Lost Worlds of Kuringai : Course Summary

The run starts in the car park to the Oval on Berowra Waters Road, just 100m from the turn off from the Pacific Highway. Exit the car park and turn right onto Berowra Waters Rd and go left at the roundabout into Crowley Rd. Continue until you reach a T-junction. Veer left into Rawson Rd, and go down the steps at the end. Veer left into Acacia Rd. You will be faced with an awesome hill, but luckily you turn right into Mountainview Rd, only halfway up. Go across Yallambee Rd directly into Redwood Ave. Continue down the hill to the end, then right into Bambil Rd, then next right into Ti-Tree Cres.

Take the firetrail at the turn in the road, clearly marked "Fire Trail Private Rd" on the gate. Follow this track for some 3.5km when you turn left on the track to go to Berowra Waters. If you have hiked this track or run with us before, then the track is obvious. Don't take the track marked Crosslands.

The track ducks and weaves a lot - be careful not to trip, but gives some great views across the creek. Follow green wooden signs and red bushwalk signs where visible. On emerging close to the road at Berowra Waters, you go past a water tap. Just across the road is a toilet block cleverly hidden in the trees (with another tap). You need to turn left onto the main road and go to the Ferry, which is approx 10 metres further on. For the Piker's Option (15km) touch the barrier arm of the ferry and return to the start on exactly the same route as coming down. It will look like a totally different run even though you just came down that way.

For the Ruined Castle of Calabash, you need to take the ferry. It runs 24 hrs per day, 365 days per year and is free, and the maximum wait time is 5 mins as the creek is only 200 metres across. As you cannot force it to go any faster, take your time to soak up this great and relaxing view.

On the other side, you run straight up the road - watch the traffic as there is no pavement, although usually there is not much traffic. There is more water available at the marina (and coke and ice cream, and probably chips too) and at the park just behind, so make sure drink lots on the ferry and refuel at the marina. You run on the road for approx 3 and a bit km and do a right turn on to Chilcott Rd (there is a signpost). Not far along you veer right onto McCallum's Ave. The road eventually runs out and becomes a firetrail. Just keep going past the last house or so. In fact just KEEP GOING on the firetrail - there is not much option to turn off. The trail is well defined. The track does finish when you get to the ruin but it feels a lot longer than 4km. The official turnaround is by touching any part of the ruin. Return to the ferry by the same route, and then back to the start by the same route as outwards.

By the time you get back to the start you will have done approx 30km, just more than halfway so there is no shame in dropping out here - this is the "Standard Option" in any case, but there are always a few nutters wanting to do more....

So for the nutters, ... Continue up Berowra Waters Rd until you reach the Pacific Highway at the set of traffic lights. Go left and then cross at the crossing by the station. You will have noted the milk bar/bakery in case you want to re-nourish your body before the next leg. Go towards the station and go across the bridge across the Freeway. Follow the bush track, which goes down to the bottom by the waters edge. It's a long way down. Follow the track to the right and follow the waters edge for approx 5km. You go across at least 3 major creeks on and an incredibly rocky and gnarly track.

Eventually you will reach Apple Tree Bay. If you were looking for the Marathon Runners 41km option that goes to Mt Kuringai, then you missed it, as it is difficult to see coming FROM Berowra (its about 500metres back BEFORE you get to Apple Tree Bay). For the Marathon option head up the track to Mt Kuringai and follow the Pacific Highway back to Berowra and the finish as per the long route below.

At Apple Tree Bay there is lots of water and toilets at for those that make it this far. Run on the road and exit from the bay - which leads into the Bobbin Head picnic area - even more water stops here. Cross over the bridge and go immediately left through the car park. At the very end is a little kiosk place that sells ice cream and coke. The Warrimoo Track goes to the right (ie behind) the kiosk and along the waters edge. Follow this until you see the Sphinx turn off which you take - the markings are fairly obvious as a lot of day walkers come here and on nice days there will be lots of people around.

At the Sphinx, you need to touch it or the concrete around it and exit out through the car park and the entrance that cars will come in on. Turn right onto the "main road" which will go back all the way to Bobbin Head, but you turn off again to the right after approx 50metres at the gate marked "Bobbin Head Track" - which should be easy enough to see. Follow this track back to Bobbin Head (it's more scenic than the road, and all downhill !). Cross back over the picnic areas (water refill ?) and retrace your steps back to Apple Tree Bay and take the bush track out that you came in on.

After about 500 metres you should see a sign marked Mt Kuringai and going Up. It's quite easy to miss as its a dark green sign. Find it, and go up. It twists and turns but is pretty easy to follow and hard to get lost. Eventually you come into a road in Mt Kuringai. Follow it straight up, and you cross a footbridge over the freeway and then a subway under the railway. If you go up onto the station platform there is a tap just hiding out of sight on the side of the platform that faces the road.

OK, for the homeward stretch, hit the Pacific Highway and go right (northwards) to Berowra. It will be best running on the left hand side of the road, as the hard shoulder is quite wide and has fewer blind corners. Coming into Berowra there is a footpath. Just keep going until you get to the traffic lights at the corner of Berowra Waters Road, turn left and go straight to the start / finish area.