A collection of charming, if somewhat ramshackle, huts lie hiding in plain sight just off the popular Spit to Manly walk. Some perch precariously on the edge of a cliff, while others are set back in the gardens that are no doubt a lot wilder now than in their heyday. The shacks are tucked away from the rest of the world and look like they are straight out of the pages of a storybook; with hand painted signs, ornamental buoys and even a garden bench complete with rusty old kettles.
The huts were resided in until 1984, but now sit unoccupied and are looked after by a team of volunteers through the National Parks Service. Though the huts are considered unstable and you cannot go inside, you can peer in through the dusty windows and get a feel for just how special these little homes would once have been.
Accessing Crater Cove involves a short walk off-track which is not signposted, so we have you covered on the directions below.
The walk to the Crater Cove Huts
The stats
Distance: 2.5km return
Elevation gain: 100m
Difficulty: Easy, but not on a maintained path
Trailhead: Dobroyd Head Car Park
Summary: In this guide we’re sharing the quickest route to the Crater Cove Huts, but you can also access them via longer walks beginning at Spit Bridge or in Manly. If using the quickest route, you will start by descending well maintained stairs on the Spit to Manly Walk before turning off onto an unmaintained path.
This next section is best saved for a dry day. We visited on a really wet day - after a series of really wet days - and the path was very muddy and a bit slippery.
When dry it’s no problem. There is a fair amount of rocky terrain to negotiate and some plants are encroaching on parts of the path, though not enough to make it difficult to follow.
Respect the site
As it stands today, the Crater Cove Hut site is not closed to the public (though you cannot enter the huts themselves), but the site must be respected or access could be lost in the future.
Please leave no trace when visiting and do not attempt to enter the huts so everyone can enjoy this little piece of Sydney’s history for years to come.
Starting the trail from Dobroyd Head
From the parking area at Dobroyd Head (full details below), you head down the steps leading towards Crater Cove Lookout, which is 50m away to the left.
If you look closely you can see some of the huts from the viewpoint.
You’ll now head along a section of boardwalk which lasts for just under 300m at which point you reach a set of shallow stairs.
You’ll now descend on the well maintained track for 270m before reaching a signpost (600m from the start of the walk).
The signpost does not mention the huts, but just behind it is a right turn. This is the start of the unmaintained track to the huts.
Reaching the Crater Cove Huts
Follow the narrow track between the bush and you’ll pass a ‘track not maintained’ sign 100m later.
Just 25m further on, to the left, you can see a good view of the huts.
The path continues to the right and can get very waterlogged and muddy after rain. This makes it a bit slippery but it’s manageable if you don’t luck out with good conditions.
The path will descend at first and then there is a brief traverse along some rock platforms. Roughly 50m into the rock platforms, on the left, there’s a bit of a rocky gully to descend which is uneven, but still an easy scramble.
Just 50m after the gully there’s a bit of a narrow rock channel to walk down before you reach some stone stairs. The stairs will bring you down to the first huts after 35m.
Exploring the Crater Cove Huts
The first two huts are on the left, but these are probably the least atmospheric in my opinion. Still worth a peek, but not as charming as the others.
The third hut is 125m away to the right. To reach it you’ll walk through a little bushy area which has a bit of a secret garden feel.
There are two wooden planks to walk across to reach the hut, but both are easy and though not bolted down, they are stable.
The third hut is where you’ll find the ‘Welcome to Crater Cove’ sign and it asks you to respect the huts by not entering them. This hut is particularly appealing with a wooden exterior and a bushy setting.
The next hut is probably my favourite and sits 50m away to the right.
This little hut is painted blue and you can peer inside the window and see an old wooden desk and what looked like a game of quoits sat upon it.
The harbour views were magical from this hut, even on the gloomiest of days as it was on our visit. In fact, to some degree I would say the dreary weather actually added to the atmosphere.
If you walk a little to right and cross the long wooden plank you can get a fabulous view of the hut, and after rain, a small waterfall running beside it. It’s really very special.
The fifth hut is 50m to the right of the fourth one. You start by crossing the long wooden plank, which does move a little, but it’s not difficult and it isn’t raised high, so there’s no feeling that you might slip off and come to any harm.
Although you would get wet feet!
At the end of the plank you need to head uphill and this section is rocky and a little bit of a scramble, but an easy one, especially if it’s dry.
At the top of the rocky track you will see the stony exterior of hut five. There’s a little bench seat and some old buoys dangling from the ceiling, as well as a couple of old rusty kettles.
The view across to the first few huts is fantastic and it’s a great spot to sit and contemplate the area.
There are supposed to be two further huts and we could definitely see one of them, but the National Parks sign asks you not to go off-track to allow for regeneration and reaching the last two required going off-track, so we sadly missed them. However, we had such a great time exploring the ones that were accessible that we didn’t feel we’d missed out too much.
All in all, visiting the Crater Cove Huts was one of the most fun experiences we’ve had in Sydney in a while, just remember to leave no trace when visiting so everyone can keep exploring this fascinating little piece of Sydney’s history.
Crater Cove Huts History
It’s said that the first huts were built at Crater Cove by fishermen in the 1920’s and were never intended to be permanent residences. However, just as it did at Tabbigai Gap in Kurnell, the Great Depression led to some becoming occupied year round.
In the 70’s and 80’s the huts appealed to those seeking a quiet life away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Sadly this all came to an end in 1984 when residents were told they needed to leave their homes and resettle elsewhere.
We read about the history whilst at the site and I have to say I can’t imagine how sad it would have been for people to have to leave this very special spot.
Getting to Dobroyd Head
There is a dedicated parking area at Dobroyd Head, which you can see here on Google Maps. It’s around a 10 minute drive from the centre of Manly and at time of writing, parking is free of charge.
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