Wednesday 23 July 2025
Photos courtesy of Peter and Max. Walk report courtesy Walk leader Peter.
On a recent Wednesday, ten Batemans Bay Bushwalkers set off to circumnavigate Quandolo Island at Moruya South Heads.
They departed at the leisurely hour of 11 a.m.—a time purposely chosen to avoid the chill of a mid-winter morning, to ensure they finished in time for a relaxed lunch at the Shelly Beach picnic area, and to coincide with low tide, allowing the walk around the island to be a “walk,” not a “wade”.
The walk, an easy 5–6 km, offered a little bit of everything. It began with a short but steep scramble up a hill, followed by a wander across to the national park track leading to Toragy Point. Along the way, they passed the skeletal remains of a wallaby, which a local dog also seemed to find interesting.
The track to Toragy Point followed the cliffside, offering stunning views of the ocean—brilliantly blue in the morning sunshine. There, the group inspected the historical cemetery, now enclosed by a new perimeter fence. According to the Moruya & District Historical Society, the first recorded burial is of a three-month-old baby girl in 1858; the last, an adult man of Norwegian descent who died of heart complications in 1909. Moruya Heads’ first pilot master, Captain John Ross, and Moruya granite quarry founders John and Joseph Loutitt also rest here.
The group paused patiently, hoping to spot a passing whale—but it wasn’t to be. However, the seals were, as always, frolicking on their rock in the surf. From there, the path led downhill before briefly diverting into the scrub for a look at the old pilot station, now a meteorological station (according to its marking on the map). Then it was onward to the main attraction: the walk around Quandolo Island. The group zigzagged through mangroves and mudflats at low tide, skillfully hopping over and through obstacles—old weathered logs, spiderwebs, and the occasional light blue soldier crab scurrying ahead. They finally emerged into the sunshine at Quandolo Lagoon.
At this point, the leader (inadvertently) chose not to turn left to follow the shoreline around the lagoon. Instead, the group forged ahead, only to encounter a narrow channel of water where the lagoon had not yet fully receded with the tide. Never one to admit an error, the leader marched the crew through the water—resulting in wet feet all around. He assured them it was all part of the experience.
From there, the group skirted alongside the impressive granite rock wall of the river, onto the river beaches, and finally to Shelly Beach. Lunch was enjoyed with a few cheeky magpies, in the warmth of the winter sunshine at the picnic tables and on the manicured lawn, before heading up the hill to the cars and home.
Thank you to all who attended— a lovely walk on a lovely day.