Bushwalking track notes, photographs, maps and more for Maitland Bay Track hiking trail are found in each of the tabs below
Maitland Bay Track
Time
Distance
Climb
Style
1 Hrs 15 mins
3.4 km
166 m
Return
5.1 km ESE of Woy Woy
Bouddi National Park
Track: Hard
From Maitland Bay Information Centre the track heads straight down the hill to Maitland Beach. On the way down, the track passes many rock landings which act as lookouts over Maitland Bay and lush bush of the surrounding gullies. An optional side trip to the S.S. Maitland shipwreck is well worth the extra walking, just a few hundred meters along the rocky point.
Bushwalking can be fun and interesting when you are well prepared. Please ensure you and your group are well prepared and equipped for all possible dangers. The authors, staff and owners of wildwalks take care in preparing these notes but do not accept responsibility for any inconvenience, loss or injury sustained when using these notes. Please take care and feel free to provide feedback through our website. Please note that side trips and alternate routes mentioned in these notes are not included in the tracks overall rating, distance or time estimate. The notes also only describe the side trip and alternate routes in one direction.
Please note: This is a 'return' style walk and therefore these graphs only show the terrain for the first half of the walk (until the turn around point.)
Cross sectional view of the Maitland Bay Track bushwalking track
Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Maitland Bay Track bushwalking track
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Maitland Bay Centre is a brick building open on weekends and public holidays. The information centre has a carpark, phone booth and drinking water. From the carpark the Maitland Bay track can be accessed.
(0 km) Maitland Bay Information Centre to Maitland Beach West End Track: Hard - bushtrack, footpath
Distance = 1.1 km
Time = 20 mins
Climb = 2 m
Descent = -151 m
From the Information Centre the track heads south past the information sign to start of the car park. From the car park the track follows the Maitland Bay sign left down the hill. The track then heads down the staircase for some time to the intersection.
From the intersection the track heads east down the staircase. At the point the track turns right before a rock landing, the rock landing can be accessed as a lookout over Maitland Bay. The track continues down the hill from the rock landing with a rock face to the right and an overhang to the left of the track. The track winds down the hill for some time crossing over a wooden bridge and down more steps to the intersection. From the intersection the track heads south east down the hill on a paved stepped track. The track heads down to Maitland Beach with the final stretch winding down the lower open scrub to the sandy beach.
(1.06 km) Maitland Beach West End to Eastern corner of Maitland Beach Track: Hard - beach
Distance = 0.6 km
Time = 10 mins
Climb = 6 m
Descent = -7 m
From the intersection the track heads east along the beach for approximately 100m to where the sand has been cut out by a creek. From the creek the track heads south east to the eastern corner of the beach. The track intersection is before the headland cliff line and after the beaches cliff line in an area of low scrub. The intersection is marked by a small wooden sign with an arrow.
Maitland Beach
Alt = 1
Maitland Beach, Bouddi National Park, is a 500m long sandy beach sitting north west of Putty Beach. The beaches south westerly aspect provides views over the South Pacific Ocean to Barrenjoey and Avalon headlands at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River. A creek breaks the centre of the beach with the wreck of S.S. Maitland (after which the beach and bay are named) is found on the eastern rock point.
(1.66 km) Eastern corner of Maitland Beach to S.S. Maitland Shipwreck Optional Side Trip: Track: Hard - notrack
Distance = 0.3 km
Time = 5 mins
Climb = 14 m
Descent = -15 m
From the intersection follow the eastern cliff line south west out to the headland point. The track heads over rocks and boulders to the rock flats at the point. The rock flats reveal on the western side the Maitland shipwreck.
S.S. Maitland Shipwreck
Alt = 2
The S.S. Maitland was a paddle steamer brought out from Glasgow, Scotland, to transport people and cargo between the Hunter and the Hawkesbury Rivers. There was no rail line from Newcastle to Sydney in the 1800's. The Maitland was on its route out of the Barrenjoey Headlands when it was overwhelmed by the aplty named 'Maitland Gale'. The storm which wrecked the Maitland also took numerous other ships on May 6th, 1898. Of the 36 passengers aboard the Maitland, 24 lost their lives. Many of the survivors were commended for their herosim. Wreckage of the Maitland can still be seen today with parts of the boiler and a section of the iron hull strewn across the rock flats of the point. The bay was previously known as Boat Harbour, then renamed Maitland Bay after the disaster in 1898. More info
Bouddi National Park is south east of Woy Woy and encompasses the Box Head headland. Bouddi NP has numerous secluded beaches and some great surf beaches too. The park also offers fantastic coastal walking with views out from the tall headlands over Broken Bay, Woy Woy and the South Pacific Ocean. Bouddi NP also boasts one of the first marine extensions in NSW, with a 300ha protection zone out of Maitland Bay for the marine life. The mosquitoes in Bouddi NP can be fierce so it might be an idea to pack insect repellent.
Hiking near Sydney 
1 km
