Epping to Eastwood, via Lane Cove River, is the longer route through the bush between the stations. This walk visits Big Ducky Waterhole, Whale Rock, Browns Waterhole and the Lane Cove River. The water is a great feature of this walk as you explore the valleys between Epping and Eastwood Stations.
(open in app)
There are Closed areas in Lane Cove National Park Today's Fire rating LOW MODERATE (No fire ban)
Bushwalking track notes photographs, maps and camping spots for Epping to Eastwood Station (via Lane Cove River)
Cross sectional view of the Epping to Eastwood Station (via Lane Cove River) bushwalking track
Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Epping to Eastwood Station (via Lane Cove River) bushwalking track
Overview of this walks Grading - Based on the AS 2156.1 - 2001
These details are new. This new feature still requires more testing and refining. Please use the 'Walker Feedback' for report specific issues. Please e-mail Matt if you have any general comments. Hope you find it helpful.
Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.
Length
10km
Time
3 hrs 45 mins
.
Grade 3/6
Track: Moderate
AS 2156.1
Gradient
Gentle hills with occasional steps (2/6)
Quality of track
Formed track, with some branches and other obstacles (3/6)
Signs
Directional signs along the way (3/6)
Experience Required
Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6)
Weather
Storms may impact on navigation and safety (3/6)
Infrastructure
Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6)
*This summary of grading information is new and still in testing
Some more detail of this walks Grading
Here is a bit more details explaining the grading looking at sections of the walk. Gradient
Around 9km of this walk has gentle hills with occasional steps, whilst the remaining 1.1km is flat with no steps.
Quality of track
4.1km of this walk follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles and another 3.7km follows a clear and well formed track or trail. The remaining (2.4km) follows a smooth and hardened path.
Signs
Around 7km of this walk is clearly signposted, whilst the remaining 3.2km has directional signs at most intersection.
Experience Required
Around 7km of this walk requires no previous bushwalking experience, whilst the remaining 3.6km requires some bushwalking experience.
Weather
Around 9km of this walk is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation), whilst the remaining 880m is affected by storms that may impact your navigation and safety.
Infrastructure
Around 7km of this walk is close to useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats), whilst the remaining 3.6km has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced).
Online bushwalking Magazine. Download the full magazine for free Bushwalk Australia eMag The Online Magazine is produces by the community at bushwalk.com and the Wildwalks team Bushwalk.com Australia's most active bushwalking forum - Check it out. Happy Reading. Matt :)
(0 km)
Epping Station
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Int of Derby street service trail Path: Easy - Wheelchair accessible - road
Length = 938 m
Time = 18 mins
Climb = 3 m
Descent = -33 m
The walk exits Epping Station on the Oxford St side. The walk then crosses Cambridge St and continues down Oxford St. The walk follows the footpath past the shops down Oxford St passing Chester St, Surrey St. Just after Surry St the walk turns left onto Derby St to the end. Nearing the end of Derby St the walk tends left around the yellow gate and onto the concrete driveway which veers left off the road. The walk continues towards the tunnel to come to an intersection just before the tunnel entrance.
(0.94 km)
Int of Derby street service trail
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Int of Epping Trk and Malton Rd Trail Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 1.49 km
Time = 25 mins
Climb = 7 m
Descent = -21 m
Veer right: From the intersection this walk follows the Great North Walk arrow up the couple of steps then down along the footpath through the tunnel under the M2 (keeping the creek and wider management trail to your left). Out of the tunnel this walk follows the track as it winds up and around the fenced sewage vent and then continues through the dense bushland in the gully passing a sign marking the entrance to Lane Cove National Park. A little while later the track leads to a signposted intersection with the 'Belinda Crs' management trail. Turn left: From the intersection the track follows the Whale Rock sign down the service trail which narrows into a bushtrack and follows Devlin creek through the gully all the way along until it widens out into a rocky service trail again and comes to the intersection of the Cheltenham service trail.
(2.43 km)
Int of Epping Trk and Malton Rd Trail
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Big Ducky Waterhole Walk: Easy - servicetrail
Length = 187 m
Time = 3 mins
Climb = 3 m
Descent = -1 m
Continue straight: From the intersection the track follows the Lane Cove River arrow along the servicetrail for a while before it loops around the top of Big Ducky Waterhole.
Big Ducky Waterhole
Alt = 49 m
The servicetrail loops around the top of the Big Ducky waterhole and there is a nice rock overhang in which to break. Is also a popular bird watching area. Unfortunately, recently there has been large quantities of rubbish in the area. (If going down to the waterhole please consider carrying out some of the rubbish if every walker carrys out a bit it will make a difference)
(2.61 km)
Big Ducky Waterhole
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Whale Rock Walk: Easy - servicetrail
Length = 479 m
Time = 8 mins
Climb = 6 m
Descent = -9 m
Continue straight: From the top of Big Ducky Waterhole the continues through the valley keeping Devlins Creek below on the left of the track all the way to Whale Rock.
