Caloundra Headland Walk

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Walk or Cycle from Bulcock Beach to Moffat Beach

The Caloundra Headland is famous for its great selection of beaches, as well as various headlands, cliffs and rocks. There is also a pleasant 4.5 km walk along cliffs, headlands, beaches and parks. On the walk, you can divert down to explore beaches, and both ends of the walk connect to other sections of the Sunshine Coast Coastal Pathway, and is one of the, if not the, best seaside walks in South East Queensland. Yes, you can also cycle, or ride scooters and skateboards on the pathway.



About the Sunshine Coast Coastal Pathway

There are 73 kms of sectional paths, including boardwalks, on the Sunshine Coast. Some sections are connected by beaches and others require you to walk along the road between sections. Future plans will extend these further and create additional links between sections.



About The Caloundra Headland Walk

This is referred to by several names including the Caloundra Cliffs Walk, The Caloundra Headlands Walk (because it involves between multiple headlands) and just the Caloundra Walk. Officially it is now called the Caloundra Connection, which sounds like the title of a spy thriller novel. I just prefer the Caloundra Headland (no plural) walk because it covers what is collectively called the Caloundra Headland area including the suburbs of Caloundra, Kings Beach, Shelly Beach and Moffat Beach.



While I call it a walk, you can ride your bicycle, scooter or skateboard on the path. Some of the boardwalk sections might not be suitable for a scooter with really small wheels, but most of the path is bitumen, concrete or high-quality boardwalk. It does get crowded in some areas during peak, so it is more of a relaxed ride than a place for people in lycra trying to do serious exercise.



Getting to the start of the walk

The walk goes from Bulcock Beach in Caloundra to Moffat Beach, and both are busy areas, but I think you would have a better chance of finding parking at Moffat Beach. If you are coming by public transport, then Bulcock Beach is near the Caloundra Transit Centre which is a transport hub.

The Walk

I am going to start the walk description from Bulcock Beach because that is how I did the walk and because if you do the walk as a return walk, then Bulcock Beach Beachfront has cafes, fish & chip shops. restaurants and bars on the waterfront. Bulcock Beach is kid friendly swimming spot just behind the Caloundra Bar, and so is a great sheltered spot for kids to swim.



As you walk along the path you will see the Caloundra Bar, which is the patch of sand at the end of Pumicestone Passage. Since Bribie Island split in two it has become completely closed off with boats coming in through the new passage between the islands. Not sure how long it will be before North Bribie Island is no longer considered an island and just part of Caloundra. Though maybe a storm will come along and reopen that bar. But the bar forms a great beach that is open to the ocean. This is good as families can take the little ones to Bulcock Beach while the teens go to the waves at the bar.



The beachfront continues around to an area known as Happy Valley, which is a park, not a valley. This is a lovely little foreshore park and may be the spot to park if you come here early in the morning. There is also the Turtle Cafe in the park should you need some coffee to power you up for the walk.



A boardwalk continues the path up over the rocks area at Happy Valley. You can easily take the stairs down and walk along the rocks if you prefer, and follow the rocks along until you come to the little spit that marks the south end of Kings Beach.



You can easily continue on the path that runs along Kings Beach. But many people would prefer to dump their shoes or sandals at this point and walk along the sand. While the Kings Beach Foreshore is nice it is a bit messy, crowded and you don't really get a nice view, so walking on the beach is recommended.



The walk then heads upstairs to Wickham Point past the Beachfront Salt Water Pool and Kings Beach Surf Living Saving Club. This cliff area is the nicest, and if you just want to find a nice cliff area with a park, this is where I would recommend you head.



Wickham Point is made up of a cliff-top walk overlooking an outcropping of rocks. You should be able to walk along the rocks at low tide though you will mostly only see fisherfolk on the rocks. There is also a little secluded beach area near Kings Beach and a boat ramp not far from that. Past the boat ramp, there is no official way down from the cliff tops to the rocks, though I certainly wouldn't put it past locals knowing ways to scramble down to the rocks below.



One of the key features of Wickham Point is Centaur and ANZAC Parks. Both of which provide great views along with a comfortable place to sit and relax.



From the cliffs you may spot whales during the migratory season, sea turtles in the waves below the cliffs, dolphins not far away, plus a range of sea birds, including cormorants, just chilling out on the rocks. So as you make your way around Wickham Point it is worth turning your eyes to the rocks and the waters to see what wildlife is around. If you run into someone with a fancy camera or binoculars, it is normal practice to ask if they have seen anything and most people will let you know what is out there.



Past Wickham Point you come to Shelly Beach. The path doesn't run down to the beach itself but alongside it, with just a few places from where you can see the beach. But you can easily divert down to the beach by the road or various access points. You have a choice of walking along the beach and then coming back up to the path as you approach the Moffat Headland.



I would lean towards following the beach, especially at low tide, as the path is nice enough but not that interesting. The path is fairly shaded with a few exposed sections that give you a view of the beach.



The last headland area on the walk is the Moffat Headland which has a lookout with great views. From here you get views of both Shelly and Moffat beaches. Again look to the rocks and waters for both sea and bird life.



The last stop on this walk is Moffat Beach. This really is a lovely beach with great foreshore parks, a pleasant beach to swim or surf at, and Tooway Creek for the kids to paddle in.



Getting back

You can of course just head back along the path to the start, making it a 9 km return walk in total. You can also make it a loop by following the path one way and walking on the beaches and rocks the other way at low tide, and this includes the Moffat Headland at low tide. You can also walk back to the start by cutting across the Caloundra Headland through the suburbs and maybe even visiting the Caloundra Lighthouses on the way. Yes, there are also a couple of buses running between Moffat Beach and Caloundra.



Beyond the Caloundra Headland Walk

This walk is part of the Coastal Pathway. Past Moffat Beach, the pathway continues another 3 kms or so along the foreshore past Dicky Beach nearly all the way to Currimundi. You can actually keep going along the suburban streets or follow the beach, and cross the bar at Currimundi at low tide to connect to the next section of the Sunshine Coast Coastal Pathway.



At the southern end, you can get to the next part of the Coastal Pathway from Bulcock Beach by walking 450 metres down streets past foreshore developments to Golden Beach . This is a lovely 6 km walk down to Bells Creek.



Eating & Drinking

Here is the short simple answer. Every beach, except Shelly Beach, has cafes, restaurants and even bars. Even Shelly Beach has a coffee van on weekends. I do prefer to the location of the eateries at Bulcock Beach as they are on the foreshore, but the point is, you can eat before, after or in the middle of the walk without any worries.



Don't forget that there are plenty of picnic tables and lovely green patches to sit and eat at. There are many barbecues as well. So you can easily take your own food with you picnic or cook. The beaches can get pretty busy though, so maybe somewhere like Centaur Park might be the best place to try.



Overall

The Caloundra Headland Walk is one of the nicest coastal walks in South East Queensland and one of the most popular parts of the Sunshine Coast Coastal Pathway. Yes, it is a bit busy at times, but it still doesn't feel crowded. Do it as a straight walk or meander your way along the path, stopping off to look at rock pools, swim at beaches and spot sealife from the cliffs.



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