Parking
Start at Murrays Beach car park and follow the marked route to the beach; the track to Governors Head continues behind it. Vehicle visitors need a Booderee park entry pass.
Overview
About Murrays Beach to Governors Head Walk
Why go
- A quick route to Governors Head with Murrays Beach on the way.
- Views across Jervis Bay to Bowen Island from the lookout.
Heads up
- Returns by the same path, so it is not a loop.
Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Booderee alerts
- CautionH5 avian influenza detectedH5 avian influenza (bird flu) has been detected in a greater crested tern in Booderee National Park; the park remains open, but visitors must avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife.Official details
- ClosureIluka Beach access closedIluka Beach day-use area and beach-access staircase are closed while repair works are carried out, leaving Iluka Beach inaccessible via the beach track.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Booderee Tour Guide
Your drive to Murrays Beach to Governors Head Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Booderee National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Murrays Beach and Bowen Island0:00 / 0:30
“You're coming up on Murrays Beach, with white sand and Bowen Island across the water. It's a five-minute walk from the car park, so this is an easy beach stop without a long hike.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Booderee Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Hole in the Wall: The Sandstone Notch
- Scottish Rocks: Pools and Snorkelling
- Cape St George Lighthouse Ruins
- Green Patch Beach and Picnic Area
- 23 audio storiesacross Booderee’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grey Kangaroo, Echidna, Red-necked Wallaby, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 14 trails, 33 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Murrays Beach to Governors Head Walk
A short coastal out-and-backMurrays Beach to Governors Head is an easy 2.2 km return walk, about 1.
Murrays Beach to Governors Head is an easy 2.2 km return walk, about 1.1 km each way, from Murrays Beach car park to the headland lookout. The marked route reaches Murrays Beach, then continues behind it to Governors Head before returning by the same path. Choose this short walk for the lookout without taking on the separate 5.4 km Munyunga waraga dhugan loop.
Past Murrays BeachThe car park is about 300 m from Murrays Beach.
The car park is about 300 m from Murrays Beach. The track to Governors Head continues behind the sand and out toward the headland. The park grades the one-way walk as Grade 2 and lists about 20 minutes from the car park to the lookout. Allow around 40 minutes of walking for the return, plus time for the beach and the view.
Stop at Governors HeadAt the lookout, the view opens across Jervis Bay toward Bowen Island.
At the lookout, the view opens across Jervis Bay toward Bowen Island. There’s interpretation here about the island’s little penguin colony. Seabirds and marine wildlife may be visible from the point, though sightings vary. For a photo, keep the island across the water in the frame from the marked lookout.
Keep to the marked routeThe path reaches an exposed headland with cliffs below, so stay on the marked track.
The path reaches an exposed headland with cliffs below, so stay on the marked track. Bowen Island is protected and has a 30 m no-public-access buffer. Pets are not permitted anywhere in Booderee.
If you want the longer walkThe 5.
The 5.4 km Munyunga waraga dhugan loop is a separate interpretive route that also visits Governors Head. Pick that loop when you want a longer walk with more of the peninsula; the short car-park walk is its own out-and-back.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Booderee
202 sightingsGrey KangarooMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
26 sightingsEchidnaMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
16 sightingsRed-necked WallabyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
116 sightingsSwamp WallabyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
93 sightingsKookaburraMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
22 sightingsYellow-tailed Black CockatooMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Booderee. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
