Yuraygir Coastal Walk, NSW: Lake Arragan to Shelley Beach Headland.

View north from Shelley Beach Headland on a wet day.

While camped at Lake Arragan we took the opportunity to do another section of the Yuraygir Coastal Walk. 

Lake Arragan to Shelley Beach Headland: Grade 4, 6.5 km one way.

It was very hot and humid so we set off early, heading north from Lake Arragan Campground, across the dry bar between the ocean and the lake before entering the coastal trail. 

Sunrise on the Yuraygir Coastal Walk: Lake Arragan to Shelley Beach Headland.

It wasn't long before we came upon concrete bollards beside the track. These are relics of what became known as The Friederich Line. After the national park was gazetted there were very bitter clashes over access for four-wheel drive vehicles to the beaches and to an old sand mining track known as the Shelley Beach Track. In 1992, national parks won the case to close the tracks in the Land and Environment Court.

Concrete bollards from The Friederich Line.

We live at the beach so are familiar with Brahminy Kites but on this walk we saw the biggest Brahminy Kites we have ever seen. There were also lots of Spangled Drongos and black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes.

Brahminy Kite

We stayed on the path which led us to Shelly Headland without walking on the beaches. If I did the walk again, I would walk along the beach on the second half so that we could see the sea caves that are below Shelley Beach Headland. There is a "goat track" down to the caves near Shelley Beach Headland but I wasn't game to go down there in the rain. I much prefer to scramble up rough tracks rather than down them even in good weather.

Next time I would walk north along the beach from this access point.

There is a helipad on Shelley Beach Headland and I couldn't help having the ominous thought that it was there to rescue people who slipped down the cliff trying to get to the caves. 

Shelley Headland Helicopter Pad

We enjoyed the extensive views from Shelley Beach Headland before returning to Lake Arragan.

Looking north from Shelley Beach Headland.

Looking south from Shelley Beach Headland. The caves are down there.

We noticed a small sand blow near the track on our way back.

Sand blow

On our return we saw a pair of Beach Stone-curlews on the banks of Lake Arragan.

Beach Stone-curlew on the banks of Lake Arragan.