Getting there:

From Evans Head, cross the bridge and turn left into Ocean Drive and follow it to the very end, where there is room to park and provides access to the trail. On the way in, stop at the Razorback Lookout on Ocean Drive, as there are a number of interpretive notice boards at the far end of its car park that will give you a history lesson of the area you will be walking.

Maps:

Dirawong Reserve Walking Tracks

Route/Trail notes:

The pathway from Ocean Drive goes along the side of the houses, before entering the scrub proper. From here, you can see your objective Snapper Point to the right and beyond that the wash of Evans North Reef. The sandy path goes up over the hill and by taking the first track to the left on the far side, you will descend down a gully onto Joggly Point

Take the coastal path to the right, down to Pebble and Small Beach before climbing over Red Hill and down to Chinaman Beach. At high tide, you cannot cross the rock to New Zealand Beach, but at the end of Chinaman, there is a pathway up through the pandanus that will drop you back down mid way along New Zealand. From here continue to the pathways/rock hops up onto Snapper Point.

You cannot continue beyond here, as this is the RAAF bombing range!

Return by the same route, or at the north end of Chinaman, take the path straight ahead (not the one to the left) and this will take you up through the scrub till you hit the track near the start.

Permits/Costs:

None.

Other References/Comments:

The area is crisscrossed with paths, some taking you to fishing rock platforms, most of which are pretty dangerous places. Don’t forget to take your swimmers with you. The two headlands are made up of 250m year old bedrock, with Snapper displaying an array of fascinating colours on the rock face.