Waratah Bay: Beach and Coastal Park

Before looking for a hotel in Waratah Bay, it is worth deciding what to focus on during your stay: the beach, coastal park, bushfire track or water activities. That way, you can take the conditions that matter for your plans into account from the outset.

Beach and Cape Liptrap Coastal Park

Waratah Bay is a tourist access point for the beach and Cape Liptrap Coastal Park. The park stretches along the coast to the protected waters of Waratah Bay. The bay has a 15 km-long, flat and wide beach. This gives you two options for shaping your trip: a beach-focused stay or access to the coastal park. Whether you prioritise the beach or the park depends on which of these coastal settings you want to make the focus of your stay.

Swimming and sand sailing on the beach

Swimming is one of the activities in Waratah Bay. The long, flat sandy beaches are also used for sand sailing. This gives you two different ways to enjoy the beach: spending time in the water or doing an activity on the sand. Check current local conditions and applicable permissions before planning to go sand sailing.

The beach can be reached from the car parks via very short bush and sand paths. There are toilets and picnic facilities along the foreshore. If these are important to your plans, check the latest information before your visit. The short paths to the beach and the foreshore facilities address different aspects of your stay.

Finding your way along the bushfire track

A bushfire track starts at the northern end of Brown Street in Waratah Bay. There is a causeway along the track, 300 metres from the starting point. This distance gives you a specific landmark for finding your way along the track. Check both access and the condition of the track on site before including it in your plans. The 15 kilometres refers to the length of the beach; the 300 metres, by contrast, is the distance from the start of the bushfire track to the causeway.

Launching a boat and deep-sea fishing

Boats can be launched from the beach when the waves are low. As this option depends on beach and sea conditions, which can change, check the situation on site before planning to launch a boat. For deep-sea fishing, you can prepare bait at Waratah Bay Caravan Park. Check bait availability separately. The two activities have different requirements: waves matter when launching a boat, while preparing to fish requires bait.

Discover more destinations: Melbourne, Gipsy Point, Portsea, Chelsea, Kyneton, Neerim, Daylesford, Nichols Point

For the main travel overview: Victoria.