Tuross to Narooma

After 50 days we could probably be forgiven for feeling a bit jaded with the prospect of another day walking along beaches and headlands. Yet, when the sea mist that had rolled in earlier moved on to eventually close down Sydney airport, revealing a clear blue sky for the first time in four days, we were keen to get on the road again. This may have been partly in anticipation of the novel transport we had organised to cross the entrance at Tuross Lake and start the day's walk. Three months earlier we had checked out the entrance and could wade it at low tide. Unfortunately, this time we were tidally disadvantaged with a high tide, big swell and much wider mouth to the lake than earlier. Luckily, Richard and David from the Tuross Rescue Service kindly agreed to take us over in their new zodiac. As Richard said – he'd rather take us across now than have to come out and rescue us later!

The Tuross Rescue Squadron are a small group of volunteers who ensure the safety of fishermen and swimmers in the lakes and ocean – as we picked our way carefully through the channels and shifting sandbanks of the lake, we learnt a bit about their activities. Volunteers such as these are the backbone of small coastal communities and deserve to be applauded. Thanks, fellows.

Richard and David from the
Tuross Rescue Service

Tuross Lake from the southern sand spit

Once over, we headed down the long sand spit of South Tuross Beach. Thousands of blue bottles lined the sand, having been washed up during the big seas of the previous days – lucky that we hadn't gone in for a swim! We left the beach and walked up through the caravan park at Blackfellows Point, where dozens of red-necked wallabies lazed around or nibbled on the grass of the park.

Red-necked Wallabies have taken over the lawncare franchise from grey kangaroos at Blackfellows Point

Sea squirt colony broken of the rocks and swept on to the beach by the big seas

The archetypal small coastal settlement - north-facing houses on a headland next to a beach at Potato Point

We followed a dirt road from the caravan park to Potato Point, a small village of coast houses. Crossing it, we re-entered the Eurobodalla National Park and climbed over the grass and lomandra covered Jamison's Point. As we reached the southern end of the point, a wide panorama opened up before us, looking down 6.5 km long Brou Beach, with the silhouette of Mount Dromedary dominating the background. This impressive mountain, named by Captain Cook on his voyage of discovery in 1770 without realising that for several thousand years people had been calling it Gulaga, would be our companion for the next few stages.

View over 6.5 km long Brou Beach and Mount Dromedary from Jamison's Point

The pseudo-desert landscape of the Lake Brou sandbar

Regeneration following a bushfire

In between Brou and Mummaga Lakes we moved slightly inland to follow a track along the low clay cliffs. Parts of this area had been recently burnt by a bushfire and the erosion of the clay cliffs was very evident – one of the few scars on the landscape that we had seen on our walk to date.

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Erosion of clay cliffs following fire

At the end of Brou Beach we passed through the resort town of Dalmeny, spread along a group of headlands before again descending to a 4 km stretch of beautiful beaches separated by uplifted sandstone ribs and platforms jutting into the sea. I have admitted earlier to being a sandstonophile and it was great to be reacquainted with the rugged beauty of these sea-carved slabs of rock. The shape, weathering and angles of each point and platform seemed unique. Crossing Yabbara, Duesbury, Kianga, Carter's and Bar Beach, we eventually arrived at the imposing granite walls of the Narooma Breakwater, guarding Wagonga Inlet and its fleet of fishing and pleasure boats from the ocean.

Sandstone rocks at Duesbury Point

Duesbury Point and the southenr end of Yabbara Beach

Heiroglyphic erosion patterns on sandstone

View across Kianga Beach

View across Bar Beach to Narooma

As we crossed over the bar, we were greeted once again by a superb view of Mount Dromedary over the waters of the inlet. Following a boardwalk around the northern shores to cross the bridge and reach our cabin for the night, we were accompanied by a chorus of bellbirds. We had only been in Narooma for ten minutes and already we liked it.

Wagonga Inlet and Mount Dromedary

An army of soldier crabs crossing the mudflats of Wagonga Inlet

Mount Dromedary generating its own cloud (from Brou Beach)

Little pied cormorant

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Bluebottles - with their stinging tentacles, the one bane of swimming on the South Coast	Once over, we headed down the long sand spit of South Tuross Beach. Thousands of blue bottles lined the sand, having been washed up during the big seas of the previous days – lucky that we hadn't gone in for a swim! We left the beach and walked up through the caravan park at Blackfellows Point, where dozens of red-necked wallabies lazed around or nibbled on the grass of the park.		Red-necked Wallabies have taken over the lawncare franchise from grey kangaroos at Blackfellows Point
		Sea squirt colony broken of the rocks and swept on to the beach by the big seas

Stage 23 - Tuross to Narooma