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Stage 20 - Lilli Pilli to Mossy Point

Ah! The things one can achieve with that extra morning hour when daylight saving ends. Up with our biological clocks, we walked down to Lilli Pilli Beach for an early morning body surf in its nicely shaped waves, before a leisurely breakfast and departure on our next stage. We had barely gone 500 m, when we had our first stop – a cappuccino break on the deck of a pleasant café overlooking Mosquito Bay. It would have been easy to stay there, but we had a long day ahead, and pushed on through the back streets of Malua Bay to reach a million-dollar view over Malua Beach. I say this literally as any house in this part of the world with such an ocean view would now cost well over $1 million.

Peaceful Garden Bay

Million dollar view over Malua Bay

Crossing the beach, we climbed over another suburban headland to finally reach the start of a walking track on the southern end of Pretty Point. The view to the south from here was spectacular, with a sweeping panorama of the rugged coastline from Jimmie's Island to Mackenzie's Beach. The track led down to Mackenzie's Beach, a beautiful little circular cove of clear blue water and broad sandy beach, guarded by cliffs on either side.

Panorama of the coast from Jimmie's Island to Makenzie's Beach

Mackenzie's Beach

Our attempt to walk around the rock platform at its southern end was thwarted by a deep channel, so we backtracked and climbed up over the trackless headland, before again picking up the walking track up through Rosedale and down on to the long sweeping curve of Rosedale Beach, blocked at its southern end by Jimmie's Island (I wonder who Jimmie was).

Sweet pittosporum berries

What price absolute beach frontage? These are the 3 cabins that Nicole Kidman bought for $1.5 million

... but then this is the view from her window!

A quiet coastal creek	Nice wave at Rosedale	The track to South Rosedale Beach
From Rosedale, the track led us slightly inland through coastal forest, before emerging at heritage-listed Guerilla Bay, with its impressively tortured rock formations and cliffs at either end of a quiet little cove. What better place to stop for lunch.

Southern end of Guerilla Bay

Northern end of Guerilla Bay

Climbing up through the secluded coast houses set back in the bush from Guerilla Bay, we reached the top of the southern cliffs of Burrewarra Point. Winding through the dense heathland of the point, the track regularly emerged at cliff-top clearings, revealing panoramic views across Broulee Bay, as far south as Mount Dromedary, 80 km to the south, and to the mountains of Deua National Park on the western horizon. Sometimes it is difficult to find the right superlative to describe what you see, but the coastal scenery that we had been passing through since Malua Bay was nothing less than inspirational.

The cliffs of Burrewarra Point

Looking south over Broulee Bay

Secluded cove west of Guerilla Bay with
Mount Dromedary 80 km south on the horizon

Heading west, we followed the track inland and down into a dense thicket of casuarinas, before climbing up once more through a forest of tall spotted gums, ironbarks and burrawangs. The rapid changes in the composition, height and density of the vegetation as one moves in and out of different heathland and coastal forest habitats adds to the enjoyment of any walk on the South Coast.

Passing through a casuarina thicket

A ripe burrawang cone

Back amongst the tall eucalypts

Finally, we reappeared on the shoreline at the eastern end of Barling's Beach, with its backdrop of hazy blue mountains. Following the beach along, we eventually reached our final obstacle; the entry to the Tomaga River – time to get out the inflatable air mattress and bathers for another river crossing.

Barling's Beach

Crossing a paddock behind Tomakin

Looking south toward Mossy Point and the mouth of the Tomaga River

Crossing the Tomaga River

As we were got ready to cross the river, Nello noticed a familiar figure on the other side; Sara, her sister. We were going to spend the next two nights at her partner David's coast house and she had walked to the river in the hope of meeting us.

Once over, it was just a short walk for the three of us to reach the coast house at Mossy Point. The walk had been one of the most spectacular of our trip, with magnificent coastal scenery under a clear sunny sky, and what was even better was that we were thoroughly pampered by Sara for the next few days, with fine food, wine and company. Thanks for a great bit of R & R, Sara.

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