Walk 8:- Berowra to Mt Kuring-gai At A Glance
Route Summary:- This walk is all on track. It goes for 0.6 km. along Berowra streets to the Benowie walking track head, then down for 0.75 km on a walking track to intersect a service road/ fire trail and for about 1 km. along this to a walking track ( Great North Walk) that goes steeply down to Sams Creek and continues as a good walking track for the next 5.6 km past Sams Creek and Calna Creek to a paved service road that goes steeply up for 0.5 km. to Mt. Kuring-gai streets, then for about 200 m. along the Pacific Highway to Mt Kuring-gai Station.
RQI:- 82
Highlights:- This walk 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 to an old earth dam wall and up steeply to Mt. Kuring-gai
Negatives:- Nil
Length:- 9.7 km
Grade:- Medium- steep descent to Sam’s Creek and several creek crossings
Weather:_All weather except when creeks in flood
Time:- 2hrs 25 min. continuous walking
Train Time from Central to Start :-. 47 min. via Strathfield
Train Time to Central from Finish :-. 1 hr. 2 min. via T1 Line
Total Climb :- 260 m.
Total Descent :- 260 m.
Water:- Berowra Station, nil en route
Toilets:- Berowra Station, Mt Kuring-gai unattended/locked; nil en route
Café/Kiosk :- Berowra; Mt Kuring-gai
Published 1:25,000 Map :- Cowan
Walk 8 Track Notes
Berowra to 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
6.42/1.46 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, then left up stairs to platforms
8.65/2.24 At Mt Kuring-gai Station
Route Quality Index
On public vehicular road- 10%
On locked service/fire trail- 17%
On walking track- 73%
RQI= 73+9+0= 82
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