Great North Walk: Berowra Waters to Cowan Station

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Safer Bushwalks Tips on staying safe on track
Before you start any bushwalk ensure you;
• Tell someone you trust where you are going and what to do if you are overdue
• Have adequate equipment, supplies, skills & knowledge for the whole journey
• Consider the impact of weather forecasts, park/track closures & fire dangers
• Can respond to emergencies & call for help at any point
• Are healthy and fit enough for this journey
If not, change plans and stay safe. It is okay to delay and ask people for help.

Getting There Transport options and directions

Start	(-33.60058,151.1255871)
Mode	Bus Car (There is free parking available.)
Directions	From Pacific Motorway, M1 Turn on to Pacific Highway Offramp then drive for 3.3 km Turn right onto Berowra Waters Road, 11 and drive for another 130 m At roundabout, take exit 1 onto Berowra Waters Road, 11 and drive for another 270 m At roundabout, take exit 2 onto Berowra Waters Road, 11 and drive for another 1.4 km At roundabout, take exit 1 onto Berowra Waters Road, 11 and drive for another 4.1 km
Finish	(-33.5937223,151.1716571)
Mode (end)	Car Shuttle Bus Car (There is free parking available.) Train

Track Notes Turn by turn instructions & maps

Getting started
From 'Berowra Waters Trackhead', this walk follows the 'Newcastle' sign along 'Kirkpatrick Way' and across the culverted Franks Gully creek. As the walk crosses the gully, there is a picnic area and public toilet (and tap water) on your right. The walk continues along the road, keeping the water to your left for about 180m, then passing under the yellow boom gate. About 30m later, the walk stays left to head alongside the fenced car park. At the far end of this car park, the walk comes to a turning area at the end of Kirkpatrick Way.....

Turn map	Directions & comments
	Start. There is a pay phone (about 70 m back from the start). A Chef Secrets (about 65 m back from the start). Berowra Waters Garden House (about 35 m back from the start). Berowra Waters Garden House #######CLOSED###### This picturesque little restaurant sits on the eastern side of Berowra Creek and is just a hop, skip and a jump from the ferry. With breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, the Garden House Restaurant is a great spot for those looking to tap into the Berowra Valley's full potential. For information on bookings and opening hours phone (02)9456 2955. There is water tap (about 15 m back from the start). After another 15 m head down the 4 stone steps
	After another 4 m (at the intersection of Kirkpatrick Way & Berowra Waters Road) continue straight, to head along Kirkpatrick Way (a residential road). After 50 m pass the toilet (20 m on your right).
	After another 85 m continue straight, to head along Kirkpatrick Way. After another 90 m head through/around the gate. After another 55 m pass the car park (on your right). After another 580 m head up the 14 surface\|wood steps (about 3 m long) Then head up the 5 surface\|wood steps (about 6 m long) Then find a seat., has no backrest. After another 6 m head up the 26 earthen steps (about 8 m long) After another 25 m head up the 28 earthen steps (about 10 m long)
	After another 235 m (at the intersection of Alston Drive - GNW Track & The Great North Walk) continue straight, to head along The Great North Walk. After another 130 m cross the ford. After another 250 m cross the ford. After another 380 m pass a "The Roland Murray Bench" (on your right)., has no backrest.
	After another 440 m (at the intersection of Great North Walk - Firetrail & The Great North Walk) continue straight, to head along Great North Walk - Firetrail (a vehicle track). After another 325 m find the "Ridge Top Campground" (8 m on your right). Ridge Top Campground About 800m from Turners Rd, Berowra Heights lies this pleasant ridge top campsite. This is a fairly popular campsite on the Great North Walk, providing a flat area with plenty of shade. There are no facilities (or water) at this large campsite. A faint track leads west from the campsite to an unfenced cliff with great views over the Berowra Waters Valley.
	At the intersection of Turner Firetrail & Great North Walk - Firetrail turn left, to head along The Great North Walk (a walking track).
	After another 210 m (at the intersection of Firetrail & The Great North Walk) continue straight, to head along The Great North Walk.
	After another 145 m veer left, to head along The Great North Walk. After another 265 m come to the viewpoint (30 m on your left).
	After another 80 m continue straight, to head along The Great North Walk. After another 1000 m cross the ford. After another 400 m head up the 9 surface\|wood steps After another 100 m pass a seat (7 m on your right). After another 210 m pass a seat (15 m on your right)., has a backrest. Then come to the viewpoint (15 m on your right).
	Veer left, to head along The Great North Walk.
	After another 550 m (at the intersection of Glendale Trail & The Great North Walk) turn left, to head along Glendale Trail (a vehicle track).
	After another 40 m (at the intersection of The Great North Walk & Glendale Trail) turn right, to head along The Great North Walk (a walking track).
	After another 295 m (at the intersection of Glendale Road & The Great North Walk) continue straight, to head along The Great North Walk. After another 840 m cross the bridge (about 4 m long)
	After another 35 m (at the intersection of Cowan Trail & The Great North Walk) continue straight, to head along Cowan Trail (a vehicle track). After another 470 m head through/around the gate. After another 50 m pass the pay phone (105 m on your left).
	At the intersection of Pacific Highway & Cowan Trail veer right (a walking track). After another 25 m to find the car park. About 50 m past the end is a toilet. Mo-Fr About 40 m past the end is a shelter. The end.