Whale Rock
Alt = 48 m
This is a large boulder that looks eerily like a whale, complete with eye socket. It is a good place to break and climb around the Rock.
(3.09 km)
Whale Rock
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Browns Waterhole int Track: Moderate - servicetrail
Length = 2.07 km
Time = 40 mins
Climb = 47 m
Descent = -66 m
Continue straight: From Whale Rock the track follows the Penant Hills Park arrow along the service trail as it winds through the valley, crossing several small concrete creek crossings until it comes to the signposted intersection of the Pennant Hills ovals service trail. Continue straight: From the intersection the track follows the Thornleigh via Great North Walk arrow down the short but steep hill and across the river at the causeway. On the other side of the river the track comes up to the intersection of the Great North Walk service trail. Veer right: From the intersection, this walk follows the 'Lane Cove River Park' sign[1], gently uphill along the management trail, keeping the river to your right. After about 80m, the trail leads to a Y-intersection with sealed management trail[2] (on the left), marked with a STEP Track map/sign[3]. Veer right: From the intersection, this walk follows the 'The Great North Walk' sign[4] along the mostly flat management trail, initially keeping the sealed 'Canoon Rd' trail up to your left. The trail undulates through the tall forest[5] and valley (weedy in places[6]), keeping the river to your right, for just shy of 600m to come to an intersection marked with a 'STEP track' sign[7][8] (on your left). Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk follows GNW arrow post[9] down the short, fairly steep hill, following the management trail over a small culverted creek[10]. The walk then heads gently uphill for about 30m to come to a clear three-way intersection[11], marked with a GNW arrow post. Veer right: From the intersection, this walk follows the GNW arrow post[12] south-east, gently up along the wide trail, keeping the main valley to your right. The trail leads gently up through the valley for about 400m, then under some high tension power lines[13], where there is a mostly clear view over the river[14] (to your right). Here the trail continues for another 80m to come to an intersection with a wide concrete path (just past the 'Caution' sign[15]), beside the Lane Cove River crossing[16] (on your right), marked with a 'The Great North Walk' sign[17].
(5.16 km)
Browns Waterhole int
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Browns Waterhole Track: Moderate - footpath
Length = 90 m
Time = 2 mins
Climb = 5 m
Descent = -1 m
Veer right: From the intersection, this walk crosses the the causeway of Browns Waterhole. (Caution is needed during and after rain, may become impassable) From here the track continues up the hill on the other side until reaching a small picnic area signposted as 'Browns Waterhole'.
Browns Waterhole
Alt = 31 m
Browns Waterhole is a wide, shallow section of the Lane Cove River, downstream of a concrete weir[18]. There is a concrete shared cycle/footpath crossing over the top of the weir, linking Kissing Point Road, South Turramurra to Vimiera Rd, Macquarie Park. On the western side of the waterhole, there is a picnic table[19] and small clearing with a view over this section of the river.
(5.25 km)
Browns Waterhole
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Int of Terry's Creek Walking Track and Brown's Waterhole Servicetrail Path: Easy - Wheelchair accessible - footpath
Length = 40 m
Time = 1 mins
Climb = 3 m
Descent = 0 m
Continue straight: From Browns Waterhole, at the picnic tables, this walk follows the concrete management trail away from the river, up the gentle hill until reaching the large green 'Terrys Creek Walking Track' sign.
