Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd

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4 hrs 15 mins

10.8 km Circuit

344 m

Hard track

A great circuit walk in Popran National Park, to the beautiful Emerald Pool. This walk passes through a variety of vegetation and offers some great views along the way. Emerald Pool is a really beautiful spot and it is well worth spending some time exploring around the creek. The optional side trips along the 248 trail and to Mt Olive, add to the great views on the walk. If your car has reasonable ground clearance, you could drive to the Ironbark picnic area and start the walk from there.

Swampy ground along the Hominy creek trail

(0km) Int of Ironbark Rd and Popran Pipeline Trail → Ironbark Rd picnic area

1.7 km

35 mins

88m

-19m Easy track

Starting from the car park at the end of the 'Pipeline Trail', the walk follows the gravel Ironbark Rd south, initially keeping the 'Pipeline Trail' gate to your left (not following the 'Pipeline Trail'). The gravel road passes between some houses with prominent 'private property' signs so stick to the road along here. The walk eventually comes to the car park and picnic area at the end of the road. Vehicles with reasonable ground clearance could be driven along this section, to the car park at the end of the road.

Ironbark Rd Picnic area

This picnic area is located at the end of Ironbark Rd, on the edge of Popran National Park. While this is not a special spot for a picnic, there are good facilities if you are doing a walk in the area. There is a picnic table, pit toilet (with a small rainwater tank for handwashing), information signs and track arrows at this point. Some of the tracks starting from this point are also horse trails. A section of Ironbark Rd may not be suitable for 2WD vehicles so you may have to walk the last section of road.

(2km) Ironbark Rd picnic area → Int of Mt Olive trail and 248 Trail

310 m

6 mins

10m

-10m Easy track

Continue straight: From the car park, the walk passes around a gate and follows the management trail down the hill and soon arrives at the intersection marked with 'Mt Olive' and the '248 Trail'.

(2km) Int of Mt Olive trail and 248 Trail → Int of Hominy Creek Trail and 248 Trail

1.5 km

29 mins

21m

-75m Moderate track

Veer right: From the intersection, the walk follows the '248 Trail' arrow along the management trail. The trail meanders for a while and descends gently before passing through the signposted 'Donovans Forest'. After climbing from 'Donovans Forest' and meandering a little further, the trail arrives at the signposted intersection of the 'Hominy Creek Trail' and the '248 Trail'.

(4km) Int of Hominy Creek Trail and 248 Trail → End of 248 Trail

600 m

12 mins

24m

-8m Moderate track

Veer right: From the intersection, the walk follows the '248 Trail' arrow along the overgrown management trail, going gently up the hill. The track ends at a large rocky outcrop which is interesting to explore and has some nice views. At the end of this side trip, retrace your steps back to the main walk then Turn right.

End of 248 Trail lookout

This informal lookout is located at the end of the 248 trail in Popran National Park. The lookout offers some nice views into the surrounding valleys. The rocky outcrops in the area have some nice shapes and textures. Be careful to avoid damaging some faint Aboriginal carvings on these rocks.

(4km) Int of Hominy Creek Trail and 248 Trail → No Horses signpost

460 m

8 mins

-7m Moderate track

Veer left: From the intersection, the walk follows the 'Hominy Creek Trail' arrow along the management trail until arriving at the 'No horses beyond this point' signpost, where the increasingly overgrown management trail becomes a bush track.

(4km) No Horses signpost → Hominy Creek crossing

1.2 km

24 mins

10m

-96m Hard track

Continue straight: From the signpost, the walk follows the bush track leaving the signpost behind and to the right. This section of the walk descends gently passing through more swampy ground before dropping more steeply to arrive at the intersection of the 'Hominy Creek Track' and the 'Emerald Pool' track, beside Hominy Creek.

(5km) Hominy Creek crossing → Emerald Pool

110 m

2 mins

-8m Moderate track

Veer right: From the intersection, the walk follows the 'Emerald Pool' arrow along the bush track, keeping the creek to the left. The walk soon arrives at the beautiful Emerald Pool.

