At the opposite end of Kemp Beach to the short Double Head bushwalk is the slightly longer Bluff Point circuit, which is also in the Capricorn Coast National Park. It’s an easy bushwalk, and worth doing for some spectacular coastal views. The Bluff Point Walking Track is well signposted as it ascends gently from the carpark; I’m doing the circuit in an anti-clockwise direction.
There’s some nice views though the trees over Mulambin Bach to the south.
The tree cover gradually changes to low shrubs, and finally open grassland as the Bluff Point Walking Track reaches the top of Bluff Point. It’s hard to imagine that this hill was once the trachyte core of a volcano.
From the top of the hill there are sweeping view to the north, towards Double Head at the northern end of Kemp Beach.
The track now gentles descends the eastern side of Bluff Point, with the open grassland meaning there are great views in almost all directions.
It’s hard to get bored of the outlook to the north: a sigg points out some of the geographic features on the horizon, which includes more volcanic plugs – Double Head and Mount Wheeler / Gai-i – and the non-volcanic distant peaks of Byfield.
Only a few hundred metres offshore is Bluff Rock, a small and rocky island.
A bit further along the track is Ritamada Outlook, where a timber platform provides views along the coast.
It’s only another 100m or so to the next signposted vantage point: Turtle Lookout. From here you’re looking directly at Bluff Rock, and on the horizon the Keppel islands (Conical Island, Corroboree Island, North Keppel Island, Miall Island, Middle ISland and Great Keppel Island). Look carefully at the ocean almost directly below, and there’s a good chance of spotting sea turtles swimming in the water. They look like “moving brown rocks with wings”, as algae covering the turtles’ green shells make them appear brown.
This is the last of the formal lookouts, but even after the track re-enters the lower forested area there are nice coastal views.
The Bluff Point Walking Track passes the end of Kemp Beach and crosses a small creek, before returning to the Kemp Beach carpark to complete the loop.
Getting to the Bluff Point Walking Track
You can do the Bluff Point loop in either direction, with the trailheads starting about 50m apart at the small Kemp Beach Picnic Area carpark, near the soutthern end of Kemp Beach. It’s about 10km (15min drive) from Yeppoon or 50km (45min) from Rockhampton.
More information
- Overview of the Capricorn Coast National Park
- QLD Parks – Capricorn Coast National Park: Things to do
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