Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Restaurants
21 within 3 miles
Attractions
31 within 6 miles
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
74 reviews
Excellent
53
Very good
18
Average
2
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Manickjg
1,388 contributions
Jan 2022
First time visiting Bobbin Head and was just amazed at hour lovely a. spot it was in the midst of urbanised Sydney. We are truly blessed with beautiful national parks that supported us and are so accessible. This was a lovely spot and lots of families about - you can fish, go on a walk, picnic, boating - lots to do or just to relax and chill. There is a cafe as well with some good indoor and outdoor spaces for dining. Have come back again after out first visit within weeks already!
Written February 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Margaret
Sydney, Australia38 contributions
Feb 2021 • Family
Went to this National Park on a Sunday. Such a beautiful day yet the park is not overcrowded. This is our first visit and we’re so impressed with the beautiful view and variety of activities we can do. There’s a little playground for young children. You can hire paddle boats as well, which was a highlight for our 5-year old. Park looks quite well maintained and clean. Paying $12 entry fee is definitely worth it! Picnic is certainly the most popular thing to do on sunny day like today but if you don’t bring enough food there’s a cafe there called Bobbin Inn which is very nice (a bit at premium price but good food). We hope to visit again soon.
Written February 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
funkyhughes23
Melbourne, Australia314 contributions
Jul 2020
So much to see here as the park really goes over three locations. We focused on the Aboriginal Heritage Walk area where we viewed rock paintings and engravings thousands of years old, which was an absolutely amazing experience. A great walk through the bush between two beautiful beaches was also part of our day.
If you are during beware of the hundreds of bike riders on the roads. Also, be aware that the journey back from those beaches is a long way uphill, so not a work for the faint hearted.
If you are during beware of the hundreds of bike riders on the roads. Also, be aware that the journey back from those beaches is a long way uphill, so not a work for the faint hearted.
Written July 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Matthew P
Sydney, Australia101 contributions
Oct 2019
We occasionally get out to the park every once or twice a year with the family. As with most national parks, you will need to make an entry payment fee of $12 per vehicle, unless you have purchased an annual Multi Parks Pass for $65 from NSW National Park, or Service NSW when you renew your car rego. A small price to pay knowing that it helps with the management and upkeep of these precious places. Akuna Bay is a lovely spot to enjoy this area. Grab some fish & chips and relax on the shore line. They have free gas BBQ's at the picnic grounds, some undercover seating and a toilet block. A nice spot to enjoy the afternoon sunset. There is also a cafe at the nearby d'Albora Marina. Bring your hat, sunscreen and sunnies and enjoy the peace and beauty of this lovely place.
Written January 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
BK_Number_9
London, England11 contributions
I think Sydney is one of the best places to visit, up there with San Fransisco, and if you want to spend some time in the bush without driving for hours and hours then take in a short trip to the northern peninsula.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park lies just to the north of Sydney about 20K. It is quite big and is split into two parts. Luckily, I think, the commercial side of the park, with gift shop, restaurant, visitor's centre, etc, is not the most interesting. That's Akuna Bay. By all means go there if you want those things, but for a real taste of the untamed Australian bush go to West Head.
We spent a week walking the trails of West Head and we encountered hardly another soul all week. This is raw bush land which is full of wildlife. The walks vary in accessiblity and a map from the ranger station gives advice on the degree of difficulty, length and access to beaches, etc.
Our favourite track is Flint and Steel, which is way up the far end of the peninsula, so we started our week there. It was hot, humid and the track meanders at times through various types of woodland, then steps, rocks, dense undergrowth and finally ends at a 100 metre beach of orange sand, typical of this area. We were greeted by two 1.5 metre Goanna lizards (Monitors). Wow!
We covered half a dozen of the tracks over the next week and the list of wildlife we saw or heard is awesome. Here's the most memorable:
1. The Goanna lizards, which we saw on three separate occasions and on two of the tracks.
2. Swamp Wallabies, which leapt out of our way on the road and which regularly bounded away from us when disturbed on the various tracks.
3. The sound of the Whipbird in the early morning is a haunting memory of this unspoilt wilderness.
4. Eastern Water Dragon - not as big as the Goanna, but just as beautiful.
5. Red and Yellow Tailed Black and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos.
6. Friendly Rainbow Lorikeets, Pelicans, glimpses of Australian Brush Turkeys and lots of noisy Mynas.
7. St Andrew's Cross and other big, hairy spiders.
8. VERY big ants (e.g. 2.5 centimetres).
9. VERY noisy Cicadas.
10. A wonderful variety of plant life - I must start paying more attention and noting their names.
11. And so on...
Little bit disappointed not to see any kind of snake, which are there because I have seen a Red Bellied Black snake there on a previous trip.
Note that there are no shark nets on any of the beaches except The Basin; that just makes swimming a bit more exciting.
