Hungry Beach

Hungry Beach gets its memorable name from a fisherman who took shelter in the cove for three days while waiting for a large shark to leave the area. I guess his overwhelming thought was hunger, hence the name. The area was historically known as a prolific fishing area for shark, turtle and mulloway.

Hungry Beach is on the north side of Sydney in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The densely vegetated setting is truly beautiful and the easiest access is by boat (but keep an eye out for hungry sharks!).

Alternatively, you can scramble along the rocky coastline for about 1 km at low tide from Flint and Steel Bay. You can also walk along the track from Flint and Steel Bay and scramble down the cliff, but there is no official bush-walking path.

Facing north, the small 100-metre long white sandy cove is protected from the easterly swells. It’s a calm and secluded beach which you are likely to have all to yourself. The Cowan Creek exits from the valley in the middle of the beach.

The beach has some interesting history as the cliffs are riddled with caves and ancient shell middens indicating an earlier indigenous settlement. Back in 1936, the Sydney Mail reported the shooting of an indigenous male on Hungry Beach. He was thought to be the last surviving member of the Barrenjoey people.

The area saw some activity during WW2 with concrete and brick relics remaining of the Indicator Loop and Mining Station #285. It was constructed by the Royal Australasian Navy to protect the railway bridge and detect Japanese submarines.