Terrain Know the Hills, grading & facilities

Great North Walk: Berowra Waters to Cowan Station

Grading

	Class 4/6 Hard track
Length	7.3 km
Time	3 h 15 min to 3 h 30 min

Quality of track	Rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely (4/6)
Gradient	Very steep (4/6)
Signage	Directional signs along the way (3/6)
Infrastructure	Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6)
Experience Required	Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6)
Weather	Foretasted & unexpected storms and severe weather may impact on navigation and safety (4/6)

Some facilities on route

Campsite: There is one 2.7 km from the start.

Shelter: There is one 7.3 km from the start.

Toilet: There are 2 on route, on average they are 2.4 km apart with the largest gap of 7.2 km.

Seat: There are 4 on route, on average they are 1.5 km apart with the largest gap of 2.9 km.

Order of key facilities on route

Item	From Start	Name & link to notes
Toilet	60 m	[toilet]
Seat	880 m	[seat]
Seat	1.9 km	The Roland Murray Bench
Campsite	2.7 km	Ridge Top Campground
Seat	4.8 km	[seat]
Seat	5 km	[seat]
Toilet	7.3 km	[toilet]
Shelter	7.3 km	[shelter]

Articles Discover more details to thrive on track

Berowra Waters Garden House
#######CLOSED###### This picturesque little restaurant sits on the eastern side of Berowra Creek and is just a hop, skip and a jump from the ferry. With breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, the Garden House Restaurant is a great spot for those looking to tap into the Berowra Valley's full potential. For information on bookings and opening hours phone (02)9456 2955.

Waterview Restaurant
On the western side of Berowra Waters Ferry (free trip), just a short walk up the road, is the Waterview Restaurant, upstairs at the marina. The restaurant specialises in seafood, but also caters for other tastes in restaurant style dinning. Some sittings offers A la Carte meals from $25, and other sittings offer a fresh and cooked seafood buffet. Please call ahead, as the restaurant is also a popular venue for weddings. Open Friday-Sunday for lunch and dinner. Phone (02) 9456 2633 199 Bay Rd Berowra Waters, NSW 2082

The Fish CafÃ©
This seafood restaurant is located on the western side of the Berowra Waters Ferry, and offers casual dining with a great menu, overlooking the marina and river. The restaurant is open 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch, with dinner available on Friday through Sunday. The cafe is open 8:30 â€“ 9pm Wed-Sun and closes at 3pm Mon & Tuesdays. Takeaway is also available, and the nearby reserve provides picnic tables, toilets, children's playground and parking. Kayak hire is available from the marina building. The Fish CafÃ© is located at 199 Bay Road, Berowra Waters, and the phone number is (02)9456 4665.

Ridge Top Campground
About 800m from Turners Rd, Berowra Heights lies this pleasant ridge top campsite. This is a fairly popular campsite on the Great North Walk, providing a flat area with plenty of shade. There are no facilities (or water) at this large campsite. A faint track leads west from the campsite to an unfenced cliff with great views over the Berowra Waters Valley.

Get more information
Wildwalks

Weather & Alerts Check forecasts & closures
Weather Forecast
- Hornsby Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
  
  Monday 23 December
  
  30°C
  Mostly sunny.
  10% chance of rain
  
  Cloud clearing during the early morning to a mostly sunny day. Slight chance of a shower along the coastal fringe, most likely in the early afternoon. Light winds becoming west to southwesterly 25 to 35 km/h during the morning, shifting southerly 30 to 40 km/h in the early afternoon before tending south to southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the late afternoon. Winds reaching up to 50 km/h along the coastal fringe with the southerly change during the afternoon.
  
  Fire Danger Rating: Extreme
  
  UV Alert: Sun protection 8:40am to 5:00pm, UV Index predicted to reach 10 [Very High]
  
  Tuesday 24 December
  
  15°C → 25°C
  Sunny.
  5% chance of rain
  
  Sunny. Light winds becoming southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h early in the morning then tending southeast to southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h in the morning.
  
