Lake Cathie & Bonny Hills Beach Walk
Drive south of Port Macquarie to Lake Cathie — a tidal lake that intermittently breaks through to the sea — and Bonny Hills for a walk through coastal heath and pristine beach.
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Lake Cathie Entry Point
Lake Cathie (pronounced 'cat-eye') is a coastal lagoon that naturally breaks through to the sea at irregular intervals — when the lake level rises, the sand bar is breached and the tidal interchange begins.
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Lake Cathie Shoreline Walk
The lake shoreline walk provides excellent birdwatching — the mix of freshwater and saltwater habitats supports an exceptional diversity of wading birds, herons, and diving ducks throughout the year.
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Bonny Hills Beach
Bonny Hills Beach is one of the mid-north coast's most beautiful — a long crescent of white sand between rocky headlands, largely free of development and backed by coastal heath in full flower in spring.
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North Brother Mountain
North Brother Mountain rises 483 metres from the coastal plain — the summit track through eucalyptus forest provides panoramic views of the coast from Port Macquarie to the Manning River.
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Rainbow Beach Headland
The headland between Bonny Hills and Rainbow Beach gives views north to Port Macquarie — the changing sandstone colours in the cliff face gave Rainbow Beach its name, the layers showing millions of years of deposition.
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Grants Beach Walk
Grants Beach south of Lake Cathie is the quietest beach on this stretch of coast — accessible only on foot, the beach has no infrastructure and provides an experience of the coast as it was before tourism.