Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay walking track

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Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay

Bushwalking track notes, photographs, maps and more for Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay are found in each of the tabs below

Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay

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Time:	2 hrs Walking time Includes the time for the return leg Please allow extra time to rest and to explore	6.2 km SE of Eden
Length:	4.9 km Walk Length As this is a return style walk, the 4.9 km includes the return leg of this walk (ie back to the start)	Ben Boyd National Park
Climb:	170 m Total Climbing This walk has a total cumulative climb of 170 m, this is the total of the elevation gains made in each of the walks uphill sections
Style:	Return

Starting near Boyd Tower, this walk follows the Light to Light walk to a bay with a fine red gravel beach. The walk passes scenic views of Boyd Tower, through the scrub, as it continues past awesome examples of geological rock folding in the cliffs of the bays. Red Sands bay itself is something quite different with its large grain red sand/gravel mixed with smooth round white pebbles and other rocks. The contrast in colours with the ocean and a blue sky is quite something. (open in app)

Today's Fire rating
LOW MODERATE (No fire ban)

Bushwalking track notes photographs, maps and camping spots for Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay

Map of Walk

Location

Sponsor of Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay bushwalking tracknotes

Map of Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay
Problem loading PDF Try here
Map Controls - Show Contours | Hide Path | Hide Distances | Hide Names
Map Scale

1 km

Base maps are used under licence and is © Department of lands Panorama Avenue Bathurst 2795 www.lands.nsw.gov.au

Maps that cover the walk area (please always carry maps of the area)

Print a map and track notes here

Eden

1:25 000 Map Series

NSW-88231N

Eden

1:100 000 Map Series

8823

Photo Gallery




	Coast Walk at Boyd Tower car park +




	Information sign near Boyd Tower car park +




	View through the trees +




	Light to Light walk through the bush +




	One of many track markers bolted to trees +




	Leaf litter beside track +




	Light to Light track +




	One of many fallen trees across the track +




	Boyd Tower from the Light to Light walk +




	Island below Light to Light walk +




	Birds sunning on island +




	Light to Light walk looking through the trees +




	White post marking the track +




	Dipodium punctatum (Hyacinth orchid) +




	Rock folds in bay wall +




	Red sands bay +




	Pool in red sands bay +




	Red rock in the bay +




	Tree at home in the cracks of red sand bay +




	Red sands bay +




	Arrow marker in red sands bay +

Terrain

Please note: This is a 'return' style walk and therefore these graphs only show the terrain for the first half of the walk (until the turn around point.)

Cross sectional view of the Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay bushwalking track

Cross Section of the Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay bushwalking track

Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay bushwalking track

Summary of the gradients over the the lenght of the Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay bushwalking track

Overview of this walks Grading - Based on the AS 2156.1 - 2001
These details are new. This new feature still requires more testing and refining. Please use the 'Walker Feedback' for report specific issues. Please e-mail Matt if you have any general comments. Hope you find it helpful.

Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.

		Length	4.9km
		Time	2 hrs
		.
Grade 4/6 Track: Hard	AS 2156.1	Gradient	Short steep hills (3/6)
		Quality of track	Rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely (4/6)
		Signs	Directional signs along the way (3/6)
		Experience Required	No experience required (1/6)
		Weather	Storms may impact on navigation and safety (3/6)
		Infrastructure	Limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged) (4/6)

*This summary of grading information is new and still in testing

Some more detail of this walks Grading
Here is a bit more details explaining the grading looking at sections of the walk.
Gradient
This whole walk, 2.4km has short steep hills.

Quality of track
Around 1.3km of this walk follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles, whilst the remaining 1.1km follows a rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely.

Signs
Around 1.3km of this walk is clearly signposted, whilst the remaining 1.1km has directional signs at most intersection.

Experience Required
This whole walk, 2.4km requires no previous bushwalking experience.

Weather
Around 1.3km of this walk is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation), whilst the remaining 1.1km is affected by storms that may impact your navigation and safety.

Infrastructure
Around 1.3km of this walk has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced), whilst the remaining 1.1km has limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged).

Track Notes

Since this is a 'return' style walk once you have had enough of the walk, turn around and retrace your steps back to the start.

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Drive to Ben Boyd Car park information sign
Drive to Ben Boyd Car park information sign
A park entry fee is required for driving into the park. You can drive or ride to the start of this walk Use these links to plan your trip to the start of this walk. Plan your trip from --> Castle Hill\|Chatswood\|Dural\|Epping\|Gosford\|Hornsby\|Katoomba\|Manly\|Parramatta\|Penrith\|Strathfield\|Sutherland\|Sydney\|

(0 km) Ben Boyd car park to Boyd Tower Intersection Optional sidetrip: Path: Easy - Wheelchair accessible - footpath	Length = 282 m	Time = 5 mins
	Climb = 0 m	Descent = -15 m
Turn sharp left: From the car park, this walk follows 'Boyd Tower 300m' arrow^[1] along the asphalt footpath, between the timber bollards^[2][fac=8231] to pass the information sign^[3]^[4] (and parking pay station, on the left). The path leads gently downhill for 45m to pass a 'Welcome to Ben Boyd NP and Boyd's Tower' information sign^[5][fac=8232] then the path meanders for 150m through the melaleuca forest to find a seat[fac=8233] and the 'Gambling on the Future'^[6] & 'Boyd's Folly?'^[7] information signs. Just 35m further along the path you pass another seat[fac=8234] with pleasant coastline view^[8]. From here the path starts to lead gently uphill for 50m to come to a clear 3-way intersection^[9] (with a timber path and Boyd Tower on the left). (Retrace your steps back to the main track, then turn left to continue along this walk.)

