Historical project record

Originally reported: 2021
Last reviewed: 21 July 2026
Status at last review: Upgraded walk operational; proposed trackside huts replaced by public hike-in campgrounds

This page records the development of the Light to Light Walk in Beowa National Park and its status when last reviewed. It is not maintained in real time. Significant later developments may be covered through Keep It Wild Australia’s Protected Areas Tourism Watch reports.

The original proposal

The Light to Light Walk is a coastal walking route between Boyds Tower and Green Cape Lighthouse in Beowa National Park, formerly known as Ben Boyd National Park, on the New South Wales Far South Coast.

The NSW Government originally proposed transforming the existing route into a more structured multi-day tourism experience supported by new walking tracks, public camping areas and hard-roofed accommodation at Mowarry Point and Hegartys Bay.

The project strategy described a walk offering hut-to-hut and lighthouse-style accommodation alongside public walk-in camping. It stated that the track and accommodation would remain publicly owned and managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, while licensed commercial operators could offer guided walks and related tourism services. Commercial licences were to be awarded through a competitive expression-of-interest process. (Environment and Heritage)

The original environmental assessment included new hut accommodation and associated visitor facilities at both Mowarry Point and Hegartys Bay. It also proposed new and realigned walking tracks, rehabilitation of redundant sections, upgrades at Pulpit Rock and formalisation of camping at Mowarry Point. (Environment and Heritage)

Public concern focused on whether the huts would lead to exclusive or preferential commercial use of remote coastal sites that had previously been available to independent walkers and campers.

The proposed accommodation model

The original strategy did not propose transferring ownership of the walk or accommodation to a private company. It stated that the route would remain open to independent walkers and that pack-campers would continue to have access to purpose-built public campgrounds. (Environment and Heritage)

However, it contemplated a more formal commercial tourism model than ordinary guiding alone. Licensed operators could have provided guided walks, accommodation packages and related services using new roofed facilities within the national park.

The environmental assessment identified Mowarry Point and Hegartys Bay as suitable locations for huts. Although public ownership was proposed, unresolved questions included whether commercial groups would receive reserved accommodation, how independent access would be managed and whether hut-based packages would become the dominant way of experiencing the walk. (Environment and Heritage)

Those huts were not ultimately constructed as part of the completed track upgrade.

Current status

The upgraded 32-kilometre Light to Light Walk opened on 29 May 2025.

The completed project included:

  • upgrades and realignments to existing walking tracks;
  • construction of new track sections;
  • repairs to areas damaged by bushfires and storms;
  • rehabilitation of track sections no longer required; and
  • two new hike-in campgrounds at Mowarry Point and Hegartys Bay.

The current NSW Government project page states that all campgrounds along the route are owned and managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Walkers can undertake the route independently or use licensed commercial guiding services offering different levels of support. (Environment and Heritage)

The government described the completed works as part of a broader $14.9 million investment in Beowa National Park, including track restoration, improvements at Boyds Tower, upgrades to Bittangabee Campground and work within the Green Cape precinct. (NSW Government)

The completed walking experience

The current Light to Light Walk extends approximately 32 kilometres from Boyds Tower to Green Cape Lighthouse and is generally completed over two or three days.

The two new remote campgrounds allow walkers to stay overnight at Mowarry Point and Hegartys Bay. Existing camping alternatives at Saltwater Creek and Bittangabee Bay can also be incorporated into different itineraries. (NSW National Parks)

The route remains graded as a Grade 4 bushwalk. While the track is more defined and better supported than the earlier route, walkers still need to carry camping equipment, food, water-treatment equipment and the other supplies required for a self-guided multi-day walk. Current NPWS advice expressly describes it as a camping experience rather than a hut-based journey. (NSW National Parks)

What changed

The most important change was the removal of the proposed new trackside huts from the delivered project.

The approved environmental assessment retained huts at Mowarry Point and Hegartys Bay as possible project components, subject to funding. However, the final works delivered two public hike-in campgrounds instead. Current official descriptions of the completed Light to Light Walk make no reference to new huts or privately managed lodge accommodation at either location. (Environment and Heritage)

The project therefore evolved from a proposed combination of huts, lighthouse accommodation and camping into a predominantly camping-based walk.

The route itself also remained shorter and less intensive than some of the early promotional descriptions suggested. The completed experience is a 32-kilometre walk usually undertaken over two or three days, rather than a four-day lodge-based commercial product. (NSW National Parks)

Independent access was retained. The government says the route can be completed without a commercial guide, and the new remote camps are managed through the public national parks system rather than reserved for one operator. (Environment and Heritage)

Commercial tourism and guiding

Commercial tourism remains part of the Light to Light Walk, but primarily through licensed guiding, transport and off-park accommodation.