(5.29 km)
Int of Terry's Creek Walking Track and Brown's Waterhole Servicetrail
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Int of Eastwood station and waterfall loop tracks Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 2.95 km
Time = 55 mins
Climb = 70 m
Descent = -51 m
Turn right: From the intersection the track follows the Terrys creek walking track sign through the dense bush and along a metal walkway the winds along for a little while, joining back onto a bushtrack and following it up some wooden steps and all the way along to the signposted intersection of a bushtrack heading down across the creek. Continue straight: From the intersection the track follows the bushtrack south through the bush winding up some steps and crossing underneath the M2 moter way and back down and around to the signposted intersection of the Crimea road and Epping road tracks. Turn right: From the intersection the tack follows the Epping road arrow down across the creek and up the other side to the signposted intersection of the Eastwood Station track at the number 18 plaque Turn right: From the intersection the track follows the Eastwood Station arrow through the bush winding all the way along to a rock platform where you can see the M2 motorway and continues along the track, all the way through until it comes to the signposted intersection of the signposted intersection of the Eastwood Station track Continue straight: From the intersection the track heads west through the bush winding down a gentle hill and around a sewage access point, coming back up the other side to the signposted intersection of the Eastwood Station track. Turn left: From the intersection the track heads south, up the short hill and through the bush passing 2 sewage access points as it winds along the left hand side of the creek, all the way to the intersection of the Eastwood Station track, a short distance after passing the 3rd sewage access point. Continue straight: From the intersection the track follows the bushtrack south alongside the creek, passing a sewage access point and continuing up a short hill to the intersection of the unnamed bushtrack. Veer left: From the intersection the track heads south west along the bushtrack winding up and down along the left side of the creek until it crosses a small wooden bridge and continues through the bush, all the way to the intersection of the unnamed bushtrack. Continue straight: From the intersection the track follows the Eastwood Station arrow along the creek and through the bush past signpost 15, and a sewage access point. continuing up a short hill to the intersection of the Epping road track. Continue straight: From the intersection the track follows the bushtrack down the gentle hill, winding around and under the Epping road bridge and across the rocks until it comes to the intersection of the Pembroke road path and the Eastwood Station track at the base of the wooden steps. Veer left: From the intersection the track heads up the steps to the top, at the intersection of the Rest area track. Turn right: From the intersection the track follows the Eastwood Station sign south along the bushtrack winding past a sewage access point and the number 12 signpost, coming down and along the creek, all the way to the intersection of the Eastwood station tracks. Continue straight: From the intersection the track heads south along the bushtrack climbing up a small hill and down across a thin wooden creek bridge, passing a sewage access point as the track continues along the creek for a short while until it turns up and away from the creek, winding up a rocky hill and along the side of the valley for a short while, coming back down towards the creek, passing the number 11 signpost and crossing the creek again. From the creek crossing the track continues up and along the gentle hill winding through the bush until it comes to the signposted intersection of Eastwood station and Pembroke park tracks. Turn right: From the intersection the track follows the Dence Park sign down across the creek (for safety reasons you should avoid the crossing after recent rainfall) and up the other side to the intersection of the Eastwood station and Dence Park tracks. Turn left : From the intersection the track follows the Eastwood station arrow south through the bush winding along side the creek and through a thick patch of bamboo. Staying close to the creek, the track continues upstream until it comes to the unsignposted intersection of the Eastwood station and waterfall tracks. Turn right: From the intersection the track follows the bushtrack heading up the hill through dense ferns and along the side of the valley for a short distance to the intersection of the waterfall loop track.
(8.24 km)
Int of Eastwood station and waterfall loop tracks
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Terrys Creek Waterfall Optional sidetrip: Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 28 m
Time = 1 mins
Climb = 0 m
Descent = -3 m
Veer left: From the intersection the track follows the bushtrack heading down towards the creek, winding around and down some rock steps to the intersection of the Terrys creek waterfall. (Retrace your steps back to the main track, then turn left to continue along this walk.)
Terrys Creek Waterfall
Alt = 55 m
This is a small waterfall on Terrys Creek, and makes a good spot to break from the walk.
(8.24 km)
Int of Eastwood station and waterfall loop tracks
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Forrester Park Track: Moderate - bushtrack
Length = 694 m
Time = 13 mins
Climb = 17 m
Descent = -15 m
Veer right: From the intersection the track follows the bushtrack heading up a short rocky hill and through some grass trees, coming down the other side and around beside a short rock wall to the top of the Terrys creek waterfall. Continue straight: From the top of the falls the track follows the creek up stream along the bushtrack winding through the fairly open bush for a while until it heads up some wooden steps onto a platform and continues along all the way through thicker bush, crossing the bridged Terrys creek and continuing all the way along to the back of Forrester park.
(8.93 km)
Forrester Park
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Eastwood Railway Station Walk: Easy - road
Length = 1.28 km
Time = 23 mins
Climb = 28 m
Descent = -20 m
Veer left: From Forrester Park, this walk heads south-east along Davis Avenue for about 30m to the right-hand bend in the road. From here, the walk crosses Terry's Creek on a bridge and then turns right onto Vimiera Road. At the end of Vimiera Rd, the walk turns right onto Balaclava Rd, then immediately left onto Blaxland Road. The walk passes May St and Ethel Lane, and turns right into Ethel Street, following this road to the end where it comes to Eastwood Railway Station.
Fire Danger This walk passes Greater Sydney Region fire area which currently has a LOW MODERATE rating and No fire ban in place. (Tomorrow the Fire Danger Rating is LOW MODERATE, No fire ban.) (Downloaded 7 years ago) Please Note: 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.
