The Cronulla Beach walk is an absolute gem, despite not getting the recognition that many of Sydney’s more famous coastal walks get.

You follow the ocean for almost the entire trail, which is gorgeous in any weather. We’ve seen it on days where it’s calm and sunny, and the water looks almost tropical. We’ve also seen it on days when the surf is big and you spend more time looking at the rolling waves than the path in front of you.

It also has a hidden gem - a sunset beach! If you time it right, you can be on this beach as the sky lights up (and boy did it light up on our visit!).

It’s an easy walk and you can shorten it if preferred, but we think the full circuit is well worth doing and shows you the best of the area. Here’s what to expect from the trail.

Cronulla Beach Walk

The stats

Distance: 7.3km
Elevation: 104m
Difficulty: Easy
Type of trail: Circuit

The Cronulla Beach Walk is an easy circuit and shouldn’t take much more than two hours (unless you intend on taking photos and lingering at many of the stops!).

The trail from Dunningham Park to Bass & Flinders Point is completely paved, but after this it has some sections of dirt path. It isn’t steep at any point, so it’s a walk most people can comfortably do.

What to expect on the Cronulla Beach Walk

Starting the trail at Dunningham Park

As this is a circuit, you can walk the trail in either direction, but we recommend starting at Dunningham Park and walking along North Cronulla Beach first. This means you finish on the more picturesque part of the walk!

You’ll start on a paved walkway, which passes a couple of pretty rockpools and the beach, as you make your way to South Cronulla. If you’re walking on a weekend, the first few kilometres of this walk are likely to be really busy. People do begin to tail off though, so stick with it.

Dunningham Park - The start of the Cronulla Beach Circuit

The ocean views are a constant along this part of the walk and there are loads of different spots where you can stop and watch the surfers.

Just past South Cronulla Beach you’ll head up the staircase onto the esplanade, and this is the only staircase you’ll encounter for several kilometres.

South Cronulla Beach - Cronulla Beach Walk

Walking along the esplanade

Roughly 1.2km into the walk you’ll see an area of large waves in the ocean and the odd rock poking above the surface; this is Shark Island.

It’s a favourite with surfers despite the fact it looked really precarious to us, with the best waves being right beside all the rocks.

This was one of our favourite spots to stop and watch the surfers along the way, and you can great some photos right from the trail.

If you’re keen on catching photos of the surfers in particular - and you don’t have a great zoom lens - our other recommendation would be Oak Park Beach at the 2.7km mark. It’s a spot where you are able to get very close to the surfers.

In fact, it’s probably the closest we’ve ever got, and another great place to sit, relax, and take in the scene!

After another half a kilometre you’ll come to Shelly Park. If you wanted to stop for a picnic or BBQ along the walk, this is a popular spot, with a huge green lawn and play area behind the beach.

If you prefer a more natural spot, there are loads of rock shelves the whole way along the esplanade that you can stop at.

After 3km you’ll reach Bass and Flinders Point which has a memorial to Matthew Flinders and George Bass, the first Europeans to “discover” - and later name - Port Hacking.

This is the point at which most people tend to stop and after this point you’ll find much more serenity along the track.

Continuing on to Hungry Point

A couple of hundred metres beyond Bass and Flinders Point, you’ll reach Salmon Haul which, even on a very cloudy day, had gorgeous two tone blue water.

When we’ve been here on really sunny days the water is more like turquoise and indigo - it’s totally stunning. You can walk down the staircase from the main trail if you want to sit by the water, and it’s a favourite spot for fishing.

The path gets a bit more bushy along the next section of the walk and there are some beautiful flowers and plants.

After a couple of hundred metres, the walkway goes from paved to dirt track, and the water becomes really calm. You’ll soon reach the end of this track at Hungry Point, which is 4km from the start of the walk.

If you want to go down to the water there’s a rocky path with a rope attached to help you down. There’s nothing much to see down there, but it only takes a minute to pop down and check it out for yourself.

On to our favourite part of the walk

From Hungry Point you need to retrace your steps for a few minutes before heading up the staircase and turn left onto the concrete path.

You’ll soon come to Darook Park South. You don’t have to turn in here, but we’d highly recommend briefly heading down the staircase and through the roots and overhanging branches of an absolutely ginormous fig tree. It’s really impressive and has those secret garden vibes as you walk through.

The park also had loads of kookaburras on our visit.

You can then head back up the staircase and follow the walkway round to Darook Park. With the water on your left and the reserve surrounding you, it has a truly peaceful atmosphere.

This was my favourite part of the whole walk. We were here coming towards golden hour and the light shining on the water and through the trees was just stunning.

We’d highly recommend timing your walk to coincide with golden hour if you can.

Following the path round, you’ll come to Darook Park Beach. This beach is a little gem and I don’t know what it is about it, but it made me feel like I was on holiday!

It reminded me a bit of Port Stephens, with just a few locals playing games on the sand or having a picnic.

The water was calm, there were pelicans, and there’s even a rope swing if all that sounds too tranquil for you! It’s also one of the only beaches in Sydney where you can watch sunset.

It wasn’t our original intention, but when we saw the sky we knew we couldn’t miss it. So we sat on the nearest log and watched as the whole sky turned golden and then pink.

It was so beautiful, and we’d actually recommend watching the sunset at Darook Beach and then finishing the last couple of kilometres of the walk in the twilight.

It wasn’t planned, but it’s how we’ll be doing it every time from now on!

Finishing the circuit

Note - we were walking at high tide and there was no way to keep beside the water. It’s worth checking if it is possible if you’re here at low tide, so that you can avoid the residential section of the walk.

When you’re ready to tear yourself away from the beach - and trust us it’s a struggle - you need to walk behind the beach and follow the road up the hill. It’s nice and bushy for the first few minutes, and then it becomes residential.

With the last of the sunset still going on, it made this next road section of the walk far more atmospheric than it would have otherwise been. You still get frequent glimpses of the water between the trees but it’s a little while before you’re walking beside it again.

After 800m you need to look for the little turning between the houses, Nicolson Parade.

Head up the stairs and then turn left after 500m into Leumeah Street. Then make a right on Taloombi Street and a few hundred metres later you can turn left into Gunnamatta Park.

You then walk along the marina and Gunnamatta Park for 500m. For us this was in the twilight and it was incredibly picturesque. You can then either walk to the train station, or back to your car.

Essential information about the Cronulla Beach Walk

Parking for the walk

Cronulla is a pretty popular place, but there are quite a few streets with free parking. Most places have time restrictions, except on Sundays.

Public transport to the walk

This walk is best done by public transport as Gunnamatta Park at the end of the walk is very close to Cronulla Train Station! Cronulla is on the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line and has regular trains from Central Station. The train takes about 45 minutes.

Shortening the walk

If you’re just looking for a short stroll you could walk from North Cronulla Beach as far as you want along the esplanade and then turn back, which is what most people opt to do. This is the most busy and popular part of the walk but our favourite is actually the other part of the circuit.

It doesn’t work as well as a short walk though, because you would have to do some road walking which isn’t ideal for short stroll.

Packing suggestions for the walk

aving 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
Bushman Spray: Good for keeping off the mozzies and any other bugs. 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

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