It really is an unspoilt wilderness, and so incredibly close to the busy, residential northern suburbs. We stayed at the Newport Retreat self-catering lodge, less than 5 miles away - highly recommended.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park lies just to the north of Sydney about 20K. It is quite big and is split into two parts. Luckily, I think, the commercial side of the park, with gift shop, restaurant, visitor's centre, etc, is not the most interesting. That's Akuna Bay. By all means go there if you want those things, but for a real taste of the untamed Australian bush go to West Head.
We spent a week walking the trails of West Head and we encountered hardly another soul all week. This is raw bush land which is full of wildlife. The walks vary in accessiblity and a map from the ranger station gives advice on the degree of difficulty, length and access to beaches, etc.
Our favourite track is Flint and Steel, which is way up the far end of the peninsula, so we started our week there. It was hot, humid and the track meanders at times through various types of woodland, then steps, rocks, dense undergrowth and finally ends at a 100 metre beach of orange sand, typical of this area. We were greeted by two 1.5 metre Goanna lizards (Monitors). Wow!
We covered half a dozen of the tracks over the next week and the list of wildlife we saw or heard is awesome. Here's the most memorable:
1. The Goanna lizards, which we saw on three separate occasions and on two of the tracks.
2. Swamp Wallabies, which leapt out of our way on the road and which regularly bounded away from us when disturbed on the various tracks.
3. The sound of the Whipbird in the early morning is a haunting memory of this unspoilt wilderness.
4. Eastern Water Dragon - not as big as the Goanna, but just as beautiful.
5. Red and Yellow Tailed Black and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos.
6. Friendly Rainbow Lorikeets, Pelicans, glimpses of Australian Brush Turkeys and lots of noisy Mynas.
7. St Andrew's Cross and other big, hairy spiders.
8. VERY big ants (e.g. 2.5 centimetres).
9. VERY noisy Cicadas.
10. A wonderful variety of plant life - I must start paying more attention and noting their names.
11. And so on...
Little bit disappointed not to see any kind of snake, which are there because I have seen a Red Bellied Black snake there on a previous trip.
Note that there are no shark nets on any of the beaches except The Basin; that just makes swimming a bit more exciting.
It really is an unspoilt wilderness, and so incredibly close to the busy, residential northern suburbs. We stayed at the Newport Retreat self-catering lodge, less than 5 miles away - highly recommended.
Written February 27, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
stinkwink
Sydney, Australia7,389 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
Living partly in Sydney, during long decades, I went to bush walk to Ku-ring-gai Chase several times. For a while our house was practically at the border of the National Park. A few years ago I loved the walk from Cowan railway station to Brooklyn railway Station which is an answer to previous reviewers, who wrote, that this area needs a car. Sure, it's easier, and you can visit much more places in this N. P., but the lack of car doesn't have to keep you back, from a few good hiking in Ku-ring-gai Chase. From Bewrora to Mt Kuring-gai it's only 3.5 km if you follow the road, but it is much more challenging if you use the walking track. It is more interesting, but roughly 10 km and isn't easy at all. It mostly follows the Cowan Water, with lookouts at Mt Ku-ring - gai. It is also possible to start the hike at Mt Ku-ring-gai towards Bewrora. A hard track leads to Lyrebird Clearing and Lyrebird Waterfall, and further to Lyrebird Caves. Now, I wouldn't do this hike again, I have to choose less challenging tracks. They need younger legs in good walking shoes and a hiking stick also can be a great help.It depends on your fitness level which route you choose, but all of them will give you a lot of pleasure and sometimes nice surprises. To meet a monitor, or a wallaby, to see rare and beautiful wild flowers always made up my day. Since more than 350 Aboriginal sites are in this area, it is a treasure for history lovers. Nowadays, I mostly go with my partner to “bull ant hunting”. He is fascinated with these Australian insects, with their life, and since I also was always interested in these beguiling well-organised arthropod communities, it is a shared pleasure to have a stroll in the nature, off the beaten track, and try to find a nest of different kind of bull ants. It’s a double contentment to adore the breathtaking view and in the next minute the busy life of a bull ant nest.
Written January 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
PkTravelling
Aus17 contributions
May 2013 • Friends
I live in Sydney and I was one of those silly locals who always thought Sydney was boring. In the past year I've discovered Ku-Ring-Gai Chase. I go here every weekend now, any weather. I've been on about 6 or 7 trails (I do them over and over again) and I commonly go off the trail to do my own mini adventures ( Which keeps my trails new every time). I love it here. Its only an hour from Sydney City and you feel like you're a world away. Ive seen snakes, ants, spiders, goanna's, eagles, and discovered beaches that look like no one had been there. Even though I'm sure I wasnt the first. It's extremely exciting and amazing and the views you come accross really make you appreciate the bush. I'd recommend it to anyone who has an adventurous side.
The Best so far...
- Waratah Trail
- Centre Track
- The old bunkers on an unmarked trail near the west head lookout, and the secluded beach if you choose to climb the rocks around to the left further.
