Rain Forest & Moss
The Gore Cove Track in Wollstonecraft winds its way through a hidden oasis, a rain forest valley of palms, ferns, tall gums, wattle and mangroves. At the base of the valley is Berry Creek with large moss and lichen covered boulders, little pools and miniature waterfalls.
The Gore Cove Track
There is a real sense that nothing has changed here for hundreds of years, it’s a world away from the busyness and noise of city living… and here it is right in the middle of Sydney!
The Gore Cove Track winds between Berry Island and Smoothey Park, just behind Wollstonecraft station. In places the track is a little rough so make sure to wear good walking shoes.
We started our walk with the Berry Island loop track, then joined the Gore Cove Track from its starting point a little way up Shirley Rd – it’s well signposted (refer map and details below). All up about 1.5 hours.
The track from Shirley Road leads you down into the valley through lush jungle like vegetation, past large boulders, over little bridges, beneath rock walls and down old stone stairs. At the base of the valley there is a side track to the left that takes you out to the mangroves and lichen covered rocks and trees, quite beautiful in a muddy and dank sort of way 🙂
After the side trip to the mangroves we continued on the Gore Creek Track along Berry Creek. In one area the track completely disappeared into a tunnel of ferns and palms, before opening up to a brilliant mossy wonderland! The sounds of trickling water and the birds, and being surrounded by nature’s beauty made this a very special exploration.
Keep on the track that follows Berry Creek up to Smoothey Park. Cross the small timber bridge (beneath the high bridge) and follow the concrete path up to Wollstonecraft station.
Berry Island
Berry Island was one of Sydney’s harbour islands, but is now connected to the mainland by a large grassy park, a perfect spot for a picnic, and only 10 minutes walk from Wollstonecraft station. The Gadyan loop track that takes you around the island is an easy walk, just 20 minutes at a leisurely pace.
It’s well worth visiting, even if you don’t do the Gore Cove Track. The main feature of the track is a large Aboriginal rock carving of a whale, a boomerang, a waterhole and grinding grooves. You won’t miss it, it’s well signposted adjacent to a viewing boardwalk.
With brilliant harbour views to the CBD and a beautiful walk through an angophora gum forest this walk is not to be missed! The view across to the old oil tanks at Greenwich point also offers a unique picture opportunity.
Information
Where: Wollstonecraft – Sydney Lower North Shore
Walk: 1 – 1.5 hours leisurely pace – moderate grade – sturdy shoes
Dogs: Dog friendly but must be on leash – refer council web-site
Getting there: Train to Wollstonecraft Station then a 10 minute walk down Shirley Rd to Berry Island
Open: All day every day – no entry fees
Visit: Explore Lower North Shore
Map Gore Cove Reserve & Berry Island
Dear Robyn, what magical photos yet again of one of the wonderful walks on our doorstep. Have just finished watching a fantastic lecture on our amazing brain. One of the major points raised was the importance of continually re-modelling our brain and the basis of skill acquisition was daily mindful walking, taking in all the sights and sounds around us. The two final points raised where we need to maintain our sense of joy and our spirit of generosity. Thank you so much for sharing and arousing our sense of joy and wonder to explore as you do so brilliantly. You give us all joy with your fabulous Life Out and About blogs and we thank you for your spirit of generosity in sharing your explorations of our beautiful city of Sydney. Love from Jan. xx
Thank you Jan, you always have the most beautiful response to my posts💕🙏🍂
There is much joy in the experience of these places and sharing it with others who appreciate the same beauty! I look forward to covering more walks over the coming months 😘
Thank you so much Robyn for sharing your inspiring photos and knowledge. We loved this walk yesterday in the winter sunshine. Having not grown up in Sydney we love exploring new and lesser known destinations in Sydney and spending quiet time in nature with our teenagers. Reluctant at first they loved it too!
Thank you Sofie, I love to share all the fabulous places to visit in & around Sydney🙏 With the COVID isolation it’s given me more time to explore & update my site… so much more to share so stay tuned😊