The Cape Baily walk in Botany Bay National Park is an absolute delight. If you just so happen to be walking it during the Humpback Whale migration (May - October), it is nothing short of magical.
This easy walk offers panoramic ocean views for almost the entire track, as well as heathland and “hanging swamps” (we’d never heard of such a thing either!). The track finishes at the Cape Baily Lighthouse, which is still in use today. It’s one of those trails where there’s never a dull moment and it’s refreshingly flat which is quite a rarity in Sydney!
It’s easily one of our favourite coastal walks in Sydney. Here’s what to expect from the trail.
The Cape Baily Walk
The stats
Distance: 6.9km from Cape Solander or 9.3km from Polo Street
Elevation: 72m
Difficulty: Easy
The Cape Solander to Cape Baily Walk is a very easy trail. It is flat and the path alternates between boardwalk and the flat rock of the cliff tops. Whilst it is up to 9.3km long, it doesn’t feel that long as there are next to no uphill climbs.
We recommend allowing 2 hours to do the walk and take in the views, more if it’s whale season because you won’t be able to stop watching!
You can extend the walk all the way to Cronulla, making it a one way trail. Here’s our full guide to the extended walk.
Where to start the trail
You can start this walk from the Cape Solander car park, which incurs an $8 parking fee, or you can start at the Polo Street entrance. Starting at Polo Street is free of charge, but adds on an extra 1.2 km each way.
We’ll start this guide from Polo Street, but if you’d prefer to start at Cape Solander, just skip over the first section.
Starting the trail from Polo Street
If you want to skip the park fee, park at the southern end of Polo Street (go right up until there’s a gate at the end of the road). You can park on the side of the road and start your walk from here.
Head towards the gate and follow the concrete path that runs alongside the Botany Bay National Park sign.
You’ll walk on a wide, flat path which is densely lined with some very pretty trees.
After 400m you’ll reach an unmarked turning on your left which is much narrower: this is the route to Cape Solander. This part of the walk can get muddy after rain, but you can just about skirt round the puddles.
After just under 400m you turn left again onto a path which is a mixture of stone and dirt. Again, it can get quite water logged, but we got round it after some fairly heavy rain, it just gets quite squelchy.
After a few minutes you’ll come out at the main road and then you need to turn right, after 200m you’ll be at Cape Solander lookout.
The section of track between Polo Street and Cape Solander is nice enough, with lots of trees and bushland, but it’s not a must do if you’d prefer a shorter walk.
Arriving at Cape Solander
Cape Solander is known as one of, if not the best, whale watching spot in Sydney. We have seen whales every time we have been here (in season).
There’s a viewing platform and some information boards about the whales. If you’re visiting when volunteers are doing the count, they will have a whiteboard up with all the sightings and we were surprised to see it wasn’t just Humpbacks!
The great thing about the Cape Baily walk is that you get the same great views that you get from Cape Solander along virtually the whole track.
You can also get much closer because you can sit beside the cliff edges to watch the whales, whereas the cliffs in front of Cape Solander have become unstable and you can no longer sit there. This means the little viewing platform can get quite congested on a weekend.
The view from the lookout at Cape Solander
Walking along the cliff tops
Leaving the lookout you head along the clifftops, sometimes on boardwalk and sometimes on the natural rock.
The ocean views are just stunning, with the picturesque headlands and the waves crashing against the rocks below.
We saw over 20 whales along this part of the walk, the most we’ve ever seen! A few also came quite close to the cliffs which was a real treat.
We saw breaching, tail flapping and some rolling which we don’t know the technical term for! If you’re not planning the walk for whale season though, it’s still absolutely beautiful and very much worth it.
One of the whales from the trail
Tabbigai Gap
You’ll pass by Tabbigai Gap where a small community of people lived, right on the cliff edge, between 1920 and 1969. There’s an information board with incredible images of the houses built into the cliffs and the inside of one of the rooms, it’s well worth stopping to take a look at them.
