Although this walk had not originally been on our Murramarang hit list, a forecast of rough waves had us looking for alternative options and that led us to this gorgeous circuit walk. It takes in three beautiful beaches, and each one has an extra beach beside it separated by rocks, so it’s more like six. You can do the walk on any tide, but a couple of hours either side of low tide will give you easy access to the additional beaches.
As well as the beaches there is plenty of charming coastal forest and lots of great views.
Here’s what to expect from the trail.
The Emily Miller, Dark and Myrtle Beach Circuit
The stats
Distance: 5.9km circuit inc side trails
Elevation gain: 230m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Trailhead: Old Coast Road Car Park, South Durras
There are a surprising number of hills on this track, though no long steep climbs, it’s more a frequent number of undulations.
The paths are generally in good condition, though to make it easily over to the smaller beaches requires some walking along rock platforms and this is best done a couple of hours either side of low tide.
Outside of this time it is usually not possible to safely reach the smaller beach beside Myrtle Beach (which is clothing optional).
Starting the trail: to Emily Miller Beach
From the parking area on the Old Coast Road (full details below) you will head gently uphill on the shady fire trail (which is no longer in use) before reaching the bushwalking track 300m later.
It’s not signposted but it’s an obvious worn trail leading left. The path now flattens and after 120m you’ll come to a signpost for Emily Miller Beach where you will get your first glimpse of the ocean, glistening between the trees.
The track now heads downhill, mainly on stairs, with a few tree roots here and there, before reaching the sand 130m later (550m from the car park).
It’s a gorgeous beach and there was no one around at all on our visit despite there being plenty of people staying at the nearby resort.
You can see Emily Miller South Beach just beyond the rocky outcrop that separates the two.
At low (and probably mid) tide you can walk across these rocks. For us at a couple of hours before high tide we could cross the rock platform but waves cut us off from descending to the beach.
If that happens to you there is a high tide route. Just climb up the rocky slope at the start of the rock platform and you’ll pick up the bush track.
After 40m you’ll see a sign for Dark Beach and you’re now back on the main path again.
To Emily Miller South Beach
The path begins gently descending and at the 1.3km mark you’ll see a beaten down (but not official) trail leading to the small cove known as Emily Miller South Beach.
It’s a bit rustic but you’ll reach the sand after just 150m. There is an official track down to the beach 400m further along the trail, but you have to climb a little uphill and then descend to the beach only to climb back uphill again. So we went for the easy option!
Emily Miller South Beach is small but pretty. I would say it’s more secluded than the main beach but given we saw no one on either, I guess that doesn’t really matter!
Both beaches were wavy on our visit so it’s hard to judge whether they would be good for swimming as we were there when the swell was up.
To Dark Beach
Once you’re back on the main track you’ll head briefly uphill before the path flattens and follows the coast, though the views are somewhat obscured.
The track then curves briefly inland before taking you back to the coast and you’ll find an unofficial viewpoint over Dark Beach at the 2.2km mark.
This is our favourite view along the track, offering a spectacular vista over the two coves that make up Dark Beach (separated by a small rock platform). One side is a golden sand beach and the other grey, part sand, part shingle.
The path heads downhill before rising again and then descending to Dark Beach 200m later, and the route is signposted.
The cliff wall at the far end of the beach is really impressive and I quite liked the dark sand, though Joe thought it was one of those beaches that looked better from above.
The water was a lovely clear blue and much less wavy than Emily Miller Beach, though there were a lot of rocks in the shallows, so you’d want to wade past those before swimming. It’s supposed to be a good spot for snorkelling too so we’ll have to try that next time!
Crossing over to the golden sand beach is easiest a few hours either side of low tide so that the waves are not crashing over the rocks you need to cross that separate the coves.
It may be possible simply to walk across the sand and not over the rocks at all during low tide, but as we were here close to high tide it’s hard to say for sure.
Onto Flat Rock Lookout
After leaving Dark Beach you will head uphill for 200m before reaching a car park and then following the sign for Myrtle Beach.
The next short section of track takes you through coastal forest and was one of the most beautiful bits of the walk in my opinion. Not everyone will agree as I know most people prefer coastal views, but the forest here is something special.
The spotted gums had a gnarled appearance and the branches seemed to reach for each other across the track. It reminded me a little of walking through the mossy forests of New Zealand, but with a distinctly Aussie twist. Alas it lasted a mere 300m but you get to walk it again on the way back so that was a treat.
At this point, 3km into the walk, you will reach a junction. Turning right will take you down to Myrtle Beach (signposted) and left will take you on a rustic unkempt track to Flat Rock Lookout. The trail has fallen into disrepair and though fairly easy to follow, it’s crisscrossed with fallen trees and debris much of the way.
The lookout is just 300m away, but in all honesty, it’s not that great.
To see it for yourself, when you reach the fork head left and you will come to an open view over a flat rock. The ocean vista is lovely of course, but I’m not sure it’s worth navigating the debris - or maybe I am just bitter as I split my trousers open on one of the logs here : )
Reaching Myrtle Beach
Once back on the main trail you’ll now follow the signposted path downhill on well maintained staircases to Myrtle Beach (100m away). Someone has scrawled ‘over the rocks’ onto the signpost and I was very curious as to what that might mean.
It didn’t take long to work out that it was directing you to the clothing optional portion of the beach. However, this is best accessed a few hours either side of low tide.
Mid tide may also be possible, but at high tide as it was for us, crossing the rock platform look pretty sketchy as it’s very exposed to the waves. Perhaps with very calm seas it would be less so.
Nevertheless there is plenty of beach to enjoy without crossing over to the other smaller cove anyway, so whatever tide you visit on you won’t be disappointed.
Heading back
When it comes to heading back you have a couple of options. Once you’re back at Myrtle Beach car park you can follow the road back which is the quickest option.
Alternatively, you can follow the bush track back for 1.2km until you reach the road again at which point you can finish up on the road and avoid the ups and downs of the section of the track between Dark Beach and Emily Miller South Beach.
You’re only walking for 900m along the road using this option so it’s the one we chose. Or you can simply use the bush track all the way back which is more scenic but a bit longer and hillier.
Parking for the Emily Miller, Dark and Myrtle Beach Circuit
The walk begins at the car park just before the start of the Old Coast Road in Murramarang National Park, you can see the exact location on Google maps here. It’s just under a 20 minute drive from Batemans Bay and 40 minutes from Ulladulla. There is a large car park so you shouldn’t have any trouble parking.
Technically the national park has an $8 entry fee, but we didn’t see any pay stations at this location (as we have an annual pass it didn’t matter, but if you don’t I am not sure how you would pay the fee!).
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Everything you need to know about the Emily Miller, Dark and Myrtle Beach Circuit walk which takes you to six gorgeous beaches in Murramarang National Park. We’re sharing difficulty, trail conditions and tips for the tides.