Cowan to Brooklyn on foot, a night in a fishing village, and a train that only stops if you wave.
There's a railway station just an hour north of Sydney's Central Station that lands you straight into a national park you can't drive to.
Opened in 1889 to serve a sandstone quarry, the platform is shorter than a single carriage. To get off there, you have to go to the back of the train and tell the guard beforehand. The back door is the only one that lines up with the platform.
To catch a train from the station, you stand on the platform and wave at the driver as it approaches.
It's called Wondabyne, and I want to tell you about a two-day walk that takes in that adventure and more. It's part of the Great North Walk, that runs 250 kilometres from Sydney to Newcastle. For a long time I'd assumed that meant it was only for people with two spare weeks and a different body.
The good news is, much of that a long track is made up of a series of short options like this.
The two-day Great North Walk section at a glance
| Day | Route | Distance | Time | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | Cowan to Brooklyn | 13km | 5 to 6 hours | Hard |
| Two (Option A) | Wondabyne to Mooney Mooney Creek trackhead | ~10km | 4 hours | Hard |
| Two (Option B) | Wondabyne to Kariong | ~16km | 6 hours | Hard |
Day one: Cowan to Brooklyn is 13km and graded Hard
Catch the Central Coast and Newcastle line from Central Station in Sydney, to Cowan, about an hour. Minutes after you walk off the platform the suburbs are gone. You drop into Ku-ring-gai Chase on a sandstone track heading for Jerusalem Bay.
This is one of the most celebrated stretches of the whole walk. The track works along steep escarpments above Cowan Creek and the views arrive suddenly. Bush, then a tidal inlet a very long way below, then bush again. In September the heath is going properly: waratah, bush pea, the red and gold for few weeks too.
It's graded Hard, with some bushwalking experience needed, short steep sections and rough surfaces. The climb out of Jerusalem Bay is the one that finds you out, and the last drop into Brooklyn is steep enough that your quads will lodge a formal complaint the next morning.
Carry two litres minimum. Treat it as dry.
Where to stay in Brooklyn at the end of day one
You come out at the Hawkesbury River waterfront, in a working oyster and fishing village with an 1899 pub, a jetty and fish and chips. Brooklyn has great accommodation options: camping spots just before town, marina places with terraces over the water, AirBnBs, or a motel for when the rest is booked, which on a spring weekend it will be. Book early.
Then you sit somewhere, watch the afternoon light reflect off the river, and get that feeling that only turns up after you've walked a long way to a pub instead of driving to one.
Day two: Brooklyn to Wondabyne, the station with no road
The morning starts with the good part. A train ride in the middle of a bushwalk.
From Brooklyn you get on the last carriage of the northbound service and tell the guard you want Wondabyne, the very next stop over the river and just 7 minutes away.
You exit at the station, doors shut behind you, the train goes, and you notice Mullet Creek slapping the platform's pylons below you, with bush rising straight up the other side. And there's no road in any direction. It's one of the strangest and best places I know that's barely over 60 minutes of a capital city CBD.
The track climbs hard out of the station through dry eucalypt towards Scopas Peak. Take the side trip up Mount Wondabyne, which is steep and short and gives you the full circle of country. Obvious spot for lunch and for feeling unreasonably pleased with yourself.
How the Wondabyne request stop works
Wondabyne is a request stop in both directions, and this is not something you can improvise at 4pm on a platform in a national park.
- Tell the guard in the rear carriage as soon as you board. Say you want Wondabyne. The train does not stop otherwise.
- Stay in the last carriage. The platform lines up with the rear door of the rear carriage.
- If doing it in reverse, to hail the train at Wondabyne stand on the platform and wave clearly at the driver, in good time. Express trains won't stop.
- Tap on and off as normal. Wondabyne has an Opal card reader, which amuses me more than it should.
Ways to finish: Mooney Mooney Creek or Kariong
From Mount Wondabyne, you have options to finish.
- Option A, Mooney Mooney Creek trackhead. Roughly 10km, four hours. Down through Piles Creek gorge, over the suspension bridge, north to the trackhead. Shorter and more manageable. You'll need a lift or taxi out to Gosford.
- Option B, Kariong. Roughly 16km, six hours. Past Piles Creek, around Mount Wondabyne on Thommos Loop, past Kariong Brook Falls. Longer, better, harder. Bus to Gosford from Kariong, but services are thin enough that you want to check the timetable before you commit rather than after.
Either way, Gosford to Central Station has you back in Sydney by evening on a train, without having touched a car since Friday.
What to know before walking this section
- Water. Two litres minimum a day, and treat the whole route as dry.
- Season. September to November is the window. Warm without being punishing, wildflowers out, and fire danger lower than it'll be in January.
- Opal. Cowan, Brooklyn, Wondabyne and Gosford are all tap-on stations.
- Offline maps, downloaded before you go. Reception is patchy. The official Great North Walk notes and Wildwalks are both good.
- Grade it honestly. National Parks says adults, 15 and over, some experience recommended.
Why walk the Great North Walk in sections
I started walking at fifty and I wasn't particularly fit.
Taking the Great North Walk in sections is what taught me you don't have to be on an expedition to be out there. You can leave town early Saturday, walk hard for two days, sleep in a bed with actual sheets, eat a pub meal, stand on a platform in the middle of a national park waving at a train driver like someone hailing a cab in 1889, and be back at your desk Monday having genuinely been somewhere.
More next month. Go for a walk.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Cowan to Brooklyn section of the Great North Walk take?
5 to 6 hours for 13km, and NSW National Parks grades it Hard. The time is driven by the terrain rather than distance: steep escarpment sections above Cowan Creek, rough surfaces, and a great many steps. The climb out of Jerusalem Bay and the final descent into Brooklyn are the two that hurt.
Do you need bushwalking experience for the Great North Walk?
For this section, yes. NSW National Parks recommends some bushwalking experience and sets the grade at Hard for adults aged 15 and over. If your last walk was a flat coastal path, treat this as a real step up.
How much water should you carry on the Cowan to Wondabyne walk?
Two litres per person per day as a minimum, and treat the whole route as dry. The creeks you pass are either tidal or stagnant, so there is no reliable resupply between Cowan and Brooklyn, or between Wondabyne and either finish point.
When is the best time of year to walk the Great North Walk?
September to November. The weather is warm without being punishing, the heath, waratah and bush pea is all in flower, and fire danger is lower than in January. Summer on exposed sandstone is hard work for no extra reward.
Can you walk the Great North Walk in sections?
Yes, and it is the reason the track is accessible from many towns. The full route runs 250km from Sydney to Newcastle. Cowan, Brooklyn, Wondabyne, Gosford stations let you start and finish a weekend on public transport.
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About the author
Simon is 55, grew up in Melbourne and lives in Sydney's inner west. He took up walking at fifty and never really stopped, spends a decade of Sunday mornings on coastal care, and writes Sunday Sessions on the first Sunday of the month. He covers hiking for SurfStitch.
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