The Mooney Nature
Walk
Girrakool Picnic
Area, Brisbane Waters National Park
Getting
There: A car is necessary for this one. From Kariong, follow the Pacific
Highway towards Sydney.
 Just past the turn off to
the Reptile Park, on the left, is the sign to Girrakool.
Description:
The Mooney Nature Trail begins near the southern end of the car park. This walk
has the advantage of taking walkers from a woodland, to a rainforest gully, to a heath
within about 300m.
Distance The full circuit of 6.5km, follows the deep gorge
of Piles Creek.
Duration About 4 hours is recommended unless you walk the shorter section.
Degree of Difficulty Medium
The walk involves some medium-grade climbing.
However, it can be a very much easier, shorter (about 2½-3km) walk which still provides a
wonderful display of local flora, if you turn back when the track across the heath begins
to drop sharply from a rock-shelf, down to Piles Creek. (See Map) This way you follow the
same track back to the car park (though there is an alternative, interesting loop to the
right, just after you re-cross the creek with the stepping posts).
Best Time: June – October
Although this is a beautiful place to visit at any time of year e.g banksias begin
flowering in autumn and the beauty of this area has a lot to do with trees, rock
formations and stunning views.
Expect to see:
Woodland: Graceful
Bush Pea (Pultenaea flexilis), Boronia pinnata,
Broad-leaf Wedge Pea (Gompholobium latifolium),
Broadleaf Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea arborea).
Rainforest Gully:
Black Wattle (Callicoma serratifolia),
Water Gum (Tristaniopsis laurina)
Heath: Sydney Boronia
(Boronia ledifolia), Grey Grevillea (Grevillea
buxifolia),
Red Grevillea (Grevillea
speciosa),Coral Heath (Epacris microphylla),
Pink Wax Flower (Eriostemon
australasius),
Styphelia tubiflora, Zieria laevigata
Mountain Devils (Lambertia
formosa)
Rock Faces: Dracophyllum
secundum,
Native Fuchsia (Epacris longiflora),
Pouched Coral Fern (Gleichenia dicarpa),
Skeleton Forked Fern (Psilotum nudum)
Boronia
ledifolia |
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