water!
You begin the walk under a canopy of tea trees. We could hear the ocean. but you don’t have coastal views until you reach the first of a few lookouts.
Reggie’s Lookout
Only 400m along the track you come to the first of a couple of lookouts.
Reggie’s Lookout is on the right and has sweeping views south over Short Point Beach and beyond.
The viewing platform is just a few metres off the track so is an easy detour for some nice views.
As well as the views we also saw a beautiful golden orb spider sitting in its web which was a nice bonus.
Northern Lookout
A little further along the trail you come to another fork in the path off to the left. It takes you to a spot where you get views up the north coast, but this is an unofficial viewing point with no protected viewing area.
If you walk on a bit further, you come to another detour and this one does go to a small viewing platform. It is a much safer option if you are walking with small children.
The wind we mentioned was blowing from the north, so we really copped it here. The views were good and the sight of big waves hitting the coast was spectacular. The vertical bars of the viewing area produced musical notes as the wind whooshed between them It was quite an experience!
Tura Beach Rockpools
After a walk of 10 – 15 minutes the dirt track ends at a plateau of pink rock and views over the ocean. We went looking for the rockpool and discovered that you have more than one to choose from.
The fun thing about the rockpools is that there is one for all levels of thrill seekers. There are a couple of small rock pools on the upper levels of the rock platforms that are ideal for small children or anyone who doesn’t trust themselves to get down to the lower levels.
While they are not right next to the ocean, these upper pools have some great views. The lower of the two pools has amazing horizon views looking right down the south coast. It is a magic spot.
The Lower Rockpools
With just a little bit of rock scrambling you can get yourself down to the third rockpool that will be fed by the ocean at high tide or if there are enormous wind driven waves like there was for our visit.
Access to this rock pool isn’t too difficult, the rocks almost make a natural stone staircase down to the platform the rock pool is on.
Around to the left you find the lowest rock pool, and this is the one you might have seen the spectacular overhead shots of. On a perfect Sapphire Coast day, it is a crystal clear pool of jade coloured water.
It is the most difficult rockpool to access. There are bigger boulders to get up and over, so you need to be sure footed and take a little care getting to the water.
A couple of Rockpool tips
The top couple of rockpools are great for families with young children or anyone who is less mobile.
If you plan to go to the lower rockpools some kind footwear will make getting over the rocks much easier. The rocks aren’t jagged, but a bit of grip will be a big help for getting around.
If you want to experience the rockpools getting fed by the ocean, come at high tide.
Strong northerly or easterly winds can produce large waves and make the lower two rockpools unsafe to swim in.
The Point & Dolphin Cove Walk
If the 1.7km walk to the headland isn’t enough steps for you, try the easy 2km return walk to Dolphin Cove. We had some time so did this walk before going to the headland.
The walk starts off on a dirt path through tea trees and open out to a grass path that leads to a wooden staircase. Dolphin Cove is to your right and Tura Beach stretches out to the north.
It is a relaxing walk, and the beach is beautiful. Even though the surf was a bit angry to consider a swim, a small creek mouth at the bottom of the stairs provided enough water for a couple of families.
Dolphin Cove is also supposed to be an interesting snorkelling spot, but conditions would have to be ideal to get in and explore the headland.
If you don’t feel like walking to Dolphin Cove from the Tura Headland carpark, there are small carparks tucked away on either Bournda Circuit or Dolphin Cove Drive where you have a shorter walk to the beach.
If you enjoyed this story you might also like:
Pinnacles Loop Walk | Kianinny Bay Walk| Merimbula Lake Boardwalk
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