Girrakool to Patonga
Back to Central Coast
Contents |
Distance
24.5km one way
Level of difficulty
Challenging. Allow 3hour for experienced runners, 4hours intermediate and around 5.5 if you decide to walk a bit.
Terrain
Trail/Fire Trail following the Great North Walk. Varies from dry bush/scrub to rainforest and waterfall to beach.
Drinks/Toilet Stops
Toilet at start and finish. Nothing in between so you need to be self sufficient.
Other Useful Info
Leeches and mosquitoes when wet. Possibility of Snakes during warmer months.
Distance Variation
Can treat as an out and back run, turning around whenever you want to run back to your car. This option then eliminates the need for transport from Patonga back to your car.
Parking
Parking in Girrakool requires payment per car via ticketing machine so take coins with you. The gates are open 9am-5pm so any earlier or later to get your car out and you have to pay a penalty. You will need to organise transport at the finish to return to the start.
Getting There
Take the Gosford turnoff from the F3 and follow the signposts to the Australian Reptile Park. Turn left onto Quarry Road. If the gate is open, follow the road straight ahead, travelling through a tunnel under the F3. The road stops at Girrakool Picnic Area where there is paid parking.
Description
This run follows part of the Great North Walk through Brisbane Water National Park, starting at Girrakool (near Kariong) and finishing at Patonga, a beachside location. Undulating trails and firetrails lends itself to some great views throughout Girrakool, winding down to a gully of rainforest and even a waterfall.
Climbing up through the other side and some open running across large boulders, well signposted with white arrows signifying the trail of the Great North Walk. Across the top of the Park you then head down again and onto a firetrail.
As you approach Patonga, the trail becomes single file again, and quite sandy which is a relief after the running across boulders for a while. Heading down into Patonga and onto the beach, running across the beach to the main street opposite the jetty. Some swimmers at this point would enable you to take some welcome relief in the water to cool those tired muscles.
A picnic area and toilet facilities help cater for the post-run hunger and hydration requirements.
During the run you may get some mobile phone reception however most mobile phone receptions are poor to non existent at Patonga.
Run Directions
Simply follow the Great North Walk arrows until you get to the descent down to the waterfall. Here the path veers to the left. Keep following this path through to the other side and ascend to the top. Follow the white arrows and/or signs to Patonga. At one point there is a lookout and a sign to “Wondabyne”. DON’T GO TO WONDABYNE or you will end up at Wondabyne train station and may have to end you run here, if you are lucky enough to flag the train driver to stop and pick you up. The other option is to run back to the turnoff, which by this stage you probably wouldn’t feel like doing.
One sad feature of the run is the Woy Woy Rubbish Tip carved into (and destroying) the overall picturesque views of this run. But, at least as you run past and see this to your left, you know you are going the right way.
Keep following the signs to Patonga beach. Towards the end of the run there is a main crossing across Patonga Drive. Be CAREFUL crossing here…it seems like a small road to cross but it can be busy with traffic at 70km/h.
The last decent down to Patonga beach is a relaxing one, enjoying the sandy loam underfoot until you hit the sand. It’s then a few hundred metres until the main street where the run ends.