Boyds Tower	Alt = 21 m
Boyds Tower
Boyds Tower^[10] was commissioned by Benjamin Boyd ^[11] and originally designed to be a lighthouse. After the Government rejected the proposal of the private lighthouse, Boyd changed tact and built the Sydney sandstone tower for whale spotting. The tower gave his whaling ships a strong advantage over other whalers in the area. ^[12] Built in 1847, Boyds Tower is a large sandstone tower on the southern head of Twofold Bay in Ben Boyd National Park. The top of the tower bears the BOYD title, and boast several viewing points. The ground floor of the tower is open to the public and is well worth exploring. Boyd was declared bankrupt soon after completing the tower and left Australia for the Californian goldfields. Boyd died in the Solomon Islands in 1851 whilst hunting game. "Ben Boyd's Tower is watching - Watching o'er the sea Ben Boyd's Tower is waiting For her and me." Henry Lawson (1910) The bottom floor of the tower is open to the public via a 1.2m wide sandstone door frame^[13].

(0 km) Ben Boyd Car park information sign to Red sands bay Track: Hard - bushtrack	Length = 2.44 km	Time = 48 mins
	Climb = 71 m	Descent = -99 m
From the information sign, the walk heads down the hill, following the low posts away from the information sign, to a signposted intersection on the left. From the intersection, the track follows the sign for 'Coastal Walk' down the hill away from the car park. The track soon passes an information sign on the right before tending right, down the hill to be above the coastline. The walk then continues with the coast on your left, down stairs into a gully and back out. The track winds and undulates for some time, leading away from the coast. The track then continues back towards the coast, to a view of the tower on your left and a rock island below in the sea. Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk heads along the track, keeping the the coast to the left. The track soon leads out of the heath and winds along the hillside, tending away from the coast (which disappears below the trees on the left). The walk then winds down into a gully with access to the rocks (below on your left). Rising up and out of the gully, the track winds across the hillside and then down into a rocky bay with an arrow marker. The walk continues across the red flat rock at the back of the bay, coming to the arrow marker^[14] pointing inland, in the middle of the bay.

Red sands bay	Alt = 7 m
Red sands bay
Red sands bay (not officially named) is a north-facing bay between Boyd Tower and Leather Jacket Bay in Ben Boyd National Park. The rocky bay is accessed via the Light to Light walk. The beach in this bay is made up of small boulders and a fine red gravel. Most of the red gravel is on the western side of the bay. The gravel is made from the sea smashing the red siltstone into small pieces. The red sands/gravel of this bay makes for a fantastic contrast on sunny days.

Drive from Ben Boyd Car park information sign
Drive from Ben Boyd Car park information sign
A park entry fee is required for driving into the park. You can drive or ride from the end of this walk Use these links to plan your trip from the end of this walk. Plan your trip to --> Castle Hill\|Chatswood\|Dural\|Epping\|Gosford\|Hornsby\|Katoomba\|Manly\|Parramatta\|Penrith\|Strathfield\|Sutherland\|Sydney\|

Getting there

Plan your trip to the start of the walk and back from the end of the walk

Public Transport links currently not working, sorry

Driving Directions

	To the start of the walk Drive from:		From the end of the walk Drive to:

Near by

Campsites in the park
Bittangabee campground
Saltwater Creek campground

Nearest know Outdoor Stores near the start of this walk

Store	Address	Phone	Distance (straight line)
Gas Connection The	Arthur Kaine Drv, Pambula	(02) 6495 7121	20.7 km
Camping Plus	6 Alice St , Merimbula	(02) 6495 2571	24.4 km
Barbeques Galore (Bega)	274 Carp St , Bega	(02) 6492 4054	48.9 km
Camping Outdoors Centre	43 Vulcan St , Moruya	(02) 4474 3081	133.6 km
Gone Fishin	Cnr Ford & Queen Sts, Moruya	(02) 4474 4381	133.4 km

A list of the nearest UHF CB repeaters I found to Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay.

Channel	Call sign (more info)	Site	Distance and dir from Boyd Tower to Red sands Bay Click to re-center search
2	EDN02	PJ OBrien / Optus site BIMMIL HILL	12 km (to the NNW)
3	MER03	CB Repeater Site Hill 217 5 km NNE of WYNDHAM	38 km (to the NW)
4	MCA04	DCNR / Ambulance Site MARAMINGO HILL	49 km (to the SW)
5	VKE5	Broadcast Site EMERALD HILL Emergency use only	85 km (to the NW)
7	PKA07	Wandella Trig PEAK ALONE	90 km (to the N)

Weather and Park info

Fire Danger
This walk passes Far South Coast fire area which currently has a LOW MODERATE rating and No fire ban in place.
(Tomorrow the Fire Danger Rating is LOW MODERATE, No fire ban.) (Downloaded 7 years ago)
Please Note: Each park may have its own fire ban, this rating is only valid for today and is based on information from the RFS Please check the RFS Website for more information.

Weather and Climate
Weather and Climate summary detailed weather and climate information here

°C (feels like °)

km/h from the

% humidity (as at )

A graph displaying the average daily temperature range for the year

Ben Boyd National Park Link to official closures and fire bans page
Ben Boyd National park is on the NSW South Coast, near Eden. The park was named and established in 1971, in the honour of Benjamin Boyd (1801-1851). Ben Boyd National park protects a wonderful section of coast line from Pambula to Green Cape, split into two distinct sections, one north of Eden and the other south. The park is well known for its contrasting red rocks, whale sighting, Boyd Tower, Green Cape Lighthouse and associated history. Ben Boyd National park offers some great insights into recent European history, Indigenous occupation and natural history. The park provides two campsites some other great recreational experiences.
Region: South Coast & Highlands
Park fees Camping Facilities I am not aware of any closures in this park at the moment.

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not too much longer now :)