Cabarita beach is one of our favourite family friendly spots to take the kids for a swim and an afternoon hangout. It’s picturesque with the surrounding area still forested. Often I do the walk with our youngest, the cheeky monkey in the corner of this photo. We start at the Cabarita Surf Club and walk along the track that takes us up to a section of forest I never knew existed. It then goes along the carpark which leads you to the kids playground and toilet block. From there we do the track to the headland. However you can also get down to the beach from this point.
From the Cabarita Headland carpark follow the track through the majestic pandanus trees that frame the walkway so beautifully. You can look out to the left and see the quaint sheltered beach between the trees before embarking the stairs to the lookout.
The stairs are an easy walk though they do get slippery in wet weather you will find you will be at the top in less than ten minutes if you dont stop to take in what is going on around you.
The headland has a large seat at the top that looks out to the ocean and is the perfect spot to catch your breath, after your climb. While you let your legs relax a moment cast your eyes out to the ocean to spot any whales (June-September). This is our go-to place to get our whale fix. I am not sure if it is because this was the first place I ever saw a whale swim by me, honestly, it brought a tear to my eye to witness a humpback throw itself out of the water to splash back down and only moments later to see a whale calf do the same.
There are often many birds flying about the headland like this brahminy kite.
At the lookout, you will be surprised at what is around you from wildlife to wild paper daises hiding amongst in the grass. I love that even though you are so close to a town it feels like you are a million miles away at the headland. It’s a special place and super easy to get to and take the kids.
HOW TO GET THERE
You have two options 1 – you can do the long walk from the surf club in Cabarita (it’s a 20min walk to the top with a 4 year old). When you drive through town follow the signs to the surf life-saving club and there is a carpark to the left. There is also a toilet block just below the surf club and a cafe for a milkshake on your return.
Option 2 – Park at the headland carpark just south of town, you will find on good surf days and weekends it will be chock-a-block with surfers. From here it is an easy 10min walk to the lookout. The headland park has a toilet, BBQs and a kid’s playground which is also an added bonus.
You can spend quite a lot of time here, from swimming at the beautifully sheltered beach to climbing the headland to the lookout to cooking up a feed while the kids go wild on the playground.
