Walking Tracks
Capricorn Coast offers walking tracks with flora and fauna that will delight you and views that will take your breath away. Join us for a stroll today.
Discover Unlimited Beauty
Improve your fitness while you enjoy the sights but ensure you match the walk to your fitness and mobility.
Byfield National Park and Conservation Park
Most of the walks listed below are suitable for beginners but require a moderate to good level of fitness. Undefined tracks require walkers to have suitable navigation skills and experience. The northern peaks have no marked tracks but are popular for longer treks. Contact National Parks for important safety and walking advice if planning to visit remote areas.
From Banksia and Sandy Creek car parks
Banksia Robur Circuit (Grade: easy)
Distance: 2km return from Banksia car park
Time: Allow about 1hr walking time
Visit the swamplands and marvel at the contrast of hardy banksia leaves against tiny-leaved wet heaths and swamp ferns.
Sandy Creek Circuit (Grade: easy)
Distance: 2km return
Time: Allow about 1hr walking time
Take a short walk to experience a mosaic of microclimates and plant communities.
Creek to Coast (Grade: moderate to difficult)
Distance: 9km one way from Banksia car park
Time: Allow about 5hrs walking time
Traverse the diverse cross-section of Byfield’s coastal hinterland creek to coast (or vice versa).
From Five Rocks visitor area and Stockyard Point
Stockyard Point headland (Grade: easy)
Distance: 540m return from Stockyard Point
Time: Allow about 20mins walking time
From the top lookout enjoy uninterrupted coastal views to the north and south. Take a short stroll further along the headland to enjoy a more sheltered lookout to the Keppel Islands group. Please remember the top lookout is an emergency air evacuation point, do not block the road with your vehicle.
Little Five Rocks Beach (Grade: moderate)
Distance: 1km return from Five Rocks visitor area (access also from Findlays Creek car park)
Time: Allow about 1hr walking time
Passing Findlays Creek wetland and shady pandanus stands, follow a picturesque stepped track to vehicle-free Little Five Rocks Beach.
Little Five Rocks headland and beyond (Grade: moderate)
Distance: Undefined
Time: Allow 3–4hrs walking time return
From Little Five Rocks Beach track, continue 900m north along the beach at low tide to explore the headland and then Five Rocks Beach beyond. Check tide times before leaving.
Creek to Coast (Grade: moderate to difficult)
Distance: 9km one way from Five Rocks camping area
Time: Allow about 5hrs walking time
Traverse the diverse cross-section of Byfield’s coastal hinterland coast to creek.
From Nine Mile Beach
Freshwater Creek (Grade: easy)
Distance: 500m return (track entrance 400m south of Nine Mile Beach Access Track/Junction 19)
Time: Allow about 30mins walking time
Park at the mouth of Freshwater Creek and stroll 250m to picnic among shady she-oaks beside the creek—take a towel for a freshwater splash along the way.
Orange Bowl (Grade: moderate)
Distance: 1.45km return (track entrance 1.4km south of Nine Mile Beach Access Track/Junction 19)
Time: Allow about 1hr walking time
Stroll just 250m on a well-formed track through shady foredunes to the base of Orange Bowl sand blow. Continue another 475m across the exposed sand to enjoy panoramic views over Byfield’s coast and hinterland. Take a picnic to enjoy at any time of day but walk in the cool of the day.
Queen Mary (Grade: moderate)
Distance: 4km return (track entrance 9.9km south of Nine Mile Beach Access Track/Junction 19)
Time: Allow about 2hrs walking time
Explore Queen Mary sand blow, Byfield’s largest active sand blow on the southern end of Nine Mile Beach. The track is marked from the beach to the base of the sand blow only.
Stockyard Point Access Track (Grade: moderate)
Distance: 2.15km return from the northern end of Nine Mile beach (550m north of Nine Mile Beach Access Track/Junction 19)
Time: Allow about 1hr walking time
From the northern end of Nine Mile Beach climb Stockyard Point headland and walk to the eastern-most lookout for uninterrupted views north and south along the coast and out to the Keppel Islands group.
