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 (from the Kirkpatrick Way) 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 wooden steps (about 3 m long) Then head up the 5 wooden 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 (from the The Great North Walk) 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 (from the The Great North Walk) continue straight, to head along The Great North Walk. After another 1000 m cross the ford. After another 400 m head up the 9 wooden 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).
	From the The Great North Walk 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 Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu
  
  Thursday 13 March
  
  Clear.
  
  Clear. Winds east to northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h becoming light in the evening.
  
  Friday 14 March
  
  18°C → 33°C
  Mostly sunny.
  5% chance of rain
  
  Mostly sunny. The chance of fog in the early morning, mainly in the west. Light winds becoming northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the late afternoon then becoming light in the evening.
  
  Fire Danger Rating: Moderate
  
  UV Alert: Sun protection 9:40am to 4:20pm, UV Index predicted to reach 8 [Very High]
  
  Saturday 15 March
  
  20°C → 34°C
  Partly cloudy.
  5% chance of rain
  
  Partly cloudy. Light winds becoming northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the late afternoon then becoming light in the late evening.
  
  Sunday 16 March
  
  22°C → 36°C
  Mostly sunny.
  10% chance of rain
  
  Mostly sunny. Light winds becoming northwesterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day.
  
  Monday 17 March
  
  17°C → 24°C
  Partly cloudy.
  30% chance of rain
  0 → 1mm
  
  Slight chance of a shower in the morning. Mostly sunny afternoon. Winds westerly 15 to 25 km/h shifting south to southeasterly 20 to 30 km/h during the day.
  
  Tuesday 18 March
  
  14°C → 24°C
  Mostly sunny.
  20% chance of rain
  
  Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
  
  Wednesday 19 March
  
  14°C → 28°C
  Sunny.
  10% chance of rain
  
  Sunny. Light winds becoming northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
  
  Thursday 20 March
  
  16°C → 28°C
  Partly cloudy.
  30% chance of rain
  0 → 1mm
  
  Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming east to northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
  
  Forecast data thanks to © Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Alerts
- Berowra Valley National Park alerts
  Closed areas: Oxley Trail maintenance
  Surface and vegetation works will be carried out on the Oxley Trail from Wednesday 12 March to Wednesday 26 March inclusive, weather permitting.
  Please follow all signage and instructions from NPWS staff and contractors.
  Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, contact the North Western Sydney area 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
- Muogamarra Nature Reserve alerts
  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

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