Photo 1/26 - Top Section - McBrides Beach Track, Booti Booti National Park, Cape Hawke, Forster, NSW

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### The 25 images to follow commence with this one about 100m down the track from the lower Cape Hawke carpark. You almost need a 4x4 vehicle to actually get into the quite large parking area. There are 25 images in total showing the track at the top, middle and bottom sections.

It is also worth noting that images of roads like this one can be deceiving as the the image does not reliably show the true depth of some of the ruts or the true height of some of the boulders on the track.

McBrides Beach, at Cape Hawke, Forster, NSW minus 4X4 vehicles could be an idyllic beach at the base of Cape Hawke nestled in Booti Booti National Park in subtropical and littoral rainforest.
Access to the beach is by driving or walking about 1 kilometre down a deeply rutted eroded and rocky in places 4 wheel drive track which even experienced four wheel drivers attempt with some degree of trepidation.
While the track, as of August 2013, is currently open it is recommended that the 4 wheel drive vehicle have at minimum 30cm of ground clearance and should not be attempted without carrying a good winch. Travelling in the company of another support vehicle would also be a good idea.
With some huge boulders, deeply rutted sections and some very sharp drop-offs to negotiate not to mention a water hazard about half way down, the trip is not recommended for inexperienced drivers. Many drivers do suffer damage to their vehicles on this track.
If you can make it onto the beach that is an achievement but you still have to get back up the track, which could be even more challenging than the trip down.
A small heavily littered camp area is found up in the southern corner of the beach but sadly the camp area and indeed the beach are in a disgraceful state and about as far from natural as one could get.
The whole beach is littered with 4X4 tracks, with almost no part free of them.
Beer bottles are everywhere littering the edges of the rainforest and the road down the hill. Perhaps worst of all, a huge painted graffiti tag on the rocks on the northern end of the beach dominates the view.
Why National Parks have not removed this ugly graffiti and why the beach has not been closed to 4X4 vehicles is perhaps hard to fathom given the evident disrespect shown by probably a small few who use this place. Without a more responsible attitude on the part of users of this beach the days of 4X4 access here could well be justifiably numbered.
There are no signs at the top carpark warning of the condition of the road or informing of penalties for littering/vandalism and there are no signs or garbage bins down at the beach.

NOTE : The photos here on Flickr may be arranged from the beach to the top or the reverse depending on where you start viewing.

*** I have only posted 26 images to Flickr. See all 59 images in order from the top down to the beach HERE

Taken in: Australia / New South Wales / Pipers Bay (show map)

Taken on: August 22, 2013

Tags:

Photo 1

Section 1

McBrides Beach

Booti Booti National Park

Cape Hawke

Forster

NSW

Great Lakes

4x4

4x4 track

4 wheel drive track

rough track

Off Road Vehicle Track

Mid North Coast

Australia

Barrington Coast « less

Sets appears in: • Barrington Coast - Album 1 • Album 1 of 4 - Mid North Coast - NSW, Australia more » • McBrides Beach Track « less

Groups appears in: • Beautiful Great Lakes, Manning & Gloucester Regions of NSW

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