Thornleigh to Galston Gorge

Download & Print Map and Notes

6 hrs

15.5 km One way

768 m

Hard track
This walk follows the Great North Walk above Berowra Creek from Thornleigh to Galston Gorge, on bush tracks and service trails. The Steele Bridge is quite an interesting landmark of the area. Fishponds is a wonderful highlight, it is a lovely water hole surrounded by tall sandstone cliffs. The walk finishes on a road a long way from anywhere, you will need to organise a friend to pick you up. Note this walk was re-routed in early 2016 to go via the streets of Hornsby Heights. This re-route is due to the multi-agency decision to close the Fishponds to Steele Bridge section of the Benowie Track. This decision has upset many people and the protest continues.

Maps for the Thornleigh to Galston Gorge walk

You can download the PDF for this walk to print a map.
These maps below cover the walk and the wider area around the walk, they are worth carrying for safety reasons.
Hornsby 1:25 000 Map Series 91304S HORNSBY NSW-91304S
Sydney 1:100 000 Map Series 9130 SYDNEY 9130

Cross sectional view of the Thornleigh to Galston Gorge bushwalking track

Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Thornleigh to Galston Gorge

Overview of this walks grade – based on the AS 2156.1 – 2001

Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.

Length 15.5 km
Time 6 hrs
.




Grade 4/6



Hard track
AS 2156.1 Gradient Very steep (4/6)
Quality of track Formed track, with some branches and other obstacles (3/6)
Signs Directional signs along the way (3/6)
Experience Required Moderate level of bushwalking experience recommended (4/6)
Weather Storms may impact on navigation and safety (3/6)
Infrastructure Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6)

Some more details of this walks Grading

Here is a bit more details explaining grading looking at sections of the walk

Gradient

6km of this walk has short steep hills and another 3.8km has gentle hills with occasional steps. Whilst another 3.3km is very steep and the remaining 2.2km is flat with no steps.

Quality of track

7km of this walk follows a clear and well formed track or trail and another 6km follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles. The remaining (1.9km) follows a smooth and hardened path.

Signs

Around 8km of this walk has directional signs at most intersection, whilst the remaining 7km is clearly signposted.

Experience Required

9km of this walk requires no previous bushwalking experience and another 5km requires some bushwalking experience. The remaining (990m) requires a leader a with moderate level of bushwalking experience.

weather

Around 15km of this walk is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation), whilst the remaining 990m is affected by storms that may impact your navigation and safety.

Infrastructure

Around 8km of this walk has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced), whilst the remaining 7km is close to useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats).

Similar walks

A list of walks that share part of the track with the Thornleigh to Galston Gorge walk.

Other Nearby walks

A list of walks that start near the Thornleigh to Galston Gorge walk.

Plan your trip to and from the walk here

The Thornleigh to Galston Gorge walk starts at the Thornleigh Train Station (gps: -33.731949, 151.07815)
Your transport options to Thornleigh Train Station are by;
Train. (get details)
Bus. (get details)
Car. There is free parking available.
(get details)



The Thornleigh to Galston Gorge ends at the Galston Gorge track head (gps: -33.66458, 151.08031)
Your main transport option to Galston Gorge track head is by;
Car. There is free parking available.
(get details)


Fire Danger

Each park may have its own fire ban, this rating is only valid for today and is based on information from the RFS Please check the RFS Website for more information.

Weather Forest

This walk starts in the Metropolitan weather district always check the formal BOM forecast or pdf before starting your walk.

Forecast snapshot

Park Information & Alerts

Comments

 


Short URL = http://wild.tl/ttgg


Gallery images
There are other downloads I am still working on.
You will probably need to login to access these — still all free.
* KML (google earth file)
* GPX (GPS file)

Special Maps/ brochures
* A3 topo maps
* PDF with Lands Topo map base
* PDF with arial image (and map overlay)
I wanted to get the main site live first, this extra stuff will come in time.
Happy walking
Matt 🙂