We were on a mission to visit every beach in Royal National Park and North and South Era were the last couple we had yet to visit. Had we known how fantastic they were, and how beautiful this walk was, we would have never left it so long!

It might be short - which was the reason we’d delayed doing it - but it is well worth the one hour drive from the city. You’ll visit three of the most spectacular beaches in the park, have the chance to spot wild wallabies and get some terrific views along the way.

Here’s what to expect from one of the best coast walks in Sydney.

Garie Beach to North and South Era Beaches

The stats

Distance: 4.6km total
Elevation: 197m
Difficulty: Easy - Moderate
Type of trail: Return

The Garie Beach to South Era Beach (via North Era) would be an easy walk, if it wasn’t for the hefty climb up and over Thelma Head which you have to do twice.

The walk is 1.5 - 2 hours long in total, depending on how long you spend on the beach and taking in the views!

Starting the trail at Garie Beach

If you haven’t been to Garie Beach, you’re going to be in for a treat.

At almost a kilometre long, Garie Beach is a truly impressive sight. It might be popular, but it still retains that wild feel and it’s big enough to never feel busy.

From the car park, rather than heading onto the sand you need to head to the right and follow the track marked for the Figure of 8 Pools.

This is a flat narrow path which hugs the cliff line for roughly 500m before you arrive at Little Garie Beach.

Little Garie is a really tiny beach surrounded by rocks. It’s cute, but as it’s situated between Garie and North Era (both beautiful beaches), I can’t imagine too many people stop here.

Heading up the hill

We’ve been to Garie Beach so many times, but had never really noticed the little shack community at this end of the beach.

The houses are scattered along the hillside in what looks like a truly idyllic place to live - minus the difficulty of getting groceries that is! The path will take you up the hillside in between the houses and up to a long staircase.

You’ll climb 90m of elevation over a 600m stretch of track to reach the top of Thelma Head.

It is fairly steep, but it’s on really well formed staircases, and there is a bench seat half way up, so even non-hikers shouldn’t be put off.

The views over Little Garie and Garie Beach get more and more fabulous with every step.

Once you reach the top, you have a few minutes of flat track before you see the staircase on the other side, ready to descend to North Era Beach.

The views this side are just as impressive, as you can see both beaches, as well as the pretty headland.

Heading down to North Era Beach

The 400m descent is on a really well built staircase, so though it is fairly steep, it’s not difficult in any way. As you get closer to the beach you’ll notice the North Era Campground just behind it.

It’s worth scanning the area because we saw a gorgeous little wallaby grazing here on our visit. I guess it’s used to campers because it wasn’t the least bit fazed by passing walkers.

Just in front of the campground you’ll see the beach itself, which is absolutely beautiful and very worthy of the hill climb to get there.

It’s fairly small but incredibly picturesque and so much lovelier than we were expecting - I’m not sure why, as this is a park of fabulous beaches!

After relaxing a little on the beach we definitely recommend heading over to South Era Beach.

On to South Era Beach

There are a couple of options for getting to South Era: if it’s low tide you can carefully make your way around the rock shelf which takes just five minutes or so.

If it’s high tide or the waves are particularly big, you’ll want to take the Coast Track over the hill behind the beach.

We tried both ways. To get to South Era we went over the hill, which is mostly on metal boardwalk, followed by grass, and is an uphill climb but not very steep.

We saw another wallaby in the vegetation here so keep an eye out.

If you’re using this route it will be a 700m walk between North and South Era. We then chose to take the low tide trail on the way back.

Arriving at South Era Beach

We liked South Era even more than North Era. It’s a bigger beach and it has another small community living in the hills beside it.

Normally we prefer places which feel completely untouched, but there was something about the feel of this place that made us linger a long time.

There can be quite strong currents at both beaches so it’s not the best for swimming, but it’s a lovely place for a paddle.

There are also some large rocks at the south end of the beach, which were the perfect place to sit and relax whilst watching the waves roll in. It’s a really peaceful spot and it was hard to tear ourselves away.

We took the low tide route on the way back and it was much quicker.

There was the odd slippery rock but nothing too hairy and it was just a few minutes rock hopping before we were back at North Era and ready to climb back up Thelma Head and on to Garie Beach.

All in all we loved this walk, it was a truly unexpected gem and easily made it into our favourite walks in Royal National Park list.

If you wanted to extend the walk you continue from South Era over the next headland to Burning Palms Beach, which is another truly outstanding beach.

Essential Info about the Garie Beach to North Era Beach walk

Getting to Garie Beach

Garie Beach is in the middle of Royal National Park and is about an hour’s drive from the city. There is a decent size car park, but the spaces go very quickly on the weekends!

Royal National Park vehicle entry fee

A visit to Garie Beach will incur the $12 daily entry fee. If you don’t see someone at a booth once in the park, it’s likely you will see someone in the booth at the top of Garie Road.

If you are planning on visiting several NSW national parks in a year you are better off buying the $65 annual pass, which covers all parks but Kosciusko.

Packing suggestions for Royal National Park

Having the right gear can make a huge difference, especially in Royal National Park. Being on the coast, the conditions can change rapidly, so packing correctly can make a big 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

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