The 10 Best Things To Do in Bouddi National Park

Bouddi National Park is one of the best National Parks to visit near Sydney. It’s located 1.5hrs north of the CBD, in the central coast. It’s not a very big park but it has a very diverse landscape, ranging from rainforest to sandstone cliffs to beaches.

1. Hike to Bullimah Lookout

Grab some friends and go hiking in Bouddi National Park! Bullimah lookout is only about 20min from the Maitland Bay Information Centre carpark. Here you will get a nice view of Putty Beach.

2. Experience the wildflowers

Spring is the best time to visit any national park in Australia, because it’s likely the wildflowers will be blooming. Pockets of yellow, orange and white flower clusters are spread throughout Bouddi National Park. There’s quite a lot of wattle and parrot peas. For those who like macro photography – bring you camera kit! To check out more wildflowers see my blogpost about wildflowers to find near Sydney in Spring.

3. Swim at one of the isolated beaches

We saw many people who had been swimming at the beach. I can imagine in summer the small beaches along the coastal walk are paradise. This beach is Bouddi Beach, the others in the park are Maitland Bay Beach and Putty Beach.

4. Hike the Bouddi Coastal Walk and go Whale Watching

The 8.5km 4hr Bouddi Coastal Walk can also be done in sections, depending on where you park. It’s a lovely walk that passes through a few different environments. Make sure to keep an eye out for whales in the water! There are humpback whales that can be seen from the shore.

5. Practice your Landscape Photography

Bouddi National Park has plenty of dramatic landscapes along its coastline to do landscape photography. It’s worth bringing your camera along! Best to come at sunrise or sunset.

6. Go Birdwatching in Bouddi National Park

I saw a peregrine falcon on the cliffs and a white bellied sea eagle. I have seen white bellied sea eagles in the region before – Check out my post about animals in Muogamarra Nature Reserve.

7. Picnic at Gerrin Point Lookout

We had a snack at the picturesque Gerrin Point Lookout. There was also a brush turkey hanging around with us.

8. Check out the Tessellated Pavement made out of sandstone

Bouddi is part of the Hawkesbury Sandstone basin, which means most of the rocks here are sandstone. Tessellated pavements are formed in sandstone over millions of years by weathering, erosion and expanding.

9. Watch the sunset over the ocean

You’ll be guaranteed a nice outlook to enjoy the sunset (or sunrise) along the Bouddi Coastal walk.

10. Take a guided tour with the NSW National Parks Discovery Team

There are a number of great walks to do in Bouddi National Park. These include the 45min Maitland Bay Track, 1hr Box Head Track and the 8.5km 4hr Bouddi Coastal Walk. We did the Maitland Bay track til it joins with Bouddi Coastal Walk, about 7km hiking in total. I was lucky to be on a guided tour with National Parks Discovery and the NSW National Parks marketing team. We had an amazing afternoon getting to know Bouddi NP with fellow nemophilists (a nemophilist is someone who loves the forest and being outdoors). Check the Bouddi National Park website for information and contact details for tours.

Getting to Bouddi National Park and Parking

I would recommend driving here, which takes about 1.5hrs from Sydney. There are carparks at Putty Beach, Mt Bouddi Rd and Bouddi National Park Information Centre. We parked at the information centre as it was the most central to the hikes we did. Parking entry fee like most national parks is an 8$ day fee unless you have a parks pass. Thanks to my friends at NSW parks I have a yearly pass, which has encouraged me to visit more National Parks this year than ever before!

Other Great Places to Visit on the Central Coast

If it’s raining and you want to roadtrip to the central coast, I recommend visiting one of the stunning waterfalls in Brisbane Water NP. Check out my blogpost about Somersby Falls for a rainy day roadtrip,

For a smaller but also less busy waterfall, check out blogpost about Girakool Falls.

I have more interesting spots to share on the central coast, but I’m still in the process of writing blogposts. In the meantime why not check out something different, like my post about the best lighthouses to visit near Sydney.

Location of Bouddi National Park