I’m Walking the 260km Great North Walk Over Four Consecutive Weekends – Part 1: Sydney CBD to Cowan

The Great North Walk is one of the most accessible multi-day hikes near Sydney, but finding time to complete the 260km trek can be tricky for the weekend adventurer. Hilary found a loophole, with a plan to complete the walk over four consecutive weekends, with a working week of recovery and restocking between each adventure.

We Are Explorers acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Countries on which this adventure takes place, who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Four Weekends of Walking

I moved to Sydney about 18 months ago and have wanted to walk the Great North Walk while I live here. But I’ve not wanted to use precious annual leave for an adventure so close to home. Then, for a change, my calendar was free for four consecutive weekends. So, why not now?

A friend completed it in six consecutive days earlier this year, and after stalking his Strava, I decided to stretch it out to four weekends, starting in mid-October.

In true gung-ho form, that was the extent of my research. I didn’t know the average hiker takes ten days to walk the trail until I wrote this article! But what I lack in planning I make up for in passion (and stubbornness!). Campsites, water availability, and difficulty? Those were problems for another day.

Read more: Remember to leave no trace!

Flipping the Balance

One of the main drivers for this multi-leg adventure was to get a bit more feral. Lately, the 9-to-5 grind has been dominating my life, and instead of adventuring, I’ve spent my precious two days off lounging on a beach or binging The West Wing. I wanted to flip my routine on its head: live for the weekends, rest behind a desk, and reset for the next adventure.

Was my plan overly ambitious? Probably. Did I go in naive? Definitely. But after just one week, am I already feeling more feral and content? 100%.

Great North Walk – Macquarie Place to Cowan Station Quick Facts

Start: Macquarie Place, Sydney
Finish: Cowan Station, Cowan
Distance: 70.8km
Duration: 2 days
Elevation gain: 2,624m
Nearest town: Sydney
Skill level: Grades 3-5

About the Great North Walk

The Great North Walk links Sydney Cove and Newcastle in NSW. It can be walked in either direction, as a thru-hike, as day hikes or in sections.

The trail is 250km long, with approximately 8500m of elevation gain and loss. The trail varies in difficulty, with sections ranging from Grade 3 (moderate) to Grade 5 (difficult).

On average, people take 10-14 days to complete the full Great North Walk. Some sections intersect suburban public transport networks, making them more logistically accessible.

How to Get There

Accessing this section is super simple, as it’s connected to suburban rail lines. Catch a train to Circular Quay to start, and the Central Coast and Newcastle Line home from Cowan Station.

Where to Stay

Book accommodation in Thornleigh or Hornsby, or be self-sufficient and camp at one of the free campsites along the way, such as Tunks Ridge.

Where to Eat

Despite being pretty suburban, food options are very limited. Thornleigh is your best bet, unless you detour via Hornsby or Berowra.

Day 1 – Humble Beginnings From Macquarie Place to Tunks Ridge

Distance: 46.6km
Duration: 9 hours and 45 minutes

I decided to walk south to north, starting at Macquarie Place near Circular Quay and saving the trickier northern logistics for later weekends.

Soon after starting my watch, I paused it to catch the ferry to Woolwich. From here, the trail ducked and weaved through leafy suburbs to meet the Lane Cove River at Boronia Park, which I followed north-west for 20km as it narrowed from a wide, free-flowing river to a trickling tributary.

Naturally, it was on a mundane grassy section at Magdala Park that I tripped in a hole, rolled my ankle, and hit the deck in spectacular fashion. Just 11km into a 260km hike, the timing wasn’t ideal. After a few minutes sprawled on the grass, I picked myself up and hobbled on.

Tim (yes, WAE Tim!) joined me for a section in his ‘backyard’, a welcome distraction, before I found myself deep in Lane Cove National Park, pleasantly stunned at the beauty and wildness of the place. As my saving grace hiking poles rhythmically swung back and forth, water dragons scuttled into the undergrowth, with the only reminder of the surrounding suburbs the distant wail of a siren.

By mid-afternoon, my watch already said 28km, and I still had a long way to Tunks Ridge, my intended camp.

At Thornleigh Shopping Centre, I stocked up on necessities (strapping tape and ibuprofen) before subjecting the Saturday afternoon shoppers to my smelly feet as I followed a YouTube tutorial to tape my now very swollen ankle. The egg and bacon roll and coffee I inhaled gave me a second (or maybe third!) wind, and I set off again, soon joining Berowra Creek.

Stressing the Essentials

My gung-ho attitude got the better of me again that afternoon. Despite following waterways all day, I wasn’t game to drink even filtered water this close to the suburbs, and silly me had assumed there would be water tanks along the way. Signs saying Berowra Creek wasn’t safe to swim in didn’t inspire confidence, either.

I ended up filling my reservoir from a smaller creek feeding into it, telling myself I’d filter AND boil it. Which led me to realise I’d also forgotten to pack toilet paper – I could be in a real pickle here.

Read more: 7 Water Purification Methods for the Outdoors

After a particularly rough ascent, dripping sweat, and pondering what everyone else was up to at 7pm on a Saturday night, I popped up on the outskirts of Hornsby. In the last light, I scanned front yards for a garden tap, and, concealing myself behind a telephone pole, ducked onto an unsuspecting family’s front lawn while they ate dinner to swap my questionable creek water for six and a half litres of the good stuff.

Now it was dark, my pack was heavier, and camp was still some way off. After a dicey descent and a few kilometres of beautiful, straightforward fire trail, I powered into Tunks Ridge, 46.6km and 9 hours 45 minutes later. I was particularly grateful for life’s little luxuries that night – a camp chair and a packet of cuppa soup.

Read more: How To Use a PLB

Day 2 – A Veritable Rollercaster Between Tunks Ridge and Cowan

Distance: 24.2km

Day two started with me wondering how I’d even get out of the tent. My ankle was looking angry, and everything ached, the hangover of an accidental marathon.

My friend Mirjam’s impending arrival motivated me out of the tent, and by 8am, we were off and (not) racing, rejoining Berowra Creek along undulating single track, with the morning sun shining through the towering eucalypts.

It was a day of big ups and steep downs, dropping to creek level before climbing the escarpment for a spectacular view, then back down into lush, moss-covered gullies. By mid-morning we reached Crosslands Reserve, just in time to shelter from a brief but heavy downpour.

Read more: 7 Tips for Rainy Day Hiking

After Berowra Waters came another steep ascent into Muogamarra Nature Reserve, a stunning stretch of single track with girthy Sydney red gums growing in and out of precarious rocks, and wildflowers galore.

Mirjam’s company was a welcome distraction from my swollen ankle and the lethargy overwhelming every muscle. As we tackled the final three climbs (who’s counting?), I did a mental inventory of my pack, wondering what I could leave behind next week.

As we neared Cowan, the sound of the Newcastle Line was music to my ears. My plan had been to push on to Brooklyn, 10km further, but calling it a day in Cowan was the right move.

After a sweaty hug and a big thank you to Mirjam for boosting morale, I jumped on a train back to Sydney and, in a daze en route, stocked up on the essentials: Thai takeaway, Epsom salts, frozen peas, and soda crystals.

The furthest thing from my mind were the emails awaiting me the next morning, or the overdue tax return on my life admin list. I might have broken my body, but I’d also broken the cycle of weekends being an extension of the working week. I was a bit more feral, and it felt great.

Weekend number two up next!