Itineraries
These itineraries are a guide to help you spend your time at Booderee National Park.
Half day #1 | Half day #2 | Full day | Full day adventure
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Half day itinerary #1 - all ages
Start: Visitors Centre
The Booderee Visitor Centre has enthusiastic staff ready to provide helpful information on things to do and see in the Park.
Drive from Visitors Centre to Murrays Beach Car Park (5 minutes)
Walk from the car park to Governor Head (20 minutes, 1.1km, Easy)
Governor Head will give you views over the headland and towards Bowen Island. During June-July and September-November (the whale migration season) you may be lucky enough to see a whale.
Walk from Governor Head to Murrays Beach (20 minutes, 1km, Easy)
This will give you a chance to cool off and relax on the beach. There is a large variety of marine life off Murrays Beach. This gives you a great opportunity to swim or snorkel and discover the diversity of marine life found in the waters of Booderee.
Drive from Murrays Beach to Green Patch (5 minutes)
- Green Patch has amenities and free BBQ's. A great place for a picnic!
- A five minute walk from the car park is Green Patch beach where you will enjoy scenic views over Jervis Bay.
- Green Patch is a great place to swim.
- There is a large variety of birdlife at Green Path including the rainbow lorikeet. (Please note however you are not permitted to feed the wildlife at the park).
- If you decide to stay a little longer a visit to the Booderee Botanic Gardens is well worthwhile.
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Half day itinerary #2 - all ages
Start: Visitors Centre
The Booderee Visitor Centre has enthusiastic staff ready to provide helpful information on things to do and see in the Park.
Drive from Visitors Centre to the Botanic Gardens Car Park (5 minutes)
Take a walk in the Botanic Gardens (45-60 minutes, 1.3km, Easy)
There are a number of marked paths which allow you to explore the gardens. The cultivated areas of the gardens provide a showcase of the beauty of Australian plants. Specialised displays feature botanically related plants, such as wattles and plants that grow in similar habitats such as rainforests. There are also walks which take you around Lake McKenzie, a natural freshwater lake within the Gardens.
Drive from the Botanic Gardens to Green Patch (5 minutes)
- Green Patch is a great place for a picnic with free BBQ's and amenities.
- Green patch beach is a fantastic place to swim and offers scenic views over Jervis Bay.
- There is a large variety of wildlife at Booderee National Park, including wallabies, marine life and birds such as the rainbow lorikeet. (Please note however you are not permitted to feed the wildlife at the park).
Take the loop walk from Green Patch to Bristol Point, returning to Green Patch (1 hour, Medium)
This walk is best attempted when the tide is low and can be accessed from the bottom of the Green Patch picnic area via a small bridge. The walk will take you to a small secluded beach and then through to Bristol Point.
You can then return to Green Patch by taking the walk through the blackbutt forest.
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Whole day itinerary #3 - all ages
Start: Visitors Centre
The Booderee Visitor Centre has enthusiastic staff ready to provide helpful information on things to do and see in the Park.
Drive from Visitors Centre to the Booderee Botanic Gardens (10 minutes)
Take a walk in the Botanic Gardens (45-60 minutes, 1.3km, Easy)
This easy walk will take you around the Botanical Gardens, showcasing the beauty of Australian plants.
On this short walk you can see the heart of the gardens' landscape - Lake McKenzie. You will pass by areas rich in ferns and the former site of the Bherwerre Farm. The walk will then take you across the lower lawn and into the delights of the rainforest boardwalk.
Drive from the Booderee Botanical Gardens to Green Patch (10 Minutes)
- Green Patch has amenities and free electric BBQ's. A great place for a picnic lunch!
- A five minute walk from the day car park is Green Patch beach where you can swim and enjoy scenic views over Jervis Bay.
- Green Patch is a great place for bird watching with Crimson Rosellas, Kookaburras, King Parrots and Wood Ducks all regular visitors.
- Paths allow kids to ride their bikes around the Green Patch park and down to the beach.
Drive from Green Patch to the Cape St George Lighthouse (15 minutes)
The Cape St George Lighthouse was built in 1860, however it was built in the wrong place. The light was not visible to ships and it led to 14 ships being shipwrecked in what is now known as 'Wreck Bay'.
A new lighthouse was built in 1889 at Point Perpendicular however the two light houses then caused confusion amongst ships travelling in the day time and so Cape St George Lighthouse was destroyed by the Australian Navy in 1922.
Many feel that the light house is cursed because of the ship wrecks it caused and the tragedy striking the families who lived there.
The Cape St George Lighthouse can be viewed from a platform, accessed by a short walking trail. This site also offers excellent views of the coastal cliffs to Bowen Island.
The lighthouse is also the best place for whale watching, with over 2000 Humpback and Southern Right Whales migrating north from June-July and returning on their way to the Antarctic waters from September-November.
Start: Visitors Centre
The Booderee Visitor Centre has enthusiastic staff ready to provide helpful information on things to do and see in the Park.
Drive from Visitors Centre to Steamers Beach Car Park (15 minutes)
Steamers Beach Walking Trail (3 hrs return, 4.6 km, Hard)
Steamers Beach is a magnificent, isolated beach flanked by high cliffs and backed by steep sand dunes thought to have been created there by a tsunami.
From Steamers Beach car park the trail takes you through tall eucalypt forest and tea tree towards the coast. Then finishes with a steep flight of stairs.
Drive from Steamers Beach to Iluka (15 minutes)
- Iluka is a great place for a picnic lunch with free BBQ's provided.
- Walk along the beach to Green Patch and discover the varied marine and bird life within Booderee National Park.
Drive from Iluka to Murrays Beach (5 minutes)
Murrays Beach offers visitors a variety of activities:
- Off the rock platform is a great place to snorkel and discover the large variety of marine life Booderee is home to.
- Murrays Beach pristine water and white sand offers a great place to swim or just relax.
- On suitable days the flat, clear water provides a safe place to kayak.
- Walk on to Governor's Head look-out for magnificent views and the chance of seeing a whale in the migration seasons.
- If you decide to stay a little longer a visit to the Booderee Botanic Gardens is well worthwhile.
