Pinny Beach
Just south of Caves Beach in the Lake Macquarie area is the little town of Pinny Beach. This reasonably new, coastal housing estate boarders some amazing bush lands. With much of this area being Crown land it does run along the edge of Wallarah National Park of which is the location the Bunkers To The Coast video was filmed. In the original video we show the actually Pinny Beach from a Southern vantage point, from this walk however we actually make it down onto the beach and check out the stunning area.
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Starting off on Spoon Rocks Road the walk begins nice & easy on a Pebble create style footpath, be warned in wet conditions this can feel a little slippery under foot however should not be too much of an issue. As this walk ventures along the coast and a cliff edge you get some absolutely amazing views. Not far after passing Stinky Point you come down onto the beach which from what I can see is simply called Coastal Beach or Point Chez, If you know the proper names please contact me and let me know.
This is a beautiful little bay with Spoon Rocks to the South. Spoon Rocks looks like it could be quite a good fishing spot although the water does not look to be very deep, the structure of the rocks however had made a really gorgeous little beach area which even includes a small waterfall at the back of the Northern section. Following my route on Gaia GPS you follow the coast along a short but tight and more difficult section along the edge of Quarry Beach. Upon emerging from this tighter section make sure to stop and take in the cliff face & rock formations as they really are a sight to behold. Following on the trail loops back on its self heading North West, before meeting up with the Pinney Lagoon North Firetrail.
My original route here was meant to cut off a large portion of this route and take me up some wooden stairs to the Spoon Rocks Lookout however I must have missed the entry to that trail and therefore bypassed the stairs all together, maybe that's a good thing. I did however still manage to find the Lookout and join back onto my original route from there. Following along a cliff edge and through some beautiful grass lands you get some brilliant views across the coast and the area's to come.
Shortly after emerging back onto the main trails you come upon Split Rock and a beautiful rock ledge with 270 degree views along the coast & inland over Pinny beach & it's Lagoon. This is where I chose to stop for a few minutes, take in the views and enjoy a quack snack of some MaDhouse Beef Jerky. While others ventured down and followed the rock ledge around tot he beach, I stayed up high and enjoyed the views. Before long you find yourself walking down onto the beach and looking at the headlands at the Northern end of the Bunkers To The Coast walk. Take your time on the beach especially if there are not many people around, If it is warm by all means enjoy a quick dip in the ocean or in the lagoon. Keep and eye out here for animal tracks, I found some Wallaby tracks right along the waters edge of the Lagoon.
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Passing the little bridge over the lagoon but sticking to the Southern side you start heading into some dense wetlands filled with Melaleuca trees. Keep your eyes open here and check out the creek that flows down into the Lagoon. This is a really beautiful little spot. This section is currently National Park so please keep that in mind as well and make sure not to cause any damage and while Legally Dog's are not allowed, I don't think there would be any issues as it is a very small area and you are walking mostly Crown land with the exception of this small spot. Please just remember to clean up after them. Heading West for a little bit you quickly leave the Wetlands area and will be surrounded by Spotted Gums. Although only a short distance the area changes vastly.
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Turning right and heading North on the Crossing Trail you will soon come across some old bricks structure. I was informed this is the remains of a Picnic area set up by an old Church from the area. Shortly after you will come to another small creek and a beautiful little Rainforest area with a small, what appears to be man made weir. The damage caused my 4wd's and motors in this area is very evident and sadly does show the need for some areas to be restricted access. This is the edge of the National Park as well as you will notice with the sign.
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Now it's almost all uphill. Heading back up a Clay road that after rain can be very slippery, the track at first is quite easy and shows some beautiful views back out to the coast, You may even notice some areas that appear cleared as though they were part of a Quarry, I don't know for sure if this is the case but it is likely. Along the outer edge of one of these clearings I noticed some Burrows, possibly rabbit holes but they could belong to a number of animals. The hardest part of the walk is just a head as you come up on a 4 way intersection in the path. From here you can opt to take any of the routes however my path was to continue straight and up a very washed out & rutted section that would make any 4wder looking for a challenge feel something growing in their pants. Keep in mind 4wd's & Motorbikes are legally banned in this area however that does not stop the bikes.
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Reaching the top of this climb that never seems to want to end I turned left and climbs just a little more along the East Ridge Firetrail. Following this for a little while along the ridge line I was greeted by the soothing sounds of Bell birds in the trees and you would not really think you are so close to the homes below. Before long you turn out from behind the homes on Sea Eagle Cres and find yourself back in suburbia. Walking down and looking at some of these homes I couldn't help but wonder, how many of these people actually know the beauties that surround them, how many have actually ventured into the bush surrounding their homes. I'm sure many have probably visited the beach at Spoon Rocks but how many have ventured past there? I really does sadden me to think most of these people have probably never seen what surrounds them, rather they go to work day in & day out, work long hours to afford these beautiful and lavish homes, getting very little time to themselves and very little time to take in the real beautiful in the areas in which they live.