Long walk starts with 100 steps

The phrase ‘best kept secrets’ is usually overdone, but not when it comes to the long beach walk from 100 Steps at Somers eastwards to Sandy Point. It’s a low or mid-tide walk, though, as the 10km return journey will take about two hours without stops and it’s inaccessible at high tide, so plan your expedition.

Over the years, Sandy Point has been enhanced by tides and waves sweeping in new sand. On a sparkling clear day at low tide, you look across to Tortoise Head on French Island from the end of the sand spit and feel you could almost wade across. It’s an optical illusion – it’s 3km distant.

At the point, you can pull a boat up right next to the sand and jump on to the beach where the tide has scoured a deep section.

The walk is heaven for dogs – off-lead all year round, lots of smells, and plenty of shallow water along the way for swimming.

The first part of the walk is beside rocks that give way to sand alone. People can swim here, but avoid taking a dip at the actual point because the current is too strong.

The 100 Steps staircase starts in the car park at the corner of Belvedere and Miramar roads, Somers. The staircase is for relatively fit people, although you can access the beach further west at the end of South Beach Rd.

About 1.7km into the walk, you will see HMAS Cerberus naval base signs, including ‘Danger – Military Range Boundary – Live Firing’. From here on it’s called Navy Beach and you must not go above the high-water mark, as inland was a small arms firing range.

Sandy Point supports a large and varied bird population, including woodland species. You can fish off the beach.