Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Long Sydney Hike

Doing some low tide exploration and crab chasing in Waratah Bay, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

Besides the Sydney Harbour and beaches Sydney's green belt of National Parks is it's best natural asset. The two Sydney area National Parks I've visited the most since I've been here is Lane Cove and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Parks.

Melanie crossing the rocks in Lords Creek

On the hottest day yet this summer, a sweltering 35c, Melanie and I decide to do a longish hike of around 25 kilometers in one of the nearby city parks.We considered the coast walk in Royal National Park, but

vetoed this as the commute to the trail head from the North Shore would take us too long. Instead we opted for a walk through Ku-ring-gai Chase. It turned out to be an excellent choice. We used the train to reach the trail head near the Turramurra rail station. Our walk through the bush would eventually take us to the Berowra Rail Sation for our return to the city. And that's how it worked out for a pleasant moderate 4-5 hour walk of around 23 kilometers in length with lots of beautiful things to see and some swimming as well.Of course if you do this when it's blazing hot you'll need to slow your pace, as we did and stop for swims and ice cream.

bark shedding trees, big goanna, jelly fish and other strange sights await in Ku-ring_gai

Arriving on the North Shore train line to Turrammura a nice 3 km walk through neighborhoods got us to Bedford Road where we found the trail-head into the Cowan Creek Reserve and to the Park. We followed fire roads and posted signs to the Warrimoo Track where we entered the National Park and descended on a foot trail to the crossing of Cowan Creek. From there walking along mangrove and tidal areas to Bobbinhead Marina (cafe), Apple Tree Bay (drinking water and more ice cream) to Waratah Bay where the trail climbs and climbs out to Berowra town and the train Station. If the tide is out there are nice beaches for swimming and cooling off in the upper reaches of Cowan Creek as well as in Lords Bay and Waratha Bay.

               Walking across the shallow tidal flats at Winson Bay.

        A warning posted at the Bobbinhead Marina. I was not aware that leaches were carriers of any blood born virus. The horrors!!

 

 

 

 

Because so many of the tracks in these parks donot have convient loops we figured for this long-ish hike to use the train to send us back to our start.