Wallagoot Gap is stunning, a golden sand cove surrounded by craggy gorge walls that make it one of the most picturesque beaches on the South Coast. The narrow gorge walls are not just beautiful to look at but also act as a barrier to the larger waves beyond creating a sheltered area for swimming.
And it’s hard to resist a dip in that gorgeous blue water. The walk to reach it is short and easy but that does mean that it can get busy in the warmer months, so if you’re looking for some seclusion you’ll probably want to come early or late in the day.
Various walking tracks branch off from Wallagoot Gap if you’re looking to spend more time in the national park.
The walk to Wallagoot Gap
The stats
Distance: 540m return
Elevation gain: 10m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Turingal Head Picnic Area
Summary: As you can see from the stats, there’s not much of a walk involved to reach Wallagoot Gap and the track is very well maintained. You do need to be able to walk down the staircase to reach the beach, but that aside it’s suitable for everyone.
Various walking trails branch off from the gap and we walked to Games Bay, which was also an easy track that we will detail in the notes below.
The walk to Wallagoot Gap
From the Turingal Head Picnic Area car park (full parking details at the end of the post) you’ll head onto the signposted gravel path and follow it ever so slightly uphill, with the pretty Wallgoot Lake to your right.
After 250m you will reach the top of the wooden staircase leading down to the gap.
After walking down the short staircase you will arrive at the beautiful little beach. If you don’t want to do the stairs there is a bench seat at the top which offers a lovely view of the gap.
All up it’s around a five minute walk which seems almost too good to be true for such a gorgeous spot.
Swimming at Wallagoot Gap
Wallagoot Gap really is a picture perfect cove, it’s a small golden sand beach with stunning blue water and those fantastic high gorge walls. There’s a small channel of water running between the walls and you can see a sliver of the wider ocean beyond. It’s utterly charming and it’s easy to see why it’s become a bit of a social media darling.
No matter what tide you visit on there will still be some beach to enjoy at the gap, but there’s a lot more sand at low tide. Personally I wanted to swim and for that you want to visit a couple of hours either side of high tide to give you more space and deeper water.
Entering the water is easy as you just walk in off the sandy beach and then the water deepens quickly. There are a couple of rocks to be mindful of when swimming, but there’s still plenty of room to avoid them and they are nearer the beach, so it’s more about making sure the water is calm enough that it never knocks you back into them.
I loved swimming alongside the gorge wall but due to the moderate swell stopped short of the gap itself which was very wavy and had a noticeably stronger current.
Outside of that area the waves were big enough to be fun without spoiling the swimming experience. I couldn’t believe I got the pool to myself on the ANZAC public holiday weekend, although I wasn’t totally alone, there were plenty of little fish to keep me company!
It’s a glorious swimming spot and I was really happy to have been able to go at high tide to really make the most of it.
The effect of the tide and swell
As mentioned, for swimming you ideally want to visit a couple of hours either side of high tide. If you want maximum beach space then low tide is best.
In terms of the swell, it’s not as affected by waves as most rockpools are, but if the swell is above a slight then you are going to get more waves inside the swimming area. We visited on a moderate swell (but at the lower end of moderate, 1.4m) and it was wavy at times but fine for swimming. A slight swell is going to be best if you’re after nice calm water.
For us with a moderate swell there was some current and that increased the closer you got to the channel between the walls.
It was never strong enough to be an issue for me swimming, but it’s something to be mindful of as you enter the water, especially if you’re coming when the swell is not slight. I haven’t seen the waves above a 1.4m swell, but I don’t think I would want to try much higher than that personally speaking.
You can see the tide and swell forecast here.
Walking beyond Wallagoot Gap
There are many walks you can do which lead from the top of the stairs at Wallagoot Gap, you can see the options in the photo below.
We’d love to do them all at some point but this time we opted for Games Bay. Now I would say that Games Bay is nice but not special - that feels a bit harsh to say but if your time is short you may want to opt for a different track. Heading to Games Bay you are unlikely to see another soul and the walk is pretty easy, but by the Far South Coast standards, the walk is only ok.
With that said, here’s what to expect.
The Wallgoot Gap to Games Bay Walk
The stats
Distance: 6.1km return (5.5km return from Wallagoot Gap)
Elevation gain: 175m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Turingal Head Picnic Area
Summary: Continuing on from Wallagoot Gap is on a dirt track with some rocks and tree roots here and there. There are also some sections of stairs and gentle inclines, but by and large the walk is pretty flat.
The trail
You follow the track to Wallagoot Gap but at the top of the stairs, take the trail on the left, Games Bay is signposted.
The dirt path will take you gently uphill through what feels a bit like a dead forest, essentially it’s trees with twisty gnarled branches and no leaves.
I rather enjoy this kind of scenery but it’s perhaps not going to be everyone’s favourite. You can usually hear the rolling waves but can rarely see them.
After around 400m you enter what I like to call dense coastal scrub, I’m not sure of the correct term but you probably get the drift. The path flattens and then ever so gently undulates.
At the 1.2km mark there’s a wooden pole and a social trail leading right. We followed this path downhill for 100m and it comes out to a sort of sea canyon and minor arch. However, before you get too excited, the trees and angling of the ‘path’ doesn’t allow you to see much.
There are also trees to climb over and a small amount of loose soil so take care if you go and I think some people will not consider it worth it given the obscured views.
Back on the main trail and it’s basically now flat until you reach the final little descent into Games Bay, just over 1.6km away from that first wooden pole (there are more after that but we didn’t follow any further side tracks).
You’ll arrive at Games Bay just over 3km after leaving the parking area.
Games Bay
Games Bay is a rock strewn beach with no sand at all. The water is clear but it’s rocky inside the water too so I decided against a dip. I might have gone in with water shoes but I didn’t fancy shuffling along the rocks, especially after such a great sandy swim at Wallagoot Gap.
It’s the kind of place that you’d be surprised to bump into another soul and the rock platform makes for a nice spot for a picnic. It was peaceful to sit and watch the sea eagles soar overhead and appreciate the quiet solitude. I enjoyed our visit but it’s not somewhere I’d recommend to everyone, especially if you’re short on time in the area.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Please remember to wear reef safe sunscreen to protect the marine life inside the pool.
Getting to Wallgoot Gap/Games Bay
The closest car park to Wallagoot Gap (and Games Bay) is the Turingal Picnic Area car park in Bournda National Park, you can see the exact location on Google maps here. The last 3km is along an unsealed gravel road, but at time of writing it is well graded and in good condition, making it accessible with a 2WD.
It’s located around a 15 minute drive from Tathra, 25 minutes from Merimbula and 35 minutes from Eden on the NSW Far South Coast.
There is a long drop toilet at the car park. Please remember to pack out all your rubbish with you.
An $8 daily vehicle entry fee applies if you don’t have an NSW National Parks Pass.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, that we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support.
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.