South Durras: Durras Lake, Coast and Trails

Explore South Durras through its varied landscapes and activities: Durras Lake, a coastal paddling route and walking trails. Durras Lake is a lake and an estuary; its connection to the sea is open at some times and closed at others. It is located in Murramarang National Park. When planning your stay, it’s not just the body of water itself that’s worth considering, but also whether you’d like to focus on an activity on the lake, along the coast or on land. If you’re looking for a hotel in South Durras, these differences can be a starting point for planning your trip.

Durras Lake and the coastal landscape

The estuary of Durras Lake is home to extensive coastal salt marshes, which form a threatened ecological community. So, as well as its changing connection to the sea, the salt marshes are a defining feature of the lake. These two features complement each other without describing the same thing: one concerns the connection to the sea, while the other relates to the ecological character of the estuary.

Paddling: a circuit of the lake or a coastal route

Flatwater paddling is possible on Durras Lake, and a circuit can cover up to 15 km. This is different from the 17 km lake paddling route from South Durras to Batemans Bay. It follows a calm coast with small beaches and rugged headlands in Murramarang National Park. The circuit of the lake and the coastal route differ not only in length but also in their courses: one goes around the lake, while the other follows the coast, with Batemans Bay as its named destination. This comparison can help you sort the paddling options by the kind of route you’re looking for.

Walking trails by length and route

The walking trails also differ in length and layout. The Durras Lake Discovery trail is a 1.5 km loop in Murramarang National Park. The Maloneys Beach to South Durras walking track is 16 km long, runs one way and ends in South Durras. A short loop and a much longer one-way route ending in South Durras address different planning needs: would you like to include a circuit or a longer one-way walk in your trip? The route layout is therefore just as important to compare as the distance.

The Wasp Head walk passes through historic Aboriginal sites in the area, giving it a different focus from trails described by their length and route over water. When choosing activities, you can also consider this historical connection as a focus in its own right, alongside the landscape and route layout.

Getting your bearings at Cookies Beach

Cookies Beach in South Durras has a BBQ and picnic area, as well as toilets. The lake paddling route to Batemans Bay starts at the boat ramp at Cookies Beach on Banyandah Street. This means you can take both the specific starting point and the facilities mentioned there into account when planning this outing.

Discover more destinations: Mannering Park, Ewingsdale, Parkes, Exeter, Carrathool, Tuggerah, Nyrang Creek, Rydal

For the broader travel overview: New South Wales.