Day hikes

Mar­ra­no Creek Hike

Loca­tion: Deep Creek Nation­al Park
Start: Cob­bler Hill Pic­nic Area, Cob­bler Hill Camp­ground or Blow­hole Beach car park

Enjoy excel­lent views of Kan­ga­roo Island and The Pages Islands on this chal­leng­ing loop trail, which tra­vers­es windy grass­lands and coastal scrub. Fol­low Blow­hole Beach Hike down to the beach, before join­ing the Wild South Coast Way on the Hey­sen Trail and fol­low­ing it east to Cob­bler Hill Camp­ground and Mar­ra­no Creek. 

This ter­rain is steep and may be slip­pery – be pre­pared with ade­quate footwear.

Fea­tures: toi­lets, parking.

Boat Har­bor Cir­cuit Hike

Loca­tion: Deep Creek Nation­al Park
Start: Pages Look­out

Tak­ing in part of the Wild South Coast Way on the Hey­sen Trail, this unique hike has breath­tak­ing views of Kan­ga­roo Island, The Pages Islands and Tunkalil­la Beach. Those pre­pared for a steep trail and rock scram­ble can take a short diver­sion off the cir­cuit trail to Boat Har­bor Beach, a rocky cove where Boat Har­bor Creek enters the South­ern Ocean.

Fea­tures: park­ing, lookout.

Wait­pin­ga Beach — Wait­pin­ga Cliffs

Loca­tion: New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park
Start: Wait­pin­ga Beach

The best of both worlds – wit­ness the pow­er­ful South­ern Ocean up close as you tra­verse Wait­pin­ga Beach before head­ing inland and then back out towards the tow­er­ing Wait­pin­ga Cliffs.

Fea­tures: toi­lets, park­ing, camp­ing, look­out, bbqs.

Coastal Cliff Loop Hike

Loca­tion: New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park
Start: Wait­pin­ga Campground

Spec­tac­u­lar coastal views from rolling hills and steep clifftops, watch for white-bel­lied sea-eagles on the way.

Fea­tures: toi­lets, park­ing, camp­ing, look­out, bbqs.

King Head to Wait­pin­ga Beach

Loca­tion: includes New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park
Start: King Head or Wait­pin­ga Beach

The walk from King Head to Wait­pin­ga Beach with­in New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park is the spec­tac­u­lar high­light of the Hey­sen Trail. The focal point of this walk is again Wait­pin­ga Cliffs. The trail fol­lows along rolling hills and coastal scrub to the long Wait­pin­ga Beach, a pop­u­lar surf­ing and fish­ing spot. The walk includes panoram­ic views of Wait­pin­ga Creek, Encounter Bay, the Pages in Back­stairs Pas­sage and Kan­ga­roo Island.

Fea­tures: toi­lets, park­ing, camp­ing, look­out, bbqs.

Wait­pin­ga Beach — Vic­tor Harbor

Loca­tion: includes New­land Head Con­ser­va­tion Park
Start: Wait­pin­ga Beach or Kent Reserve, Vic­tor Harbor

From the pop­u­lar surf beach, ascend towards Ridge­way Hill before head­ing out to the coastal cliffs, pass­ing sea-eagle nest­ing areas and the spec­tac­u­lar cliffs of New­land Head. Past the cliffs, the trail emerges onto Kings Beach. The main Hey­sen Trail turns north here, but a spur trail con­tin­ues along the coast on the Vic­tor Har­bor Her­itage Trail, past Petrel Cove to Longkewar/​The Bluff, con­tin­u­ing past Whalers Way along the esplanade at Encounter Bay to Kent Reserve.

Fea­tures: toi­lets, park­ing, camp­ing, look­out, pic­nic areas, bbqs.

Deep Creek Cir­cuit Hike

Loca­tion: Deep Creek Nation­al Park
Start: Trig pic­nic area or Tapanap­pa Ridge Lookout

This hike offers some of the best land­scape and ocean views in the park – it is also the most chal­leng­ing. The trail is best tak­en in a clock­wise direc­tion from Trig Pic­nic Area, lead­ing you to the water­fall and down into Deep Creek Cove. Deep Creek can be dif­fi­cult to cross, and it is rec­om­mend­ed not to cross when flood­ed. This hike is suit­ed to expe­ri­enced, fit walk­ers. The trail can be start­ed from Trig Pic­nic Area or from Tapanap­pa Ridge Lookout.

Fea­tures: toi­lets, park­ing, camp­ing, look­out, pic­nic areas, pic­nic shel­ters, water

Cob­bler Hill Camp­ground — Tapanappa

Loca­tion: Deep Creek Nation­al Park
Start: Cob­bler Hill Camp­ground or Tapanap­pa Ridge Lookout

A chal­leng­ing full day hike that tra­vers­es the two major val­leys of Deep Creek Nation­al Park, it also includes some of the most spec­tac­u­lar sights. From ocean views and scrub­land to water­falls and fern-filled gul­lies, this sec­tion pro­vides a diverse hik­ing expe­ri­ence. This hike is suit­ed to expe­ri­enced, fit walkers.

Fea­tures: toi­lets, park­ing, camp­ing, look­out, pic­nic areas, pic­nic shel­ters, water

Look­ing for some­thing a lit­tle more chal­leng­ing? Try these mul­ti-day adventures.