- America Bay Waterfall if you have the guts to be a mountain goat and go off the trail - watching the sunset here is AMAZING.
- Everything else. HA...
The Best so far...
- Waratah Trail
- Centre Track
- The old bunkers on an unmarked trail near the west head lookout, and the secluded beach if you choose to climb the rocks around to the left further.
- America Bay Waterfall if you have the guts to be a mountain goat and go off the trail - watching the sunset here is AMAZING.
- Everything else. HA...
Written July 5, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dutchtrav
Epe, The Netherlands45 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
We love spending time at Ku-ring-gai as it has got so much to offer. Adjacent to beautiful Pittwater at its East and various brilliant waterways within it, the park is extremely diverse with abundant wildlife and fantastic views all over.
We could easily spend days in Ku-ring-gai and will be doing this when we come back to Manly!
We could easily spend days in Ku-ring-gai and will be doing this when we come back to Manly!
Written February 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
SuzcNewcastle
Newcastle, Australia502 contributions
Dec 2014 • Couples
Scenic beautiful and well worth the drive. Unfortunately this was only going to be a quick drive through for us as we made our way to Sydney's Northern Beaches. Once there we threw away our plans and decided to stay longer to explore this amazingly beautiful scenery. I wished that we could have spent the whole day here especially the picturesque Apple Tree Bay area. Did not have time for a bush walk or a relaxing swim but will plan better next time we visit. Called into West Head as well as stopping for an impromptu lunch at Cottage Point before regretfully making our way to our Manly destination. It is truly a very stunning part of Sydney, not to be missed.
Written January 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Mary
Manly, Australia124 contributions
Nov 2013 • Solo
It is true that the most priceless things in life are often free.
At the Ku-ring-gai National Parks be prepared to be amazed or at least don't prepare at all, just be amazed. Kangaroos and wallabies vying for your constant alarm, wonder, and awe seem never-ending. Atlhough staying at a YHA without the 4-5 stars facilities, you will have hundred of stars on a beautfiul clear evening skies mesmerizing you with the sound of cricket and kookaburras.
Of course, there are snakes to be wary of and spiders on a short trek to your windows, they are often more fearful of us than them but don't worry, men and women scream at their own delight and neighbors will be tempted to report you for noise complaints arising out of some domestic violence issues.
With much luck, I had a little bit of tick who seemed able to wander through some areas of your body where you suddenly discovered your ability to do a sudden bikram yoga or perhaps a potential for a ballet audition to the Royal Australian Ballet Academy.
At the Ku-ring-gai National Parks be prepared to be amazed or at least don't prepare at all, just be amazed. Kangaroos and wallabies vying for your constant alarm, wonder, and awe seem never-ending. Atlhough staying at a YHA without the 4-5 stars facilities, you will have hundred of stars on a beautfiul clear evening skies mesmerizing you with the sound of cricket and kookaburras.
Of course, there are snakes to be wary of and spiders on a short trek to your windows, they are often more fearful of us than them but don't worry, men and women scream at their own delight and neighbors will be tempted to report you for noise complaints arising out of some domestic violence issues.
With much luck, I had a little bit of tick who seemed able to wander through some areas of your body where you suddenly discovered your ability to do a sudden bikram yoga or perhaps a potential for a ballet audition to the Royal Australian Ballet Academy.
Written October 7, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Hi Stephen, We are looking at doing this in the next week with a big group of adults, teenagers and maybe a 7 year old. I noted the track says hard however it was graded that way due to a small section of the track and due to the signposting. Would you agree with this? We will also have a few on the trip that aren't very fit but all healthy.
Paula D
Macmasters Beach, Australia6 contributions
Can you book a picnic table in the picnic area?
flyus4
Alexandria, VA30 contributions
What is the best way to get to the park from Sydney using public transportation and or the ferries? Would you also put how long each leg of the trip would take please.
Jennifer H
Leicester, UK169 contributions
The trains run from central to Mount Kuring-gai station, it’s only about a five minute walk from the station to get to the park
toriafly
Sydney27 contributions
Hello if I book a flight and the weather is bad and the flight cancelled can I reschedule ?
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park (New South Wales) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
- Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is open:
- Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- We recommend booking Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 10 Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park:
- Small-Group Sydney's Northern Beaches and Ku-ring-gai National Park Bus Tour (From $194.48)
- Sydney's Northern Beaches Private Day Tour | Including a River Boat Cruise (From $374.62)
- Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Stand Up Paddleboard Tour (From $53.91)
- 5 day Kayak Adventure down Hawkesbury River (From $648.26)
- Private Port Stephens Day Trip from Sydney including Dolphin Cruise (From $443.54)
- Restaurants near Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park:
- (0.29 mi) Bobbin Inn Cafe
- (0.30 mi) Waterside Bistro
- (4.73 mi) A Chef Secrets
- (4.34 mi) Cottage Point Inn
- (7.70 mi) Cafe Lyon