Why this coast won’t let you
Aug 08, 2026
You don’t need hiking boots or a full day up your sleeve for these views. Just a car, a decent podcast and maybe something to eat when you get there. Every lookout on this list has parking at or near the viewing spot, so the hardest part of your day is deciding which one to see first.
Park right at the viewing area and take in one of the more curious sights on the coast, a row of very expensive clifftop houses on one side and completely untouched coastline on the other. Turn your head and you’ve gone from real estate envy to raw nature in a heartbeat. While you’re there, it’s a short stroll north to the big sand dune at the top end of One Mile Beach, worth it for the view back towards Cape Hawke alone.
Don’t let the modest height fool you, at just 30 metres this is one of the shortest lookouts on the whole coast but the view earns its keep. You’re looking south over the broad sandy delta where the Manning River finally meets the Pacific after 261 kilometres of getting there, and there’s a proper heritage feel to the spot thanks to Harrington’s old maritime history. Car park is right at the viewing area.
Up at the lighthouse, high and completely unobscured, which makes it one of the better spots on the coast for a spot of whale watching with your picnic. Pack a thermos, find a bit of grass and keep your eyes on the horizon.
This one’s your entry point to the mountain, the first lookout you hit on the way up to Barrington Tops and a proper taste of what’s waiting further into the wilderness. The tallowwood viewing platform has car parking right there, no walking required, and the view alone might have you turning the car around to go further up the range another day.
Sitting at the northern edge of the Barrington Coast, this one looks out over the Camden Haven River estuary and gives you a proper sense of where the coast changes character. Car park is at the Dooragan Summit picnic area, right next to the platform, so it’s an easy one to tack onto a Laurieton or Camden Haven day out.
Drive straight in off the Bucketts Way and you’ll find what might be Gloucester’s best view, the whole town laid out below with the Buccan Buccan mountains rising behind it. Go early if you can, when morning light hits the eastern face of the range just right, and on the right day you’ll catch low fog filling the valley like a blanket tucked in overnight. This was the first view of Gloucester I ever had, back in 2007, and it’s more than a little responsible for me ending up living here.
Fancy more time with a view? Crowdy Head isn’t just a good spot for a picnic, it’s one of the better whale watching perches on the coast too, so keep an eye out for our best whale watching guide if you’re travelling between May and November.
Every one of these lookouts has barriers for a reason, so admire the view from behind them rather than on top of them, no photo is worth it, no matter what your feed suggests. Nature out here is wild, unpredictable and always changing, so stick to the formed paths, watch your footing on uneven ground, and keep an eye out for snakes sunning themselves given half a chance. Cliff edges can surprise you even where you least expect one, so a bit of common sense goes a long way to a good day out.
