After a week of perfect, winter weather, it was looking rather ominous as I drove out to Hat Head. I love the walking tracks here and have a strong association with them from my childhood. One of the most exciting walks I remember as a kid was once when we headed south from Gap Beach to Connors, or maybe even Third Beach, and were caught in a massive hail storm! It had been a few years since I’d walked around Korogoro Point, and much longer since I’d been to the trig station at the top, so a bit of rain wasn’t going to stop me from getting out and enjoying this beautiful coastline.
The track to the top of the hill climbs fairly steeply through heathland dominated by coastal banksias. While there is no view from the trig itself, there are plenty of good vantage points along the track. I had a clear view of the weather rolling in from the east, and discovered a great little spot for looking down over the village of Hat Head. I was hoping to see whales heading north, as we’d seen lots the previous day from Racecourse Headland in Goolawah National Park, but the sea was much choppier today and I didn’t notice any obvious whale activity.
The wet conditions lent a real vibrancy to all the wildflowers that were covering the grassy hillsides. Being the middle of winter, I was surprised by the number of flowers in bloom. Dusky coral peas were everywhere, along with Hardenbergia, Patersonia, Banksias, Acacias and various kinds of small white, blue, yellow and pink-flowering herbs. One short section also supported an abundance of lilly-pilllies, heavily laden with fruit.
Although the sea was relatively calm, the heavy cloud and moisture-laden winds gave the sea cliffs a beautifully wild appearance. There are some interesting gulches on the headland, narrow and formidable channels that have been eroded through the endless pounding of the waves.
After rounding the point my views expanded northwards to Smoky Cape, over much calmer waters. This side of the headland is very picturesque, with Pandanus trees arched gracefully over the clear, blue waters of the bay. The more sheltered conditions have given rise to tall groves of Casuarina trees and much denser vegetation compared with the exposed eastern side of the hill.
The final section, along Korogoro Creek, is completely different again. Here there are extensive stands of huge paperbark trees and a precious pocket of rare littoral rainforest, containing cabbage palms, tuckeroos and the occasional giant fig tree. This part of the track has been upgraded to a wide and easy walking track, as opposed to the rest of the circuit which is bit more rough.
It was so lovely to revisit this area, and I know it is a place that I will continue to return to, again and again. It struck me that a small investment in signage for this walk would go a long way in terms of making it more readily accessible to visitors. But perhaps that would lessen its charm.