Light to Light Walk

3 friends and 3 days through spectacular Yuin Country

This was an all women adventure with two friends who I am very grateful to have met through the Her Trails community. I first met Jacqui in 2024 on a Her Trails group run where we were both training for UTA50. It wasn’t until the event itself that Jacqui and really hit it off. After unexpectedly meeting each other on course we ended up running the middle section of the event together. Blame it on the runners high but somewhere near Wentworthfalls, we declared the race to be SO much fun that 50km was not long enough and convinced each other to run the 100km event the following year. As any good adventure buddy would, we roped in another friend Lara (another wonderful human we met through HerTrails) and before long our budding friendship blossomed into a solid trauma bond after running UTA100 together in 2025.

Jacqui has been an avid hiker for years but our beautiful friend Lara, despite having run thousands of kilometers of trail, had never been on an overnight hike. And much to my intrigue, had never peed in the bush. I felt honoured and excited about the prospect of being part of these two first experiences with her.

The Light to Light had been on my radar for some time, particularly after it received a make over in 2025 under the NSW Government Great Walks initiative. Jacqui was the catalyst and chief organiser for the trip, it was a solid yes the second she threw it into the group chat.

About the Light to Light

The Light to Light is a 32km 3 day walk in Beowa National Park. It spans the distance between Boyds Tower and Green Cape Lighthouse, tracing a picturesque section of the Sapphire Coast. The walk offers daily ocean views, rock hopping, sand combing and plenty of opportunities for whale watching if you time the season right. Its a bit of a choose your own adventure and can be hiked in either direction with multiple campsites along the way. We decided to hike south, starting our adventure from Boyds Tower.

Day 0 – Arrival in Eden

One of the main reasons I was yet to hike the Like to Light was the logistics. Beowa National Park is a 7 hour drive from our home in Katoomba and the hike is point to point, requiring you to shuffle two cars, organise a transfer, or double the distance and turn it into an out and back. This makes it the perfect hike for a road trip with a group of mates.

We opted to take the slight longer but more scenic coastal route on the drive to Eden. Jacqui and Lara both live on the Northern Beaches, they set off early on Friday morning, picking me up along the way from my parents home in the Sutherland Shire. The car snacks, shared driving and ample chats made the time pass quickly. We stopped for lunch in Batemans Bay and arrived at our destination, Reflections in Eden in time to set up our tents before sunset. We enjoyed a dumpling feast in town and had a early night for an early start the next morning.

Day 1 – Boyds Tower to Mowarry Campsite

Distance: 9.6km | Vert: 260m | Walking time: 2hr 50min

It was a chilly night in Eden and as always, my first night in the tent was a little restless. We woke to plenty of condensation on the tents which we packed down quickly before braving the icy concrete shower block for what would be our last shower for the next 3 days.

We got away a little later than planned, and with a tight deadline for meeting our transfer shuttle at Green Cape Lighthouse, had to sacrifice a stop in town for coffee. In a desperate attempt to caffeinate we stopped in at the Kiah General Store which as our luck would have it, sold coffee out of a machine and some Tawny Port which appeared to have aged beautifully thanks to the amount of time it had been sitting on the shelf gathering dust. It was pure road trip perfection.

We arrived at Green Cape Lighthouse just a few minutes before the shuttle bus and said goodbye to Lara’s car which would be waiting for us when we finished the trail in 3 days time. The transfer to Boyds Tower took about 50minutes, doubling back along much of the road we had just driven down.

We got ourselves organised at the trailhead and set off just before 11am. It was a short distance from the trail head to Boyds Tower, we took in the oceans views, crimson red rocks and explored the Tower before heading south on the trail.

Our first day would be just under 10km of hiking, our destination, Mowarry Campsite. The shorter distance was such a nice change of pace, without the fear of running out of daylight or finding a campsite and water in the dark, we could amble, taking in the water, sea breeze, wildflowers and take plenty of pause for whale spotting.

We arrived at Mowarry Campsite just before 3pm, it is a beautiful spot perched high on a headland, overlooking the beach below and stretching ocean views. The Campsite was perfectly manicured by the resident kangaroos and wallabies who lazily nibbled, completely unfazed by our arrival.

Mowarry Campsite was refurbed as part of the Light to Light’s re-launch and has a generous number of large tent platforms as well as a pit toilet and water tank. It was relatively busy on the night that we stayed but the platforms are well spaced so it didn’t feel crowded.

We set up our tents, which having a frameless tent took some MacGyver like creativity on the platforms. We then wandered down to the beach where we sat, watching other hikes brave the cold water and the local wallabies enjoy their evening graze. Despite growing up in Australia it still feels like a novelty seeing wallabies and kangaroos on the beach, possibly the most quintessential Australian scene there is.

It was a clear sky night perfect for star gazing, after dinner we bundled up and sat out on the tent platform gazing up at the stars, our silicone mugs of Tawny Port keeping us warm. We were lucky enough to spot a couple of shooting stars.

Miraculously, Lara had managed to navigate the entirety of day 1 without a bush wee. With toilets at the trail head and at the campsite, plausible, but surely, I thought, day 2 would be the day.

Day 2 – Mowarry Campsite to Hegartys Bay

Distance: 10.6km | Vert: 234m | Walking time: 3hr 5min

We had been hoping to see some wombats around camp overnight but perhaps were not up early enough to spot them. I was the main culprit being last to emerge from my tent. We enjoyed a leisurely start, warm oatmeal and multiple camp coffees, heading out on trail just before 11am. It was another blue sky day as we departed camp and descended onto the beach.

