Described by a former Melburnian as a ‘hike that has terrain unlike anything I have seen in Victoria’, I was a little excited about what I could expect from the Otford Coastal Track.
And it didn’t fail to disappoint nor was her description inaccurate.
Located in the Royal National Park, this near-on 10km hike will take you through a partly dense forest that borders the coast.
It was strange walking through it as I felt like a million miles away from the ocean yet it was so close.
Located at the Otford Lookout in New South Wales, the beginning of the Otford Coastal Track is a short incline to a signpost which also happens to be a fork in the track.
You can take a left and head a little more inland and follow the trail to places such as the popular Figure 8 Pools.
Alternatively, you can take a right and head down to Werrong Beach; yet another popular place for reasons other than the scenery (it’s a designated nudist beach!)
Both trails are fairly rocky and have some steep hills, but both offer exceptional views of the ocean which are hard to ignore.
Depending on what time of the year you go, you may be able to catch a glimpse of some whales as they make their way to and from Hervey Bay.
Fortunately, on this day hiking the Otford Coastal Track I was able to momentarily spot a couple of them but not long enough to take any pictures.
The entire Royal National Park can be broken up into smaller hikes along the coast, with the Otford Coastal Track being one of many.
This one in isolation would be suitable for anyone who has a decent level of fitness or hiking experience.
Further, I would recommend the Otford Coastal Track to those who are used to climbing hills due to the steepness in certain parts.
If you have young children, you might take them with you but I would recommend keeping to the flatter sections of the hike.
Ideally, this would be from the signpost to one of the lookout sections on the way to the Figure 8 pools.