There is a lot more boardwalk on this track than the first time we walked it. Prior to this, parts of the walk used to be so boggy as to be almost impassable, now the walk is a breeze!
You’ll head along the cliffs for roughly a kilometre and a half before reaching a long stretch of board walk.
Heading to the Cape Baily Lighthouse
The boardwalk curves around the heath and hanging swamps with spectacular ocean views or ocean glimpses the entire way.
When you can tear your eyes away from the water you’ll also enjoy a wide range of plants, and we heard some particularly noisy frogs on our visit too. The plant life would be even prettier in spring when the wildflowers are out.
You’ll pass several chasms with gorgeous swirly rock, the most notable of which is Blue Hole Gap. Although you will be heading gradually uphill to the lighthouse it’s never steep.
It’s hard to believe just how incredible this section of track is considering no one ever really seems to talk about this walk!
This extremely photogenic boardwalked part of the walk lasts for a couple of kilometres before you reach a little sandy track on your right which leads up to the lighthouse.
We have to admit the lighthouse is prettier to look at from a distance, as up close you can’t really see the top, but it’s still worth heading up for a couple of minutes to check it out. Although the vegetation is quite dense you can see right the way back to the city, and Sydney Tower.
Heading back
Heading back along the boardwalk you also get some nice views back to the city in the distance but for us it’s all about making the most of those ocean views.
We walked this section in the twilight, watching as all the stars started to appear in the sky which was pretty special. It wasn’t actually by design but because we spent so long watching the whales that we ended up losing the light!
If you parked at Cape Solander then you retrace your steps the whole way. If you parked at Polo Street you can cut inland just before Tabbigai Gap (if you reach the sign with the sea cliff houses on it, you’ve gone around a minute too far).
This part of the walk suffers from poor drainage and for that reason, plus how stunning the coastal trail is, we tend to retrace our steps back to Cape Solander. If you do go inland you’ll save around a kilometre by our estimation.
Overall this is an amazing walk year round, and one that sees far fewer visitors than other coastal walks in Sydney. If you happen to be able to do it during whale season, and particularly June and July when the numbers are at there highest, you are going to be in for an absolute treat. It’s definitely one of our favourite walks in Sydney!
Packing suggestions for the walk
Having the right gear can make a huge difference. Here’s what we pack and have relied upon for years:
Sunscreen: Cancer Council Active. With a high SPF, but not the greasy feel of other sunscreens. Makes a big difference when you’re working up a sweat on a sunny day! Check it out on Amazon
Good Rain Jacket: North Face This is an essential item we always pack in our bag! This jacket from North Face is designed to keep you dry but also comfortably warm (many rain jackets will make you feel like you’re in a sauna). Check it out on Amazon
Day Pack: Osprey Talon 22 (we’ve owned this for years). Check on Amazon or direct with Osprey
Hiking Boots: Merrell Moab (for men and women). We’ve both used these for over three years and they just keep going. Check them out on Amazon
Trekking poles: We’ve used Black Diamond for years as they are light, solid and durable. Check them out on Amazon.
Reusable water bottle: To avoid single-use plastic. Check them out on Amazon
Essential information about the Cape Baily walk
Parking for the walk
You can park at Cape Solander which costs $8 per day, there are quite a few spaces but they fill up quickly on a weekend.
You can also park at Polo Street for free and there is no time limit. The parking is roadside and whilst there isn’t a wealth of spaces it never tends to get very busy.
Public transport for the walk
Whilst Botany Bay may not seem too far away from the CBD, it takes longer to get there than you think! The best way to get there is to take the Illawarra Line Train from Central to Cronulla. From there you can hop on the 987 bus which stops just outside Botany Bay National Park.
Once off the bus, walk down to the southern end of Polo Street to start the walk.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, that we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support.
Like it? Pin it!
Follow us on Social Media
Are you planning on doing the Cape Solander to Cape Baily Walk? What’s your favourite coastal path in Sydney? Let us know in the comments below!