  Wednesday 25 December
  
  15°C → 28°C
  Sunny.
  0% chance of rain
  
  Sunny. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day then becoming light during the evening.
  
  Thursday 26 December
  
  16°C → 32°C
  Sunny.
  5% chance of rain
  
  Sunny. Light winds becoming northeasterly 20 to 30 km/h during the day.
  
  Friday 27 December
  
  20°C → 40°C
  Shower or two.
  50% chance of rain
  0 → 1mm
  
  Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely later in the day. The chance of a thunderstorm. Winds northerly 15 to 25 km/h increasing to 30 km/h before shifting southerly 15 to 25 km/h later.
  
  Saturday 28 December
  
  18°C → 30°C
  Mostly sunny.
  20% chance of rain
  
  Slight chance of a shower during the morning. Mostly sunny day. Winds southerly 15 to 25 km/h turning easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
  
  Sunday 29 December
  
  18°C → 33°C
  Partly cloudy.
  30% chance of rain
  0 → 1mm
  
  Mostly sunny. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day.
  
  Forecast data thanks to © Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Alerts
- Muogamarra Nature Reserve alerts
  Fire bans: Total Fire Ban
  A total fire ban has been declared by the NSW Rural Fire Service. The total fire ban applies for the entire 24-hour period. Total fire ban rules apply. This ban may be extended. Please continue to check this website. To find out where and when total fire bans are currently in effect, please visit the NSW Rural Fire Service.
  
  Closed parks: Muogamarra Nature Reserve closed
  Muogamarra Nature Reserve is only open to the public for 6 weeks every year, around spring time.
  Due to the sensitive nature of the reserve, access is restricted at other times to approved educational and research activities only.
  For more information about the reserve, call the NPWS Contact Centre on 1300 072 757 or the NPWS North Western Sydney area office on 02 8448 0400.
  
  Alert kindly provided by © NSW Nataional Parks and Wildlife Service
- Berowra Valley National Park alerts
  Closed areas: Total Fire Ban - All tracks and trails closed in Berowra Valley National Park - Monday 23 December 2024
  All tracks and trails in Berowra Valley National Park are closed on Monday 23 December 2024 due to a Total Fire Ban and elevated Fire Danger rating.
  
  Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, call the National Parks Contact Centre on 1300 072 757.
  
  Please review RFS information on Total Fire Bans, Fire Danger Ratings, and keep up to date using the Hazards Near Me app:
  https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fdr-and-tobans
  https://www.nsw.gov.au/emergency/hazards-near-me-app
  
  Fire bans: Total Fire Ban
  A total fire ban has been declared by the NSW Rural Fire Service. The total fire ban applies for the entire 24-hour period. Total fire ban rules apply. This ban may be extended. Please continue to check this website. To find out where and when total fire bans are currently in effect, please visit the NSW Rural Fire Service.
  
  Closed areas: Quarry trail and Great North Walk closure in Berowra Valley National Park
  Due to upgrade works on Steele Bridge on the Quarry trail in Berowra Valley National Park, there will be changed access to the surrounding trail network from Tuesday 8 October until Tuesday 31 December 2024.
  There will be no access across Berowra Creek on the Great North Walk (GNW) from the Quarry trail section in Hornsby, between Simon trail and Galston Gorge via Tunks Ridge campground.
  Walkers using the GNW will be required to detour via Simon trail, Sydney Road or Ulolo Road, Galston Road, Montview Parade, McKay Road or McKay trail in Hornsby Heights.
  Walkers planning to use Tunks Ridge campground can only access this area from the north, via Galston Road GNW entrance and Tunks Ridge trail.
  Access between Tunks Ridge campground and Quarry Road, Dural via Quarry trail through the Rifle Range safety template is prohibited at all times.
  Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, contact the local park office on (02) 8448 0400.
  
  Safety alerts: Swimming safety in Berowra Valley National Park
  Swimming is not advisable in Berowra Creek at certain times as the water may be subject to variable pollution levels and algal blooms. Please refer to the Hornsby Shire Council website before swimming in Berowra Creek. Alternatively you can call the Hornsby Council 24 hour information line on 9847 6666 or the Algal information line on 1800 999 457.
  Swimming at Fishponds is not advised at any time due to heavy water pollution.
  Penalties apply for non-compliance.For more information, contact the NPWS Chatswood area office on 02 8448 0400 or visit the NSW National Parks safety page for park safety guidelines.
  
  Alert kindly provided by © NSW Nataional Parks and Wildlife Service

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