Booderee National Park, in the Jervis Bay region of Australia (around 2.5 hours from Sydney), is a small area packed full of beautiful beaches, viewpoints, an interesting piece of history and kangaroos. What else could you want from a day out in Australia!? We spent a day driving (and walking) around Booderee National Park and saw most of the highlights – here are my top 8 places to see in Booderee National Park!
Iluka Beach
The first beach you’ll come to after paying your park entrance fee (more on that later) is a big stretch of sand known as Captain’s Beach, Iluka Beach or Green Patch Beach (depending on which bit you’re on). We stopped off at Iluka Beach first and were blown away by the white sand and clear blue water. We’d seen most of the other beaches in Jervis Bay (Hyams Beach, Chinamans Beach etc) at this point but were still really impressed.
Green Patch Beach
Just past Iluka Beach you’ll find Green Patch Beach. This seems like one of the best places to camp in Booderee National Park. We went for a walk through the bush and soon came to Bristol Point Beach (which wasn’t quite as nice as the others). We then walked back to Green Patch around the rocks and saw this tiny, picturesque bay — it turned out to be one of my favourite spots in Jervis Bay.
Sottish Rocks and the Hole in the Wall
From Green Patch Beach it’s a short drive to the next spot – the Scottish Rocks. You’ll have to walk a little way from the car park but it’s pretty easy. The rocks themselves are nothing special but the bight blue water is sure to impress. Another short track leads to the Hole in the Wall, which is located at the end of a long stretch of beach. We saw it from a distance and decided we didn’t want to scramble around the beach at high tide — it didn’t look that amazing from what we saw though.
Murrays Beach
Murrays Beach is one of the most highly-rated beaches in Booderee National Park (and Jervis Bay in general) and it lives up to the hype. It was the busiest beach we visited in Booderee National Park, but that may have been due to the timing (we got there around lunch time). Again, the sand is perfectly white and the water is blue and inviting – there’s not much more you can ask for in a beach! It’ll take 10 minutes or so to walk from the car park to Murrays Beach, and from there you can also head up the hill for nice views over Bowen Island and the coastline around Murrays Beach (the views would be better if they cut some trees down).
READ MORE: Where Are the Best Beaches in Jervis Bay, Australia?
Cape St George Lighthouse
From Murrays Beach you’ll have to drive back towards the park entrance and turn down Wreck Bay Road. From there you should see a turnoff pointing towards Cape St George Lighthouse. It was built in 1860 but was destroyed in the early 1920s. It now lies in ruins and is easily one of the best places to see in Booderee National Park. You’ll get some nice coastal views and it’s always fun to explore atmospheric ruins like these.
Steamers Beach
The walk to Steamers Beach will probably be the most effort you’ll spend in the national park, but it’s well worth it. From the car park the track meanders down to the beach – there aren’t many views on offer but it’s a nice enough walk. Just before the beach the track gets steeper and the views get better – be careful of your footing though! Steamers Beach is different to most of the beaches you will have seen in Jervis Bay so far because it opens out to the ocean rather than the calm waters of the bay. Apparently sharks frequent this place, so I’d think twice before swimming. It’s a beautiful place though and should be high up on your Jervis Bay itinerary.
Cave Beach
The day was drawing to a close when we reached Cave Beach. It’s called that because there’s a big cave (or maybe series of caves) at the southern end of the beach. It’s nice enough but it’s pretty similar to a lot of beaches I’ve seen in New Zealand and isn’t as “tropical” looking as some of the other beaches in the area. You might also see some kangaroos near Cave Beach, there were a few hopping around the car park / camping area when we were there.
Bherwerre Beach
From Cave Beach you’ll find a short walking track which takes you to Bherwerre Beach. It’s a nice enough walk and we saw a few kangaroos along the way. Bherwerre Beach is similar to Cave Beach in that it doesn’t look all that tropical – it’s nice though and is worth the short walk to see.
Other Places to See in Booderee National Park
We didn’t see all the places to visit in Booderee National Park but were happy with what we saw. It was a fun day out and the drives / walks to the various sights don’t take too long. There are some other beaches to see (Whiting Beach, Wreck Beach) as well as some other (longer) walks to check out if you have the time. We also visited the Botanic Gardens, but they weren’t particularly interesting.
The Details
It’ll cost you $13 for a 48-hour pass (car or motorbike), so if you have a car full of people, you’ll only pay $13. You can also enter the national park on foot which will be free (but you’ll have to do plenty of walking!). Booderee National Park is easy to get to – just head towards Hyams Beach and you’ll see the signs. There’s a small information centre at the entrance and the tiny Jervis Bay Village is nearby, which is your only real option for food and drink. We explored as far down as Murrays Beach then drove back towards the entrance, got a quick bite to eat in town and then went to the other areas. It was a full day, but we really enjoyed it!
Are you planning a trip to Jervis Bay? Check out some of my other posts, including Hyams Beach and the White Sands Walk.
Jon Algie
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