Spring Bay National Park

Spring Bay has the same weathered granite boulders that make The Baths famous a short distance south, standing in and around the sand and the shallow water, but without the cruise traffic: a path from the road drops onto a beach with a reef close in and a natural pool called the Crawl formed by boulders enclosing a patch of water. It is free, has no facilities, and is where people go when The Baths is full.

What you actually see

• The granite boulders - the same weathered rock as The Baths, standing on the sand.
• The Crawl - the natural pool enclosed by boulders on the shore.
• The reef - the coral close inshore for snorkelling.
• The quiet - the same landscape as The Baths without the crowds.

When to go

December to May is the dry season and the calmest. Cruise days fill The Baths but leave this beach quieter. Hurricane season runs June to November.

Honest expectations

There are no facilities at all: no shade beyond the boulders, no water, no lifeguard. The path down is rough. Swell makes the shallows dangerous.

Nearby

The Baths are south, and Savannah Bay is north.