On Easter Friday we packed up the car and headed south to beautiful Diamond Head. Diamond Head is located in Crowdy Bay National Park, about 45 minutes south of Port Macquarie. Dan and I have camped at Diamond Head before and absolutely love the whole area with its natural beauty, empty beaches, excellent surf, white sand, friendly wildlife, excellent facilities and great walks! On this occasion we did the Diamond Head loop walk which gave us stunning scenic coastal views across the hinterland and coastline throughout the entire walk. The walk took us just under two hours and we loved every bit of the scenery, especially the panoramic vistas and the glinting rock faces which are said to have given Diamond Head its name.
Before we’d even started the walk Dan had managed to spot a few goannas basking in the sunshine and also made friends with a couple of kangaroos! The wildlife at Diamond Head are really used to having people around so they are quite tame and friendly! It’s also a great spot to see dolphins and during whale migration an amazing place to watch these majestic animals as they pass by.
The Diamond Head Loop walks begins at Diamond Head Campground and links up with both the breathtaking Headland walking track and also the peaceful Forest walking track. The walk is the perfect introduction to the stunning national park. The NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service rate this 4.3km walk as a Grade 3 and suggest 1.5 – 2.5 hours to complete it. We found the paths really well marked the whole way and in a good condition. As long as you are wearing good walking shoes and are have a reasonable level of fitness then you will really enjoy this walk. Make sure you take water and wear a hat and sunscreen as there isn’t much shade for a large part of the walk.
As we climbed the headland we paused to take in the stunning views behind us of Crowdy Bay, which swept north to Perpendicular Point and south to Crowdy Head. We were mesmerised by the sweeping golden sand, rolling blue seas and the majestic Three Bothers Mountains which rise out of the lush forested hinterland. It’s a vista that truly cannot be captured on camera and needs to be seen in real life.
The Headland track hugs the cliffs and gives you the most spectacular views of the coastline…
About halfway along the walk you’ll come across a stunning natural arch. We were captivated watching the powerful sea slam into the arch and cascade through. Nature is such a beautiful thing and after so many years living overseas, it really is wonderful to explore our own backyard which is bursting with natural beauty such as this!
We next stopped at Kylie’s lookout to take in the amazing views, watch the pods of dolphins which were swimming by and wave to the paragliders who were coming into land from their flight down from either North or Middle Brother mountains.
The final 30 minutes of our walk comprised of the Rainforest track where we wandered through lush, green rainforest, across small creeks and waterfalls. There really is nothing like walking through the rainforest, the air feels fresher and you almost instantly feel healthier!
We were all pretty hungry by the time we arrived back at the Diamond Head campsite but were feeling revitalised after our walk! The Diamond Head Loop Walk is truly stunning and whether you are a local or are visiting the Mid North Coast we’d certainly recommend it. We’d packed a picnic and our Baby Weber BBQ so grilled our Easter Friday seafood and enjoyed it with fresh salads and of course finished off which plenty of chocolate!
We were truly blessed with magical weather over Easter and wanting to make the most of the last few hours of sunlight, we finished our day at Diamond Head off with a long stroll along the beach.
This walk truly highlights why Crowdy Bay National Park is such a national treasure and is one we’d both recommend and also do again ourselves.
You can find out more about Diamond Head, the loop walk and region at the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. There’s also a daily park fee of $8 per car, or if you are like us and have an annual national park pass you won’t have to pay anything.
