Parramatta and The Hills Beginner Bushwalk

Photo Credits: Chris P on Google Maps, 2019

Bonjour!

I will be leading a very beginner-friendly walk through some nice patches of bushland around Parramatta and Carlingford (about an hour west of uni).

It should be for the most part very easy, and (if my memory serves me right) some parts are even paved!

The main draw of this walk is to explore a big hunk of bushland located right within “Sydney’s Second CBD”.

As a bonus: The club has never run a walk in this area (at least in the past 26 years of records I have)!

Route:

It is a 17km walk so you must be comfortable and able to walk similar distances. No prior bushwalking experience necessary though. Map here. (As we are relatively close to an urban area, you can leave at any time though xD)

• We will start at Carlingford Tram Stop (~20 minute tram ride from Parramatta Train Station)
• Make our way into Hunts Creek Reserve, and follow the creek past Balaka Falls all the way to Lake Parramatta
• Continue along into Bidjigal Reserve and follow the Murri Yanna Walk up Darling Mills Creek via an old dam-esque structure
• Exit the reserve at Eric Mobbs Reserve and follow the roads into Castle Hill town centre

What to bring:

• Comfortable shoes
  • This is not a hardcore bushwalk so runners will be enough
• Snacks and a little bit of lunch
• At least 1L of water
• Sun protection (hat + sunscreen)
• Small backpack to hold the above

Getting there:

We will meet at Carlingford Tram Stop at 10am Sunday (slightly late start, get that sleep in )

• Trams run every 10 minutes from Parramatta Station
• Buses run every 15 minutes from Epping Station

We will finish at Castle Hill by 3pm (or earlier).

• Metro runs every 10 minutes back into the city
• Buses run every 10 minutes back to Parramatta

Because we have different starting and ending points, I encourage you to use public transport to access this hike.

So if you are keen for a little bushwalk, let me know in the comments: your walking/hiking experience, how you’re getting to Carlingford, and what’s the furthest west you’ve been within Sydney.

Any issues, send me an email at webadmin [at] unswoc.org