We had the whole day to walk 10.6km to Hegartys Bay, I thought we would end up with a excess of spare time at camp but somehow we managed to fill the day. We moved at a relaxed pace, taking in the wildflowers and mushrooms and even managed to spot some whales!

We stopped for lunch at Saltwater Creek and spent time fossicking through the rocks and shells at the little beaches along the way. This was my first hike after finishing the Alps Track late last year and I was enjoying the relaxed pace, flat walking, chats and wildlife spotting. Without knowing it beforehand, it was the trip that I needed. After the TA, PCT and most recently, taking up trail running, I’ve normalised moving long distances and have developed a tendency to try to cram in as much in a day as possible. Whilst my brain enjoys the challenge, it doesn’t allow much time for the soul. To relax in nature with the company of like minded wonderful humans was soul food and exactly what I needed.

We arrived at Hegartys just after 3pm, recently refurbished it was set up from the beach in a stand of trees. Being newly landscaped, Hegartys was a rather dim looking campground, I can imagine what it will look like once the bush re-generates around the cleared areas but it wasn’t as pretty as Mowarry on night 1. Day 2 on trail and I was developing a healthy respect for the strength of Lara’s bladder, she’d made it camp site to camp site and still no bush wee….

I’d hoped that due to the trees surrounding the campsite, it would be warmer than night 1 but it ended up being our coldest night on trail. Although the tent platforms are better for the environment, concentrating the human impact on fragile ecosystems, I don’t love using them. They tend to be inflexible to pitch on and incredibly cold as air moves under the fly making it impossible to trap the warmth.

Due to the cold and a planned early start the next day, we decided to have an early night. After dinner we dispersed to our individual tents. I put on all of my warm things and read until I was ready to fall asleep. Incredibly, I felt colder than what I had sleeping in the snow on the AAWT.

Day 3 – Hegartys Bay

Distance: 13.75km | Vert: 378m | Walking time: 3hr 40min

Although I would like to be a morning person, I am not. I appreciate the extra time when I get up early, and that feeling of getting a head start on the rest of the world but when it is dark and cold I really struggle getting out of bed. For our final day on trail we opted for an early start. We had 13km of walking and over 7hours of driving ahead, It was the sensible thing to do but it was freezing cold and pitch dark at 6am. I got as much gear packed and ready as I could before leaving the warmth of my sleeping bag. It took me 2 coffees to get moving.

Despite my resistance and discomfort, the early start gifted us the most spectacular views and was completely worth it. We headed out on trail as the sun was just rising in the sky, throwing an incredible orange hue over the rock platforms and coastal grasses. It was golden hour at its best. Being the first out on trail we flushed out countless wallabies from the tall grass, enjoying their morning meal.

With a long drive ahead of us we walked with purpose today but there was still plenty of time for chats and flora spotting. On our approach to Bittangabee campground we saw a small aid station set up. It was fortuitous, over the past 2 days we had spoken about the trail being perfect for a running event. It turns out it was, and we had hiked right into the WinterSun race. It was a small event, and thankfully well spread out so we could cheer on the runners as they passed. As it turned out, Tony and Di, two Blue Mountains locals ran past at one point, we later saw them at the end at Green Cape Lighthouse. Being so far from home the encounter made the world feel very small.

This was the most varied day of scenery on the trail, we passed through coastal shrub, rocky ocean shelves, damp rainforest like environments and cool running streams.

The hiking gods were looking out for us on this trip, we ended our hike at Green Cape Lighthouse to see wombats basking in the sun, the final animal to tick off our Light to Light bingo card. Below us there were kangaroos basking on the beach and just off the shoreline there were seals playing on the rock shelf. It was the perfect end to our long weekend adventure.

As we closed out the trip I was truly impressed, a 3 day hike and Lara had made it through the entire trip without a bush wee. At this point I am eager to see how far she can truly take this thing.

Back in the car around lunch time, we reluctantly started our journey home, stopping off at Pambula for lunch. There was so many cute coastal towns on the way that I would have loved to stop at but just not enough time. I mentally ear marked some for later. Lara and Jacqui eventually dropped me back at my parents place where I drove the rest of my way home. It was a long day but the weekend was well worth the effort.

Logistics and trip planning

Location – Beowa National park, south of Eden on the NSW South Coast.
Distance – The brochure says 32km, Garmin calculated 34.
Style – point to point
Time – 3 days
Terrain – single track and beach walking, it is a relatively flat trail clocking a total of 872m of vert over the 3 days.
Transport – Both ends are fairly remote (no uber/ taxi) you can do a car shuffle if you have a friend with a second car, otherwise you can organise a transfer. We used Navigate Expeditions which cost $110pp at the time of booking. Alternatively you could make it a round trip and walk back!
Navigation – between us we had downloaded Gaia and AllTrails maps, we found the trail to be well marked and easy to navigate.
Water – we refilled from tanks at both Mowarry Campsite and Hegartys Bay Campsite, both were full however it is best to double check current conditions. As always, I treated all water before consuming it.
Camping and accomodation – we camped at Reflections holiday park in the night before the walk. We used the designated campgrounds at Mowarry and Hegartys Bay whilst on trail. These need to be booked through national parks.
Season – We had chosen to walk the trail over the June long weekend, the days were sunny and just warm enough to be able to walk in a t-shirt. The evenings were brisk, perfect for bundling up and gazing at the starts with a silicone mug of Tawny Port.
Good for – whale watching, wild ocean swims, wallabies and kangaroos.
Other tips – You could break this down into several smaller walks with access points at Saltwater Creek, Bittangabee Bay and Pulpit Rock.