White Sands Walk – A Jervis Bay Must See
Wander through 2.5 km of sandy paths and overlooks to discover 3 beautiful beaches in Jervis Bay National Park. We loved all of the stops on our road trip down the south coast (read more about the drive, and a stop in Kiama), but this short walk is definitely a Jervis Bay must see!
As I planned our Jervis Bay itinerary, the beautiful white sand beaches naturally topped the list. After a bit of digging, I found the White Sands Walk and immediately knew it would be our Jervis Bay must see. The White Sands Walk is not mentioned in much of the tourism information (and ranks low on Trip Advisor) but is highly recommended by locals and those familiar with the State Parks.
The easy 2.5 km walk guides you from Greenfields Beach past several other gorgeous sandy beaches to Hyams Beach, the ultimate in white sand (apparently it is in World Record holder for whitest sand). We were in such a frenzy to find parking on a holiday weekend, that we started at Blenheims beach and then walked down to Greenfields. The scarcity of parking spaces at Greenfields made us happy to walk a little further, and we generally don’t complain about seeing another beautiful beach. Along the way take advantage of lookouts to scan the water for dolphins, or just to get a better view. Once you make it to Hyams, you can either return the way you came or make a loop on the shaded scribbly gum track (side note: how fun is it saying “scribbly gum”?).
The walk is manageable in an hour or so; the terrain is fairly flat and easy on the knees. We wore our new hiking boots, and may have been embarrassingly over-prepared compared to our fellow “hikers” in their flip-flops. However, our footwear decision did redeem itself when we scrambled over some rocks for better photos, and we do need to break them in a bit before Hawaii.
As I mentioned, the walk takes around an hour, but as with all of our hikes, we took considerably longer to indulge our photography habit, setting up shots and waiting for the right waves. In this case, our pace was even further slowed by dolphin spotting! We caught glimpses of dolphin pods playing in the water on two occasions and enthusiastically followed them as far as we could. No complaining on the lack of timeliness here – it was more enjoyable to watch the dolphins playfully swim and splash.
We also took every opportunity to trek down on the beaches. It is possible to by-pass some of them on the track, but why would you ever want to?
We breathed in the salty air, relished the tranquility and calmness of being on the mostly deserted sands, and appreciated the shaded paths. Even during the Easter holidays, we only encountered a few people during our hike, and the quietness was a welcome change from the bustling beaches of Sydney. I cannot say the same of Hyams beach, whose white sands attract beach-goers in droves. One clear benefit of the White Sands walk is enjoying beautiful beach views without getting stuck in the terrible traffic and parking spot hunt we endured when we drove out to Hyams later in our trip.
We timed the walk for post-breakfast, and it was almost lunch, when we returned to Blenheim’s beach. CZ woke up from her nap at that point, and asserted her desire for solo hiking. Thankfully, our decision to return via the Scribbly Gum track better suited her needs and our sanity – no cliff edges or possibility of falling into the ocean. Returning to our car, the picnic area at Blenheim provided an awesome lunch spot before heading down to the beach.
Unfortunately, the water at Blenheim was absolutely chock full of seaweed that afternoon so no swimming for us! We amusedly watched some young boys dare each other to get into the green water, only to come out covered in sticky seaweed a few seconds later. Honestly, the seaweed explosion provided a bit of an excuse for me, since I am a bit of a baby about jumping into the cold Pacific water, as I grew up on the warm Atlantic stuff.
The White Sands Walk encompasses everything I love about Sydney’s Bondi to Coogee walk, the windy overlooks, opportunities to rest at beaches along the way, and that blue, blue water, and it brings the added bonus of being in Jervis Bay – no bustling crowds, no endless stairs, and shade from the blinding mid-day sun.The walk truly is an underrated tourist location and a Jervis Bay must see for anyone interested in exploring the beaches.
Quick Tips for The White Sands Walk, A Jervis Bay Must See
- Bring binoculars to better enjoy dolphin sightings.
- Parking is less competitive and shaded at Blenheim’s beach, although it does add an extra km to your walk. Read more about the specific paths and maps on the NSW Parks site.
- The walk is quite easy, no hiking boots required. Unless you are planning on rock climbing!
- Walk across Hyman’s beach to the popular Hyam’s Beach Cafe for a coffee and toast. We heard great reviews for this cafe, but never made it ourselves.
- The Scribbly Gum track was nice for CZ to walk, but nowhere near as scenic as the White Sands Walk. We recommend returning the way you came for optimal beach views, if you don’t have a toddler who’s dying to walk!
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