Emerald Pool

Emerald Pool is a beautiful spot on Hominy Creek in Popran National Park. This deep pool has crystal clear water with an emerald/green tinge. There is a nice little cascade falling into the pool and it is a great spot for lunch while doing one of the walks in the area.

(5km) Emerald Pool → End of Hominy Creek management trail

480 m

11 mins

43m

-1m Moderate track

Turn around: From the Emerald Pool, the walk follows the bush track, keeping the creek to the right, for a short distance before arriving at an intersection with another bush track at a creek crossing.
Turn right: From the intersection, the walk crosses the creek and follows the 'Hominy Creek Track' arrow up the hill (from the opposite side of the creek to the Emarald Pool track). The walk climbs and meanders for a while before reaching the end of a management trail, signposted with 'Hominy Creek Track', 'No horses beyond this point' and others.

(6km) End of Hominy Creek management trail → Int of Mt Olive trail and Mt Olive bush track

3 km

1 Hr

137m

-31m Moderate track

Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail up the hill and arrives at an intersection with the 'Mt Olive Trail'.
Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk follows the 'Carpark 2.7km' arrow along the management trail, going up the hill. The walk climbs gently and meanders for some distance, offering nice views along the way, before arriving at an intersection with a bush track (signposted 'Mt Olive').

(9km) Int of Mt Olive trail and Mt Olive bush track → Top of Mt Olive

190 m

5 mins

22m

-1m Hard track

Turn right: From the intersection, the walk follows the 'Mt Olive' signpost along the bush track. The walk meanders for a while before reaching an intersection with another bush track.
Turn left: From the intersection, the walk follows the bush track steeply up the hill and soon arrives at the top of Mt Olive. At the end of this side trip, retrace your steps back to the main walk then Turn right.

Mt Olive

Mt Olive is a low rising hill in Popran National Park. The views from the top, across the surrounding national park, in all directions, are very nice. The nice cliffs around the base of Mt Olive also add to the scenery. There are the remnants of a couple of old trig points at the top.

(9km) Int of Mt Olive trail and Mt Olive bush track → Int of Ironbark Rd and Popran Pipeline Trail

2 km

41 mins

30m

-98m Moderate track

Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail gently up the hill, leaving the 'Mt Olive' signpost on the right. After a very short distance the trail arrives at the intersection signposted with 'Mt Olive' and the '248 Trail'.
Turn right: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail past the 'Way Out' signpost and immediately bends to the right. The walk soon passes around a gate and arrives at the car park.
Continue straight: From the car park, the walk follows the road, passing some 'private property' and eventually arrives at another car park at the end of the signposted 'Pipeline Track'.

Maps for the Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd walk

You can download the PDF for this walk to print a map.
These maps below cover the walk and the wider area around the walk, they are worth carrying for safety reasons.

Gunderman	1:25 000 Map Series	91313S GUNDERMAN	NSW-91313S
Mangrove	1:25 000 Map Series	91313N MANGROVE	NSW-91313N
Gosford	1:100 000 Map Series	9131 GOSFORD	9131

Cross sectional view of the Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd bushwalking track

Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd

Altitude analysis for Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd

Overview of this walks grade – based on the AS 2156.1 – 2001

Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.

		Length	10.8 km
		Time	4 hrs 15 mins
		.
Grade 4/6 Hard track	AS 2156.1	Gradient	Very steep (4/6)
		Quality of track	Rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely (4/6)
		Signs	Directional signs along the way (3/6)
		Experience Required	Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6)
		Weather	Storms may impact on navigation and safety (3/6)
		Infrastructure	Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6)

Some more details of this walks Grading

Here is a bit more details explaining grading looking at sections of the walk

Gradient

9km of this walk has gentle hills with occasional steps and another 1.2km is very steep. Whilst another 940m has short steep hills and the remaining 25m is flat with no steps.

Quality of track

9km of this walk follows a clear and well formed track or trail and another 1.2km follows a rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely. The remaining (590m) follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles.

Signs

Around 7km of this walk has directional signs at most intersection, whilst the remaining 4km is clearly signposted.