Lane Cove National ParkLink to official closures and fire bans page This small but picturesque city park is a haven of peaceful bushland along the winding Lane Cove River. Home to the Kukundi Wildlife Shelter and 27 km of the Great North Walk, you can also hire a boat, take a stroll or enjoy a picnic by the weir. Region: Sydney & Surrounds Park feesCampingFacilities Current Park Closure information for Lane Cove National Park Closure information last downloaded Sunday 27th of September 2015 07:00 AM Closed areas: Terrys Creek walking track maintenance Some areas of this park will experience temporary disruptions and delays due to walking track maintenance, unless the closure is otherwise extended or removed. Closed areas are:
Bradley Reserve Bradley Reserve is a large natural bushland area owned and managed by Ku-ring-gai council. The reserve extends from Lane Cove River to the end of Kissing Point Road north to George Christie playing fields. The reserve is home to the locally well know STEP track, and is cared for by the STEP inc, the "South Turramurra Environment Protection". The Great north walk also heads through this reserve, and is also home to Browns water hole. Region: I am not aware of any closures in this park at the moment.
"Nearing the end of Derby St the walk tends left onto the footpath which veers away from the road. The track continues to the tunnel under the motorway."
Stay on the right hand side of the tunnel when walking through it. As soon as you come out of the tunnel there should be a bushwalkers sign. If you have come out of the tunnel and find yourself on a residential street, you were walking on the wrong side of the tunnel.
Emily - Check that the walk is open
IP:122.106.45.xxx | 2010-04-14 11:27:25
Best to check that the walk is open before hand as when we got there, the track leading into the Great North Walk was closed.
admin - re: The start of walk
Super Administrator | 2010-04-18 23:34:10
Emily wrote:
you were walking on the wrong side of the tunnel.
Hi Emily
Thanks for the feedback, the notes where not as clear as they could have been, sorry for the detour. I have now updated the notes to suggest taking the footpath on the right hand side.
Hope you enjoyed the walk.
Good advice about checking if tracks are open before heading off.
Thanks
Matt :)
Alex
IP:60.240.55.xxx | 2011-10-09 09:31:43
As usual thanks for the excellent track notes. It does get a bit confusing with all the unnamed tracks after going under the M2, but generally it's easy to pick the right one.
That said, I'm pissed off the NPWS, because I checked their website before heading out, and it said there are no closures. When we got out there though, there are TWO areas that are "closed".
The first is a small section about 500m past Whale Rock. Recently one of the concrete causeways across the Lane Cove River has broken up and washed away. They have posted a number of signs on the approach saying the section of the main path is closed for 6 weeks starting 3 October 2011. They provide an alternate path. That said, the cyclone fence at the start and end of the closed are was open, and many many people were ignoring it and walking through. Ironically, the washed out causeway was easier to cross than the two before...
The second closed are is the 100m underneath the M2 on the Terry Creek Track section. There is a sign at the Browns Water Hole stating that the 100m is closed from March 2011 for 3 YEARS! They also provide an alternate route, bit it is on roads. Again, although the fence this time is padlocked, it's quite obvious that a LOT of people have just walked around it (you don't even have to do any bush bashing).
Anyways I'm not recommending you ignore the signs, but be aware there are closed areas, and probably workers on site during the week. NPWS could mention them on their website though!
admin - closed area
Super Administrator | 2011-10-09 23:51:12
Hi Alex
Thanks for the feedback, some helpful info there. Some info that would have been handy before you go there.
The area is a bit of mess with park boundaries, but I think the M2 section is outside of NPWS estate and is managed by Ryde City Council (on the east side of the river) and Hornsby Council on the other side. The section just past Whale Rock is NPWS land. Generally they only put things up as closed if there is no alternate route in place (or if the closure means diverting around key feature). But at least the next people to walk this using these notes now know - thanks
Matt :)
Merylee Robinson
IP:149.135.146.xxx | 2013-05-18 05:13:07
Thanks for the notes Matt. Very easy to follow. The walk was good but spoiled by the smelly sewer outlets along Terry's Creek. Didn't entice me to take a break at the waterfall. Still it was nice to take a long walk in my own backyard.
Carlo - Sewer lines being repaired
IP:49.0.12.xxx | 2015-03-23 02:30:32
The sewer line along Terry's Creek, from the M2 to Eastwood station, is being repaired until May 2015 - which makes this section of the walk both muddy as the track has been bulldozed and also somewhat fragrant.
Hiking near Sydney 
Track: Moderate
1 km
Check out the facilities at 
You can phone 131500 (the transport info line) for up to date running times.
There is free parking available.
not too much longer now :)