Surrounded by Water & Views
Not only is the West Head Lookout in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park an ideal place to experience magnificent water views, but it is also the start of a beautiful walk to the secluded Resolute beach. The bush track descends from the lookout to the beach, winding its way through tall gums, ferns and striking grass trees, past moss and lichen covered boulders and down stairs that have been carved into the natural rocks.
If you have time, the Waterfront Café at Church Point ferry wharf is an idyllic location for brunch or lunch… just 30 minutes drive away.
What to See & Do
1. West Head Lookout
Prepare to be impressed! The vantage point at West Head Lookout affords some of Sydney’s best water views across Pittwater and Broken Bay to Barrenjoey Headland, Palm Beach and the Central Coast. The lookout itself is a large sandstone viewing platform with benches and shady trees. During the week it is a perfect location for a picnic, however you might find the weekends a little busy.
Parking is available at the West Head lookout carpark, or at the Resolute Picnic area.
2. West Head Lookout to Resolute Beach
The West Head area of the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park offers a number of superb walks. We settled on a circular route from the Resolute Picnic Ground to the West Head Lookout (via the Red Hands Track ), then down to Resolute Beach and back. Good walking shoes are recommended as some of the tracks are quite rough and slippery.
Our first destination was the fabulous West Head Lookout. I would have been quite happy to end our walk there! However, there was much more walking to do to justify an indulgent lunch at the Waterfront Café (see below for details). From the southern side of the lookout, the bush track descends steeply to West Head and Resolute beaches. As you can see from the images above, there’s plenty of beautiful Aussie bush… and no shortage of stairs either… we loved it, although I’m not sure my legs did 🙁
We opted to bypass West Head beach and save our energy for the stairs to Resolute beach. What an intimate and charming beach… and beautifully secluded as well. We only had to share with a handful of bathers and a couple of small boats. The views from the beach across Pittwater to Palm Beach and Barrenjoey Lighthouse were also impressive.
After a recharge snack and drink it was time to head back. As expected, the track from the beach to the Resolute Picnic Ground was all uphill… only a few hundred stairs, not that I was counting! Fortunately the bush and views were a great distraction 🙂
3. Waterfront Café Church Point
I highly recommend brunch or lunch at the very delightful Waterfront Café, located at the Church Pt ferry wharf, just a 30 minute drive from West Head. You can easily justify the indulgence if you do the walk from West Head Lookout to Resolute beach, but hey, who needs justification 🙂 We had lunch before our walk, maybe a mistake!
This cheery space is overflowing with greenery, flowers and colourful old wares, surrounded by water and boats. The food is delicious and very generous portions.
After taking in the atmosphere for a while we got down to the serious business of choosing the food. We settled on the herb roasted pumpkin and ricotta pizza with a salad of fresh fig and gorgonzola to share. Fortunately we still had room for something a little sweet… we couldn’t resist having a couple of delicious tarts from the ‘dessert tray’.
Information West Head
Where: Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park-1 hour north of Sydney CBD
Website: West Head Lookout
Allow: 1/2 day
Getting there: Car
Also Visit: Other Northern Beaches Outings & Lower North Shore Outings
Map
Its a great spot! 🙂