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.
- 1
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.
- 2
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.
- 3
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.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
Walk this route with audio
Stories play automatically as you reach each stop — no tapping needed.
