It’s on again. The 2026 Big Heart Hike will be held on Sunday, July 5.
The 10th edition of the Big Heart Hike promises to be our biggest and best yet. This year, we are raising money for a local family, the Aitken’s, who are going through a very tough time. Click on the link to find out more about what they are going through. Let’s make this the biggest walk yet and make a real difference.
If you would like to join us, please click on the button below to sign up. If you can not make it on the day but would like to add to our fundraising efforts, please feel free to click on the donate button. Every dollar helps.
Event info– The Big Heart Hike in 2026 will take place on Sunday, July 5 at 6.30am. It is an approximately 28km walk from Blackhead Beach to Forster, taking in some of the most beautiful sights and landmarks of the Great Lakes area (see course info more detail).
Feel free to do as much or as little of the walk as you would like. See below for more detail on the course so you can plan the walk to suit you.
It is a supported walk, with all food and drink catered for. We are lucky to have fantastic community support for the walk. From our volunteers on the beach early in the morning handing out fruit and snacks, breakfast at Forster Surf Lifesaving Club and other goodies along the track, you definitely will not walk away hungry.
All entries will receive a Big Heart beanie this year, a wonderful way to show our support for brain cancer.
Please join our our Facebook page to be kept up to date on all of the information about the walk. It is our main channel of communication about the walk, to showcase all of the wonderful support we receive and answer any questions people may have.
Entry into the walk is $70. A minimum of $50 will go directly to the Aitken’s. The rest of the money is used to provide the best experience on the day, including all food, drink and merchandise.
Course details– The walk will begin on the hill behind Blackhead Beach SLSC at 6.30am. It begins with a small rainforest walk before heading on to “Back Beach”. After climbing over some rocks, it is a beautiful walk into Tuncurry along 9 Mile Beach (actually only a little over 7 miles/ 12km), enjoying the sunrise. A support crew will be stationed along the beach to provide some early morning fruit and other snacks. Coming off the beach, it is another 3 km to Forster SLSC for a well earned breakfast.
The second section is the shortest and most scenic, enjoying the beautiful sights of Forster’s coastline. After breakfast, head southward past the “Bullring”, the ocean baths at Main beach. For the adventurous, feel free to join the Mudcrabs, the Winter Swimming Group, for a lap of the pool. Head up the hill behind the pool and follow the trail. Stick to the coastal walk, on to the sand dune and down to the next break at Cape Hawke SLSC for snacks and a break. Along the way, look to your left to spot some whales.
The final section is the most challenging. This is a return leg, leaving and returning to Cape Hawke SLSC. After leaving the surf club, walkers stick to the water’s edge, turning left out of the carpark and heading over the hill and down to Burgess Beach. The walk continues past the beach and up the hill to the end of the road and into Booti Booti NP. Follow the track over the headland until you come out on the road. Across the road, there is a trail down to the beautiful McBrides Beach. After reaching the bottom, head back the way you came, finishing back at Cape Hawke SLSC for a refreshing, well earned refreshment.
Check out our gallery for a snapshot of our walks over the years.