Loves Bay via Kiama Blowholes

Loves Bay sits at the southern end of the mid section of the Kiama Coast Walk, and the route in from the Kiama Blowhole is one of the longest proper walks on this coast: 12.2 km return, call it two and a half to three hours at a moderate pace. The track strings together Surf Beach, Kendalls Beach, Easts Beach and the Little Blowhole before the bay comes into view, with open ocean on one side and dairy pasture on the other for nearly the whole distance.

Leash status

This stretch is on-lead from start to finish. Kiama Municipal Council requires dogs on the coastal path to stay leashed, and the rule has teeth behind it: parts of the route cross private farmland with livestock, and some of the cliff tops are sheer and unfenced. Off-leash areas do exist elsewhere on the wider Kiama Coast Walk, at Bombo Headland, Marsden Headland and Kaleula Head Reserve, but none of them fall on this Blowhole to Loves Bay section, so do not assume the lead can come off once you are a few beaches along. Beach access adds another wrinkle: some beaches along the way restrict dogs during peak usage hours, and patrolled beaches such as Surf Beach are off limits during patrol season from October to April. Signage rules, so read it before you drop down onto the sand.

Beyond the farm crossings and cliff edges, the walking itself is a mix of sealed path, grassy headland and short beach stretches, with little shade between the beaches. Sea eagles work the coastline here and whales pass close in season, which is as good a reason as any to stop regularly.

Water

Water stations and toilets appear at some of the beaches along the route, but not continuously. For a 12 km return you are carrying water for two regardless, so pack a bowl and top up when you find a tap.

Getting there and parking

Blowhole Point Road has a large free car park right at the northern trailhead, next to the Kiama Blowhole itself. Kiama train station on the South Coast line is a short walk away, which makes this one of the easier long coastal walks to do without a car. It is an out-and-back rather than a loop, so whatever distance you walk out, you walk back; some walkers arrange a pickup at the far end instead.

Max: On-lead the whole way and still one of my favourite long walks. Sea eagles overhead, whales on the horizon in season, and four separate beaches for a paddle break.

Make a day of it

If the full 12 km sounds like too much for one morning, the beaches near the Blowhole end make a shorter out-and-back on their own. Diggies Kiama is a solid stop for coffee before or after, and Surf Beach Holiday Park sits right on the route if you want to base yourselves nearby for a weekend of it.

When to go

Early morning on a cooler day is the pick: the light over the water is better, the Blowhole car park is quieter, and the midsummer sun on the exposed headlands is unforgiving. Migration season adds whales to the view, and a cool sea breeze does more work than any shade tree on this track.

Planning a longer run of coastal walks? Our guide to dog friendly trails in NSW covers the rest of the state, and you can pair this one with other walks around Kiama.