From Caves Beach to Pinny Beach: A Stunning Coastal Walk

Want a gorgeous and adventurous walk with views and beach stops? Go for a hike from Caves Beach to Pinny Beach via Spoon Rocks on the Wallarah Peninsula walk. It’s a bit of an adventure with steep terrain in some spots, a staircase and fire trails to follow but lots of fun for those with older kids.

There are couple of entrances to this walk. The first entry is the track just south of Copper Valley Close on Caves Beach Road. You can park your car here and set out up the hill. Walk around the locked vehicle gate and follow the track.

As you approach the funny-named Stinky Point, you’ll see stunning views of Spoon Rocks Bay Beach.

Here you’ll find a beautiful secluded beach that faces north-east and protected from the prevailing winds. No wonder the locals keep this a secret. This beach is called Spoon Rocks so called because the rocks and beach resemble a spoon. The rocks are the remains of a breakwater which was originally constructed to transport local coal onto waiting ships. 

Continue along and follow the path down to Spoon Rocks beach.

Here you can stop for a swim or head up the cliff.

Here the track gets a bit rocky and there can be large gaping holes so take care.

The track goes uphill and then follow the main track right. (There is another less-used track on the left but it’s overgrown and leads elsewhere).

The main track then heads up the hill and goes left towards a set of timber stairs.

At the top is a viewing platform with great views over Spoon Rocks beach and northerly views back towards Newcastle.

You’ll then follow the path along a metal fence.

The path opens up and if it’s recently rained, you’ll see coastal pools.

From here, you can either follow the official trail and head inland towards Pinny Beach or do what we did and follow the path as it widens up into the fire trail.

Here you’ll spot gorgeous coastal views of Pinnys Beach and the stunning coastline of the Wallarah peninsula.

It’s a steep downhill trek to Quarries Head headland so might not be ideal for those with young children. Also as it’s a fire trail, vehicles have left large tracks so watch your step.

Once at the headland, you’ll have an incredible 180 view of the coast including cliffs, the dark sand of Pinny Beach and the lush vegetation of Wallarah National Park.

You can venture further down to Pinny Beach and across to the headland south of Pinny Beach on Wallarah National Park. Otherwise, retrace your steps back up the hill.

Good to Know

Distance: The official walk from Caves Beach to Southern Headland of Pinny Beach is 5.2 kilometre return track but you can do shorter walks to suit your family and if you want to stop by a beach or two. Check out the map on the NSW National Parks website for a detailed map. If you time your walk at the right time, you can also explore the caves at Caves Beach at low tide before or after your walk.

Getting there: There are a few access points. From nearest to furthest from Pinny Beach, either park at the end of Spoon Rocks Road at Caves Beach, access it from Caves Beach Road, opposite Copper Valley Close or from the Caves Beach car park off Caves Beach Road, at the southern end of Caves Beach.

Bring: water, sunscreen, hat and swimmers

Note: There are a few different trails including fire trails so refer to the NSW NPWS online map to make sure you know where you are going. There are maps but some of them are pretty vandalised.