Oxfam Sydney 2015

Oxfam Trail Sections 1 + 2: Come and Test Yourselves!

From the riverside village of Brooklyn we join Section 1 of the Oxfam Trail, a difficult but spectacular 15.4 km walk, with tough climbing, through the magnificent Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park. We take a short break, about 6 km in to view the wonderful Hawkesbury River Complex from my favourite lookout. From there it is steady progress to the end of Section 1, where we have a 30 minute break for lunch, at Muogamarra Rural Fire Station.

After lunch, we commence Section 2 of the Oxfam Trail, which is 11.7 km of yet more difficult but no less spectacular walking through Berowra Reserve and some epic climbs! We take a 15 minute break at Berowra Waters, before tackling the ascent to Berowra Waters Lookout, and making our way along tracks and fire trails to the township of Berowra. The Berowra RSL is a nice spot for a tasty beer, before boarding our train back to the City, at Berowra Railway Station.

I aim to complete the day’s walking by no later than 5:45 pm. As we will be losing light at the end of the day, everyone must bring a torch and preferably a head torch!

This is a full day of tough walking, but extremely rewarding. A good level of fitness, determination and a positive attitude are all required! Please note: the first early get-out point is Cowan Railway Station, 13.5 km into Section 1. There are no unguided get-out points for Section 2.

Distance: 27.1 km

Type of Walk: rugged bush tracks, fire trails, cumulative climb and descent of 1,775 meters.

Difficulty: Hard

Walking Pace: We will maintain a steady pace all day and must average about 3.5 km per hour to finish on time.

Meeting Place and Transport: Central Station Platform 11. Please be aware the Platform may change to Platform 10 or 9: our train is the Central Coast and Newcastle Line service. Our train leaves at 7:45 am on Saturday 1 August. The first stop is Strathfield (7:58 am), then Eastwood (8:07 am), Epping (8:10 am), Hornsby (8:22 am), Berowra (8:31 am), Cowan (8:36 am) and arriving at Hawkesbury River Station (Brooklyn) at 8:45 am. We will muster in the upper deck of the second last carriage. Train back to the City from Berowra Railway Station.

What to bring: Good walking shoes/boots or trainers; 1.5 – 2 litres of water, refill available along the way; hydrolytes; two snacks and one lunch; torch; light rain jacket depending on conditions.

Gratuity: There will be a $5 gratuity for this walk.

Pub: Berowra RSL, see above.

By RSVPing to this event you agree to and are bound by the terms and conditions of Sydney Explorers which you can view here

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I look forward to seeing you on this walk. I will post my mobile number closer to the day.

Ted.