Experience Required

Around 9km of this walk requires no previous bushwalking experience, whilst the remaining 2.3km requires some bushwalking experience.

weather

Around 9km of this walk is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation), whilst the remaining 1.8km is affected by storms that may impact your navigation and safety.

Infrastructure

Around 7km of this walk has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced), whilst the remaining 4km is close to useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats).

Similar walks

A list of walks that share part of the track with the Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd walk.

Mt Olive

4.4 km Return, 2 hrs

A very nice walk to a viewpoint on top of Mt Olive, in Popran National Park. The walk passes through nice forest, and offers good views over Popran National Park from the top of Mt Olive. If you have a car with good ground clearance, you could drive to the picnic area, making the walk shorter.

Total climbing: 151m

Hard track

248 Track

8.3 km Return, 3 hrs 15 mins

A nice walk through Popran National Park with good views along the way. The optional side trip to Mt Olive adds some great views and scenery. If you have a car with good ground clearance, you could drive to Ironbark picnic area and start the walk from there.

Total climbing: 255m

Moderate track

Ironbark Rd to Glenworth Valley

10.1 km Return, 4 hrs 15 mins

This walk, mostly in Popran National Park, passes through a great variety of scenery and beautiful views. The early part of the walk, along a ridgetop, is through relatively dry forest with some great views, while the steep but beautiful descent to Glenworth Valley is through moist, fern filled fore

Total climbing: 492m

Hard track

Other Nearby walks

A list of walks that start near the Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd walk.

Somersby Store to Ourimbah Valley Trackhead

6 km One way, 2 hrs 30 mins

Starting with a walk through the streets of urban Somerbsy, you soon leave the farms and head into Palm Grove Nature Reserve. First you will follow the signposted track down the open dry ridge to the dense rainforest. In this valley you can explores the moist rainforest with towering Eucalypts, Str

Total climbing: 194m

Hard track

Somersby Store to Greta Road

21.1 km One way, 8 hrs

This section of the Great North Walk starts from the Somersby General Store and winds north, through the Jilliby State Conservation Area, and finishes at the corner of Greta Road and Cherry Lane. At just under 20km, this full day walk explores the Palm Grove, Hidden Valley and Ourimba Creek tracks,

Total climbing: 924m

Hard track

Somersby to the Basin Campsite

47.4 km One way, 3 Days

This three day walk starts at the Somersby General Store and follows the Great North Walk, heading north, into the the Jilliby State Conservation Area where the first nights campsite is at Stringy Bark Point. The walk continues north, out of the Conservation Area, to Yarramalong for the second night

Total climbing: 2032m

Hard track

Somersby to Yarramalong via Stringy Bark Point

26.7 km One way, 2 Days

This section of the Great North Walk starts form the Somersby General Store and follows the Great North Walk north into the Jilliby State Conservation Area to Stringy Bark Point campsite. On day two, the walk continues north through the forest and around the back of some farmland to Cherry Lane, and

Total climbing: 1201m

Hard track

Strickland Falls

1.7 km Return, 45 mins

This walk from the Banksia picnic area, to the Strickland Falls, includes a fantastic variety of forest scenery. The falls themselves are often just a trickle, although the scenery in the area makes the walk well worthwhile. The cliff lines and boulders around the falls are interesting and there are

Total climbing: 87m

Moderate track

Strickland Falls and Cabbage Tree loop

3 km Circuit, 1 hr 30 mins

This excellent loop walk combines the Strickland Falls and Cabbage Tree loop walks. The walk starts in the dry eucalypt forest around the Banksia Picnic Area and soon descends into lush green rainforest remnants, filled with ferns and cabbage tree palms. The walk includes some great scenery along th

Total climbing: 221m

Moderate track

Cabbage Tree Trail

1.7 km Circuit, 1 Hr

A beautiful walk from the Banksia picnic area. This walk starts in the dry eucalypt forest, typical of the hilltops in the area, and descends to areas of lush forest, filled with cabbage tree palms and ferns. