The picturesque Narrabeen Lagoon is in the middle of a pretty densely populated area and offers a little bit of wilderness and lots of activities for outdoor lovers.
There’s something for everyone here, so whether you want to go for a walk, paddle a kayak, take a dip or simply sip a coffee with a fab view, Narrabeen Lagoon is the place for you. We’ve walked the full lake circuit and will break it down section by section to help you plan your trip.
Here are our top tips for a great day out at Narrabeen Lagoon.
Tips for visiting Narrabeen Lagoon
Here are a few tips you will want to know before visiting:
If possible, avoid the weekends. Yes, sadly this place is incredibly popular on the weekends, and the crowds can begin to detract from the peace and tranquility you were hoping for. We recommend visiting in the week or - if you have to go on the weekend - go early or late. This is particularly if you plan on walking, as you will have the constant buzz of people cycling past you and not everyone rings their bell!
The walking trail is entirely flat. Yes, the 8km loop around the lake is probably the flattest walk in Sydney (a relief if you’ve had enough of those hills) and a lot of it is paved or boardwalk. This makes it a great walk if you have a stroller/pram or just want to relax.
Parking prices in the car park are horrific. Yes, the Northern Beaches Council have continued with the same prices as Manly Dam for the car parks at Narrabeen Lagoon. You’ll have to shell out between $8 - 10 per hour (depending on the season) to a maximum of $40 for the day! However, we have a hack to avoid the costs at the end of our guide.
Narrabeen Lagoon is a great spot for sunset. If you head to the right area, you’ll be able to see the sun set on the horizon and watch the reflection in the lagoon, making it a beautiful place to be at the end of the day.
If possible, avoid the sections near the road. Sadly, half of the Narrabeen Lagoon trail is right next to roads and almost continuous traffic. The worst part is the section which runs alongside the Wakehurst Parkway, which is a shame because this part of the trail has some really nice woodland.
If you only want to do a small section of the Narrabeen Lagoon Trail, then make sure it is Jamieson Park to Middle Creek (it’s up to 2.7km each way, depending on how far you go). This part of the walk has a really beautiful forest section, with Cabbage tree palms and a real jungle feel, as well as lagoon views. It’s away from the road, so it’s really quiet and it is our favourite part of the whole walk. We loved it so much we’ve included it in our best walks near Manly blog.
7 things to do at Narrabeen Lagoon
Now you know the top tips, here’s the best things to do at Narrabeen Lagoon.
Hit the trails
The star of Narrabeen Lagoon is the Narrabeen Lagoon Trail. This loop is a 8.6km walk that goes round the shore of the lagoon, offering beautiful views of the water, as well as some stunning sections of bushland and even a coffee shop or two. It’s a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. We’ll take you through the trail section by section later in the post.
A section of the Narrabeen Lagoon Trail
Cycle the loop
The trail around Narrabeen Lagoon is designed for shared use, so if you don’t fancy walking the 8.6km, then you can cycle it instead. It’s flat, the paths are suited for all bikes and there are no hills to go up, making it perfect for the whole family or anyone looking for a short, leisurely ride.
If you don’t have your own, you can hire bikes for $20 per hour from Jamieson Park Paddle. However, they do not operate in the winter.
Hire a kayak
If you want a bit of solitude then hire a kayak and paddle away! You can hire one from $20 per hour (each additional hour decreases in price) from Pro Kayaks on the eastern side of the lagoon (exact location here). Alternatively it costs $20 per hour for a kayak or $40 per hour for a pedal boat from Jamieson Park Paddle at Jamieson Park (you can see the full price list here). These guys don’t operate in the winter, so check if they are open before you go.
As this is a lagoon, there are no waves to fight, so it’s a pretty casual paddle around this beautiful spot!
A kayaker at sunset at Narrabeen Lagoon
Go for a dip
Yep, Narrabeen Lagoon is a pretty good place for a bit of wild swimming, especially as the water is so still here compared to the coast. Many people choose to swim in front of the NRMA Sydney Lakeside Holiday Park, but as far as we know there aren’t any restrictions on where you can swim, so you can simply hop in from the shore anywhere you like!
Go for a picnic or BBQ
Narrabeen Lagoon is a popular spot for a picnic or a bbq and there are two particularly convenient places - Bilarong Reserve on the northern shore or Middle Creek Reserve on the western shore. Both have car parks, public barbecues, toilets, picnic benches and lawns with views of the lagoon.
Bilarong is a lot larger, and also has a big playground for the kids, but Middle Creek had a nice intimate feel about it for those who want more peace and quiet.
However, both come with the hefty parking charge!
The picnic area at Bilarong Playground
The adventure playground at Bilarong
Or stop for a coffee
You don’t have to go far for a brew around Narrabeen Lagoon, and its a good way to start/finish the walk. You can stop at H20 cafe or the Boatshed on the eastern shore, or to the Boatshed by South Creek. Both have nice views of the lagoon and are tranquil spots for a coffee.
Catch a sunset
If you time it right, you may get a great sunset view from the trail. The best place to go is Pipeclay Point (exact location here) as it looks directly over the lake for sunset. Alternatively you can just find a spot on the eastern shore, which will look over the water to the horizon.
Sunset from Pipeclay Point
The Narrabeen Lagoon Trail
The stats
Distance: 8.6km
Elevation: 7m
Difficulty: Easy
Type of walk: Circuit
Starting the trail
Most people tend to start the trail at Middle Creek and head in an anti-clockwise direction. However, we decided to start at Jamieson Park, as we wanted to finish at Pipeclay Point for sunset. It also meant that we did the noisey section next to the road first (the eastern and northern section), finishing on the section with the forest at the end (the western and southern section).
You can start at any point along the loop and go in either direction, it all depends on where you want to finish and if you have timed it for a sunset/coffee/swim!
Heading out from Jamieson Park
The trail from Jamieson Park is fairly unremarkable. It follows a paved path, which is dual use, so it’s very likely that you will have cyclists buzzing past you (this is true for the entire trail)! The views of the lake are pretty though and there are several openings with a bench if you want to stop and take in the view.
The first section is in a residential area and you’ll pass a couple of playgrounds, then the kayak rental and H20 Cafe - which looked liked a popular spot for a coffee. There is loads of birdlife around this part of the trail, so much so that it can often feel deafening - but in a good way, we love the sound of Aussie birds!
You’ll also see some houses with enviable waterfront views. We mean, literal waterfront as you could take a couple of steps and be right in the lagoon!
Crossing the bridge to Bilarong Playground
This is probably the only point in the walk where navigation can get tricky. If in doubt, stay close to the shoreline and follow the green sign posts. The trail comes to a bridge, after the bridge, start heading left (don’t follow the sign for the Narrabeen Lagoon and go across the traffic lights!).
The next section isn’t the nicest, as you follow the pavement along the road and away from the lake. It isn’t too long before the path takes you away from the road and back towards the lake though.
Not the most exciting section of trail!
This is the start of Bilarong Playground, a popular area for picnickers and families. We also saw stand up paddle boarders, and people swimming around here.
After this section you’ll get your first glimpse of the bush and the track gets a lot better.
Bilarong Reserve and Middle Creek
By now you’ve walked about 3.7km, and you may have been a little underwhelmed - the lagoon is beautiful, but it’s hardly one of the best bushwalks in Sydney based on what you’ve done so far.
However, things are about to change. The trail will follow the road for another kilometre, but suddenly the suburbs are gone and everything feels a bit wilder. The bush begins to close in around you and even the road looks like it is going through a jungle. The path becomes a boardwalk above the water at one point, offering views across the lagoon.
It’s a picturesque section and although you can still hear the road, you no longer really notice it. We saw sea eagles fighting from one of the lookouts along this part of the walk which was a pretty incredible sight!
As you come up to the bridge over Deep Creek, make sure you follow the path to the right and up and over the bridge (the path on the left will head up the creek and away from the lagoon).
After 1km you’ll reach Middle Creek, and leave the road behind (hooray!). Middle Creek is a popular place for kayakers and people to launch boats from. It’s also got a nice picnic and bbq area; it’s pretty small, but it is a lot more chilled than Bilarong Playground.
From here you begin the best part of the walk.
South Creek and Jamieson Park
The trail quietened down a lot from this point, with fewer people, no cars and just the sounds of the water lapping and the birds. For the next 2.7km the trail crosses picturesque bridges, hugs the shoreline for beautiful views and winds through forest which had definite jungle vibes.
You’ll see dense vegetation and huge patches of Cabbage tree palms and ferns, making it feel really wild. The trail takes you through the bush before arriving back at the shore, looking over the lagoon. The light was gorgeous in the late afternoon.
We loved this part of the walk and would recommend it as the best section by far if you only want to do some of the track. I couldn’t believe how wild and gorgeous parts of the forest were and how different it was from the first half of the walk
We timed it so that we were at Pipeclay Point 10 minutes before sunset - which is roughly a kilometre from the end of the trail. It was the perfect way to finish the walk!
Essential information about Narrabeen Lagoon
Getting to Narrabeen Lagoon
Narrabeen Lagoon is on the Northern Beaches and a 35 minute drive from Sydney (so long as there is no traffic, which there inevitably will be!). If you are driving from the city, you will have to pay the Harbour Bridge or Sydney Tunnel toll (it’s unavoidable).
Narrabeen Lagoon is also pretty easy to get to on public transport. You can hop on the B1 Bus (the B Line) from Wynyard in the city and it stops just by the H20 Cafe and the bridge at Narrabeen Lagoon. The bus is about one hour long.
Parking at Narrabeen Lagoon
There are three car parks for Narrabeen Lagoon - Jamieson Park, Middle Creek and Bilarong Playground. All three charge a ridiculous $8 - 10 per hour charge. If you are going just for the circuit walk, then you can park for free if you check the roads around Jamieson Park. We found a spot which had no time limit, literally 50 yards from the place you have to pay!
You can find our spot on this link, which will take you to it on Google Maps.
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Are you planning a trip to Narrabeen Lagoon? What is your favourite trail in the Northern Beaches? Let us know in the comments below!