Several operators now offer guided versions of the walk. These include camping-based tours as well as packages that use accommodation outside the national park or at existing facilities rather than new private huts along the route. (NSW National Parks)

NPWS also promotes a commercial transfer provider for walkers travelling between the trailheads. This provides logistical support without controlling access to the track or its public campgrounds. (NSW National Parks)

This model differs materially from the scenario described in the original article. Independent walkers are not excluded from Mowarry Point or Hegartys Bay, and no evidence was identified that a private company operates dedicated accommodation at those sites.

Green Cape Lightstation accommodation

Accommodation already existed at Green Cape Lightstation before the wider track-development proposal.

These heritage cottages are managed within the national park and are available to the public rather than forming a private lodge concession attached exclusively to the Light to Light Walk.

The cottages and Telegraph Station accommodation have been undergoing refurbishment, roof replacement and service upgrades. In May 2026, NPWS reported that they remained closed while work continued, including heritage approvals for later upgrades to gas, electricity and sewerage infrastructure. (Environment and Heritage)

These works should be distinguished from the abandoned proposal for new huts at Mowarry Point and Hegartys Bay. They involve the restoration and continued use of existing heritage accommodation at the end of the walk.

Environmental and cultural assessment

The Light to Light Walk Review of Environmental Factors was publicly exhibited in 2021 and attracted 142 submissions.

NPWS reported that environmental and cultural heritage assessments undertaken before the 2019–20 bushfires were repeated after the fires to account for changed conditions. The final track alignment was intended to avoid sensitive heath communities and identified Aboriginal heritage sites where possible. (Environment and Heritage)

The route is on Yuin Country, and the government has incorporated cultural and historical interpretation into its public description of the experience. The extent and form of continuing Aboriginal involvement in guiding, interpretation and commercial tourism services varies between operators and is not governed by one exclusive arrangement. (NSW Government)

Why this project matters

The Light to Light Walk provides a useful example of a protected-area tourism proposal changing substantially between early planning and construction.

The original proposal allowed for new hard-roofed accommodation and a commercial service model associated with remote sites inside the national park. What was ultimately delivered was more restrained: upgraded public tracks, two NPWS-managed hike-in campgrounds and opportunities for a range of licensed operators rather than a single private lodge product.

That outcome does not mean the development had no effect. The $14.9 million program formalised and upgraded a remote coastal route, constructed new visitor infrastructure and positioned the walk as an important regional tourism attraction. (NSW Government)

However, the completed project preserved self-guided access and did not establish private accommodation at Mowarry Point or Hegartys Bay. This makes it an important historical case of a more intensive accommodation concept being modified before delivery.

Confirmed

The Light to Light Walk is located within Beowa National Park between Boyds Tower and Green Cape Lighthouse.

The original strategy proposed hut accommodation at Mowarry Point and Hegartys Bay, alongside public campgrounds and lighthouse accommodation.

The environmental assessment for the wider project was approved.

The upgraded 32-kilometre route opened on 29 May 2025.

Two new hike-in campgrounds were constructed at Mowarry Point and Hegartys Bay.

All campgrounds along the walk are owned and managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Independent walkers can complete the route without using a commercial operator.

Licensed businesses offer guided walks, transfers and related visitor services.

No new private or NPWS hut accommodation was constructed at Mowarry Point or Hegartys Bay as part of the completed project. (Environment and Heritage)

Not yet confirmed

Whether NPWS has formally abandoned the huts indefinitely or has merely left them unfunded for possible future consideration.

Whether any remaining project authority could later be used to reconsider roofed accommodation at Mowarry Point or Hegartys Bay.

The final total expenditure attributable specifically to the walking track, campgrounds and associated visitor facilities, as distinct from broader recovery and Green Cape precinct works.

The timetable for reopening Green Cape Lightstation cottages and Telegraph Station accommodation after the current refurbishment.

Whether future commercial operator licences will include reserved campground capacity or other preferential arrangements.

Sources and documents

  • NSW Environment and Heritage: Light to Light Walk project page
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service: Light to Light Walk
  • Light to Light Walk Strategy
  • Light to Light Walk Review of Environmental Factors
  • Beowa National Park and Bellbird Creek Nature Reserve plan-of-management amendment
  • NSW Government: Eden’s iconic Light-to-Light Walk reopens after significant upgrades and restorations
  • Light to Light Walk project updates, 2024–2026