Water Park Point headland (Grade: difficult)
Distance: Undefined
Time: Allow about 4hrs walking time return
Navigate around Water Park Point headland at low tide to enjoy secluded beaches and views of Corio Bay. Only attempt this walk if you are fit and have navigation and rock-scrambling experience. Sturdy footwear with good grip is required. Leave at least 2hrs before low tide to ensure you have enough time to return safely.
From Sandy Point section
Fishing Creek (Grade: easy)
Distance: 800m return
Time: Allow about 20mins walking time
Take a short walk to Fishing Creek at low tide through mangroves and salt flats. A small sign marks the start of the walk.
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Byfield State Forest
Tracks through Byfield State Forest provide more extensive walking opportunities, but most are shared tracks through commercial pine plantations around Upper Stony, Red Rock and Water Park Creek. The coastal range has no marked tracks but is popular for longer treks.
Contact us for important safety and walking advice if planning to visit remote areas.
At Upper Stony
Venusta Circuit (Grade: easy)
Distance: 900m return from Upper Stony day-use area
Time: Allow about 20mins walking time
Stroll along the creek valley through pockets of Byfield grevillea, which flower in spring.
Stony Creek Circuit (Grade: moderate)
Distance: 4.3km return from Upper Stony day-use area or camping area
Time: Allow about 4hrs walking time
Wander beside picturesque Stony Creek through eucalypt forest and mature exotic pines with heath understorey. Enjoy a quick dip in Stony Creek at Freemans Crossing to cool off. Logging operations may close this track at any time; check the HQPlantations Pty Ltd website for information.
At Water Park Creek
Bowenia Rainforest Circuit (Grade: easy)
Distance: 1.2km return from Water Park Creek day-use area
Time: Allow about 30mins walking time
Catch glimpses of Water Park Creek through small openings in tall turpentine forest and enjoy the cool rainforest that features the ancient fern-like cycad, Bowenia Serrulata (Byfield fern).
Walks Closer to Town
Capricorn National Park
Double Head and Bluff Point sections feature formed walking tracks through sunny grasslands and shady forests to coastal lookouts. You may also walk through Cocoanut Point and Rosslyn Head sections, however, there are no formal walking tracks provided.
Fan Rock and Rosslyn Bay lookouts (Grade: Moderate)
Distance: 700 m return
Time: 40 minutes
Details: At Double Head, this steep sealed track takes you through shady vine thickets and sunny grasslands and features two scenic lookouts—Fan Rock and Rosslyn Bay. Enjoy views to the Keppel Bay islands and other volcanic plugs south along the coast from Fan Rock and spectacular views north to Yeppoon and the Byfield Ranges from Rosslyn Bay Lookout.
Bluff Point Circuit (Grade: Moderate)
Distance: 2.3 km return
Time: 1.5 hours
Details: At Bluff Point, enjoy panoramic views of the Capricorn coastline and the Keppel Bay islands on the 2.3km circuit track. Take a steep 600 m climb to Turtle Lookout to admire the flooded hilltops of the Keppel Bay islands and spot turtles swimming in the water beneath you. Continue a short distance to Ritamada Outlook for views along the coast and return the way you came or continue along the track through open grasslands with views of the hinterland, and dense dry rainforest to complete the 2.3 km circuit.
Bluff Point section, at the southern end of Kemp Beach, is a popular picnic spot with superb coastal scenery. It features a range of coastal vegetation from mangroves and heathlands to open eucalypt forests and tussock grasslands and is the largest trachyte plug on the Capricorn Coast. Take a picnic with you to enjoy at lookouts at Bluff Point, or enjoy a barbecue at the picnic facilities—toilets and automatic barbecues are provided just a short walk from the car park. Alternatively, pack a picnic lunch to enjoy on one of the beaches nearby.
Yeppoon
Pineapple Rail Trail
A popular track for walkers, joggers, cyclists and families, the Capricorn Coast Pineapple Rail Trail takes visitors through picturesque bushlands and urban landscape. A recreational attraction and pedestrian/cycleway link, the asphalt path stretches four and a half kilometres from the Yeppoon town centre through bushland to the golf course and Club Estate. The railway line was constructed in 1909 and originally stretched 53 kilometres between Yeppoon and Rockhampton. The track was closed down in 2006 when it is main loading of pineapples moved to road transport. The new Capricorn Coast Pineapple Rail Trail was opened in 2014.