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Stage 27 - Bermagui to Bunga Beach

That evening we loaded up our packs with camping gear, food and water and were ready for our next major challenge, the three-day crossing of Mimosa Rocks National Park, when the first peal of thunder rolled across Bermagui Point. As we were treated to the brilliant spectacle of a series of coastal thunderstorms and the rain drummed down on the roof of our cabin, we contemplated the wisdom of the venture. However, true to form, the South Coast was just clearing the air and we woke to bright sunshine and a clear blue sky. Time to get going – because the weather had been very dry and freshwater was uncertain along the route, we were carrying all our water, the heaviest load to date. Our footsteps were certainly not light as we trudged over Blue Point and headed out of Bermagui along the southern section of the coastal walking track.

The route south - coastal cliffs south of Bermagui

The “coastal walking track” is not really a defined track; more a line on a map, following at first the streets of Bermagui, then paralleling the Bermagui-Tathra road, ducking in at a number of points along dirt roads and walking paths, and along sections of beach before ending 8 km south of Bermagui at Cuttagee Beach. It does however, pass along some splendid coastal forest, with gaps and the odd lookout, such as at Jerimbut Point, that reveal glimpses of the incredible orange –coloured line of cliffs south of Bermagui.	Looking north from Jerimbut Point	Looking south from Jerimbut Point

Near Baragoot Point, it passed through a dense thicket of sweet pittosporum and acacias, before rejoining a bridge to cross Baragoot Lake. From here it entered a small coastal fragment of Biamanga National Park preserving a forest of paperbarks, coastal banksias and eucalypts, before re-emerging in the middle of 3 km long Baragoot Beach.		Banksia, acacia and pittosporum heath
Track through the sweet pittosporum	Jagger's Beach

In Biamanga National Park	The track crossed the bridge over Cuttagee Lake before dropping back onto the sand and ending at the southern end of Cuttagee Beach. Here we decided for the first time to follow the main road around a headland, as we had been warned of disputes over access to beaches with some of the private properties in this area. However, after 2 km we were able to leave it again and follow a dirt road towards the coastline before picking up a walking track that descended steeply to secluded Armond's Beach, where we stopped for lunch.
	Entry to Baragoot Lagoon	Cuttagee Lake

Armond's Beach

A sign advised that this was a nude bathing beach; we don't find this offensive, but nude beachworm collecting is something else. We ate quickly and left as our collector bent over to extract yet another beachworm from the sand!

Pick the odd sign out

Climbing up the southern end of the beach the vague track soon disappeared and for 500 m we followed a GPS bearing through a tussockgrass clearing and across some fairly open eucalypt / burrawang forest, until we picked up another dirt road leading down through the strangely silent forest to the northern end of Murrah Head. Shoes and socks removed, a quick wade across the inlet to Murrah Lagoon saw us on the northern end of Murrah Beach, looking down to the green pasture covered paddocks of Goalen Head.

Ironbark forest

View of the lagoon from Murrah Head

Crossing Murrah Lagoon

Goelan Head

When we reached the end of Murrah Beach and stopped to put on our footwear again, we were joined by a new travelling companion, a boxer whom we called “Dog”. Dog accompanied us through the paddocks of Goelan Head as we followed vague wheel tracks in the dense kikuyu. He followed us down on to the northern end of Bunga Beach and only when we climbed up the dunes to cross a barbed wire fence and pick up a narrow grassy road did he leave. I suspect that Dog was just seeing us off the property, but he did so very politely and we enjoyed his company.		Nello and Dog
Looking inland across Murrah Lagoon	On Murrah Beach

One last view of Gulaga from Goelan head

Looking down Bunga Beach

The track that we had taken paralleled the beach for a kilometre and crossed into the Mimosa Rocks National Park, before opening out on to one of those scenes that soothes the tired spirit of those who have carried a heavy pack for 19 km – a large grassy opening with an old fisherman's hut, complete with fireplace, outdoor loo and water tank, overlooking the beautiful southern part of Bunga Beach and the imposing cliffs of Bunga Head. A track behind the hut led up magical Hidden Valley, where a mob of kangaroos grazed in a clearing in the late afternoon light.		View from the hut to Bunga Head
The Fisherman's hut at Bunga Beach	Hidden Valley

We set up our gear in the shelter of the hut, set a fire with driftwood from the beach and pitched our tent on the dense mat of kikuyu – the extra padding of the grass promising a much more comfortable night than the wooden floor of the hut. As we ate our dinner at sunset, a group of five sea eagles flew in from a day's hunting and disappeared up Hidden Valley to their roost. It seemed that our totem was checking that all was well with us. It was – out to sea, lightning forked occasionally and silently from a distant thunderstorm, while above us the night sky was crystal clear and with a new moon the stars were brilliant. We slept well – it had been a long hard day and we were pleased with what we had done.

mmmmmmmmmmm


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