Short walks | The Great North Walk

CHOOSE A SECTION FOR YOUR SHORT WALK

The walks here have been arranged into reasonably small chunks. It is possible to break some of the longer walks into even smaller sections — read through the notes to see where the road access points are. In most cases, if the walk does not split at these points it is because access is via a particularly rough dirt road or a long sidetrack.

Walk Number	Walk Name	Kilometres	Hours	Grade	Comment
1	Sydney to Boronia Park	6	2.5	Moderate	Mostly along streets (Sydney Harbour, historic monuments and buildings) and through a few small pockets of bushland.
2	Boronia Park to North Ryde	7.2	2.75	Moderate	Mostly shaded bushland track along the tidal river bank with mangroves and Lane Cove River views.
3	North Ryde Fairlands Circuit	6.9	2.5	Hard	Mix of shaded bushland and parkland, some street walking. Fairlands, river views, picnic areas, boat shed.
4	Roseville to Macquarie Park	8.8	3.5	Hard	Mostly dry shaded forest, side of valley with Lane Cove river views, sandstone caves, Blue hole and some street walking.
5	Macquarie Park to Thornleigh	11.5	4.5	Hard	Creek crossings, moist valleys, longer sections of trail with Upper Lane Cove River, Conscript Pass and fern trees.
6	Thornleigh to Hornsby	10.2	4	Hard	Creek crossings, mostly pleasant walking through dry forest, some steep sections. Zig Zag railway history, walking alongside Berowra and Waitara Creeks, sandstone caves.
7	Hornsby to Galston Gorge	8.2	3.5	Hard	Creek crossings, steep hills, mostly open dry forest with Fishponds, Steele Bridge, Depression era stairs, sandstone caves and Galston Gorge.
8	Galston Gorge to Mt Kuring-gai	12.6	5.5	Hard	Some creek crossings, mostly walking on narrow track through shaded forest near valley floor, some hills. Berowra Creek, Galston Gorge, Crosslandsarea, Sandstone caves, plenty of good camping.
9	Mt Kuring-gai to Berowra	9.7	4.25	Hard	Some creek crossings, mostly walking on narrow track through shaded forest near valley floor, some steep hills. Calna Creek, sandstone caves, water views, Salt marsh.
10	Berowra to Berowra Waters	5.7	2.75	Hard	Some creek crossings, mostly walking on narrow track through shaded forest and more open ridge tops. Naa Badu and other view points, water views, wildflowers, Berowra Waters.
11	Berowra Waters to Cowan	7.2	3.5	Hard	Several steep hills, creek crossings, exposed rock platforms. Wide valley views, pleasant creeks, Scribbly gums, wildflowers.
12	Cowan to Brooklyn	13.4	5.5	Hard	Several steep hills, creek crossings, exposed rock platforms. Jerusalem Bay, Large Angophera’s, Brooklyn dam, Brooklyn township.
13	Patonga to Wondabyne	19.5	7.5	Hard	Several steep hills, creek crossings, exposed rock platforms, long section with no shade. Warrah Lookout, Campsites, Mt Wondabyne, Kariong Brook, Wondabyne.
14	Wondabyne to Mooney Mooney Creek trackhead	10	4.25	Hard	Several steep hills, creek crossings, exposed rock platforms, long section with no shade. Large rock platforms, Scopas Peak, Piles Creek (suspension bridge), Mooney Mooney Creek.
15	Mooney Mooney Creek Trackhead to Somersby	16.1	6	Hard	Some creek crossings, mostly walking on narrow track through shaded forest near valley floor, some steep hills. Mooney Mooney Creek, campsites, F3 bridge, Lower Mooney Dam, Somersby Store.
16	Somersby to Ourimbah Valley Trackhead	6	2.5	Hard	Partly on road, some creek crossings, mix of rainforest and dry bushland. Palm Grove forest, pleasant creeks, large fig trees.
17	Ourimbah Valley Trackhead to Greta Road	15	5.5	Hard	Partly on dirt road, some creek crossings, mix of rainforest and dry bushland. Secluded valley farmland, Ourimbah Creek, Dead Horse Creek.
18	Brumble Hill Dray Track Greta Road to Yarramalong	5.6	2.75	Hard	Partly on country road, mix of moist and dry forest, steep section following powerlines. Historic Dray track, pleasant rock walls, mostly shaded forest, Yarramalong village.
19	Yarramalong to Cedar Brush	11	3.5	Easy	Following rural roads, mostly sealed through a pleasant rural valley.
20	Cedar Brush to Basin Campsite	9.7	4.5	Hard	A few long sections of management trail, some steep hills and small creek crossings. Wollombi Brook, Basin Campsite, mossy valleys.
21	Basin Campsite to Watagan Creek Road	13	6	Hard	Section of narrow track through shaded shaded forest, long sections of management trail, several steep hills and creek crossings. Wollombi Brook crossing, mossy valleys, filtered views from ridge, Watagan Valley farming area.
22	Watagan Creek Road to Flat Rock Lookout	4.1	2	Hard	Steep climb, and section of walking along remote dirt road. Views from Flat Rock Lookout, pleasant farming area and valley at start.
23	Flat Rock Lookout to Congewai Valley East trackhead	13.8	5	Hard	Long section of rural roads, steep descent farming valley, wetlands. Views from Flat Rock Lookout, pleasant, remote.
24	Congewai Valley East trackhead to Watagan HQ	17.1	7	Hard	Steep climb and long section of walking along remote dirt road and trail. Barraba campsite, loggers hut, Views from cliffs along ridge top.
25	Watagan HQ to Heaton Lookout	8.1	4	Hard	Creek crossings, moist valleys, very steep sections. Good lookouts, Wallis and other mossy creek crossings, rock walls.
26	Heaton Lookout to Heaton Gap	4.3	2	Hard	Mostly on remote dirt road and trail, some steep sections. Good views, grass trees wildflowers, motel/shop.
27	Heaton Gap to Teralba	14.8	6	Hard	Long section of roads and trails, some very steep sections of track, mostly dry forest. Sugarloaf Range, filtered views from ridge tops.
28	Teralba to Charlestown	13.3	4.5	Moderate	Mostly walking on footpaths and roads with some sections through pockets of bushland. Lake Macquarie, various parklands and icecream.
29	Charlestown to Merewether	7.9	2.75	Hard	Pleasant track through dry forest, exposed ocean rock platform and sandy beach, small creek crossings. Glenrock Lagoon, Leichhardt’s Lookout, Burwood Beach, Mereweather Baths.
30	Merewether to Newcastle	4.4	1.5	Moderate	Footpaths, road crossings, minimal shade. Ocean views, Strzelecki Lookout, King Edwards Park, Obelisk, shops and the end of the GNW.