Walk 17 A:- Berowra Circuit via Mt Kuring-gai At A Glance
Route Summary:- This walk is wholly on signposted tracks. It goes for about 0.6 km. along Berowra Roads to the Benowie Track Head. It follows this for 0.75 km. to a fire trail and follows this for about 1 km, then steeply down to Sams Creek on walking track and remains on walking track all the way to Mt Kuring-gai where the next 0.6km is along Mt Kuring-gai streets then for about 8.5 km back to Berowra on the Mt kuring-gai and Berowra Tracks.
RQI:- 88
Highlights:- The section from Berowra to Mount Kuring-gai along the Benowie Walking Track and Great North Walk is one of the most attractive and popular walks in the region. After a steep descent to Sams Creek it follows tidal sams Creek to a unique boulder ridge with aboriginal middens; then along Berowra Creek with grassland just before Calna Creek; then along Calna/Lyrebird Creeks with several creek crossings, interesting rock cave overhangs and up steeply to Mt. Kuring-gai; then along a ridge down to Cowan Creek with great views of Cowan Creek; then along the Berowra Track along Cowan Creek around three bays to Waratah Bay and up along Waratah Gully to Berowra Station
Negatives:- Nil- minor- a total of 1.2 km at Berowra and Mt Kuring-gai along residential roads
Length:- 18 km
Grade:- medium to hard
Weather:_All weather except when creeks in flood
Continuous walking time with a few 3-4 min. stops:- 5 hrs.
Train Time from Central to Start :-. 0.47 minutes express via Strathfield or 1 hr 6 mins T1 Line
Train Time from finish to Central:-. As above
Total Climb :- 540 meters
Total Descent :- 540 meters
Water:- Berowra and Mt Kuring-gai
Toilets:- Berowra
Café/Kiosk :- Berowra
Published 1:25,000 Map :- Hornsby, Cowan
Walk 17A Track Notes Berowra Circuit via Mt Kuring-gai
22/10/13
Km/Hrs.min. Kilometers in bold are shown on map
0.00/0.00 Leave Berowra Station ; coss Old Pacific Highway on pedestrian lights, then turn left and follow the Highway to the next traffic lights.
0.18/0.02 At traffic lights, turn right into Berowra Waters Road and follow this for about 400 meters past one roundabout and oval on right to a second roundabout.
0.58/0.06 At second roundabout, go left into Crowley Road and immediately cross this to the start of the Benowie Walking Track and signboard
0.62/0.07 At signboard:- ‘ Great North Walk’; ‘Berowra Station 750 meters’ back track and ‘Crosslands 5.8 km’; follow walking track downhill.
1.36/0.19 Walking track intersects service road; veers right and now walk along service road
1.56/0.22 Track T junction on right and signboard on left:- ‘Crosslands 3.8 km’ straight on and ‘ Berowra Station 1.5 km’ back track; the paved service road on right goes to Berowra houses and is a shortcut back to Berowra Station; continue straight.
2.40/0.35 Track T junction on left and signboards on right and left:- ‘ Berowra Station 2km’ back track and ‘ Berowra Waters 3.4 km’ straight on, and on left ‘ Crosslands 3.7 km’; turn left on walking track down towards Crosslands
2.76/0.45 Walking track at Sams Creek crossings; there are two crossings within a few meters; veer left and cross on boulders; note red arrow shield on boulder at crossing; then go straight and slightly right to second crossing on bouders at edge of tidal zone
2.78/0.46 After second crossing, signboard on left:- ‘Berowra Waters 4.5 km’ back track and ‘ Crosslands 2.6 km’ forward; track turns right at signboard and follows left bank of Sams Creek.
3.22/0.54 Top of pleasant headland with large boulders on right; faint track flagged with bunting goes up the ridge on left; this headland is the junction of Sams and Berowra Creeks; continue straight down, then along left bank of Berowra creek
4.35/1.12 After board walk over grass, track junction and signboard next to tidal Calna Creek :-‘ Berowra Waters 5.8 km’ back track and ‘ Mt. Kuring-gai 4.4 km’ link track on left; turn left and follow left bank of Calna Creek
5.73/1.33 First creek crossing;Calna Creek now on left
5.98/1.37 Second Calna Creek crossing on steps cut into sandstone
6.18/1.40 Junction of Calna Creek and Lyrebird Gully
6.42/1.46 Spectacular cave overhang
6.60/1.49 Lyrebird Gully crossing on outcrop with railing at edge of waterfall
6.61/1.50 Re-crossing Lyrebird Gully on steps cut into sandstone, immediately after previous crossing
7.55/2.05 Final Lyrebird Gully crossing –easy crossing on outcrop
7.76/2.09 Timber bridge crossing spillway for old backfilled dam; after crossing, walk along old dam wall, then veer right along service road; this dam may initially have provided water storage for steam trains, but was then backfilled as sewer discharge
7.97/2.12 Start of paved service road; follow this, steeply up in parts, to Old Pacific Highway
8.43/2.20 At end of service road with gate and signboard:- ‘ Great North Walk 4 km’ and ‘ Berowra Station 9 km’ both back track ; ‘Mt Kuring-gai Station 0.5 km’ ahead; at gate, cross the Old Pacific Highway carefully at traffic lights, then turn left and follow footpath to Mt Kuring-gai Station
8.62/2.23 Turn right at Station underpass, walk through station pedestrian tunnel noting signboard on right in tunnel:- ‘ Berowra Waters 10km’ backtrack and ‘Mt Kuring-gai Walking Track’ straight on; go straight, then cross motorway on pedestrian bridge to Harwood Avenue; go straight along Harwood Avenue to its end at a turning circle and gate across service road
9.05/2.25 At gate with signboard:- ‘ Mt Kuring-gai National Park- Mt Kuring-gai Track’; ‘Apple Tree Bay 4 km’ and ‘Berowra 8 km’; follow service road
9.67/2.31 Track junction; track on right goes to lookout; continue straight on arrowed post along what is now a wide walking track
11.48/3.00 Track junction beside Cowan Creek and signboard on left:- Mt Kuring-gai 2.5 km’ back track; turn left onto unsignposted Berowra track
11.78/3.05 timber wharf and walkway
12.07/3.10 First bay and creek crossing; take care on slippery rocks, especially at high tide
12.93/3.25 Winson Gully crossing at Winson Bay; easier crossing on rocks
13.78/3.40 Lords Bay; first of two gully crossings comprising Lords Bay
13.85/3.43 Second gully crossing
14.09/3.48 Minor creek crossing; these rocks can be slippery when wet
15.81/4.19 At end of Waratah Bay near creek entry point and start of washed out service road up along left bank of Warath Gully; in this area Mr Windibanks had a home, garden and boat hire business in the early 1900s; the old access road up from here was part of this venture; take old road up.
16.46/4.34 Waratah Gully crossing; after crossing, continue up along zig zag old service road; note slab sandstone culverts
17.22/4.59 Track junction near top; take right track up
17.33/5.00 On bridge over motorway
17.48/5.02 Berowra Station
Route Quality Index
On public vehicular road:- 1.14 km/ 7%
On locked service/fire trail:- 2.12km/ 13%
On walking track:- 14.22 km/ 81%
RQI= 81+7+0= 88
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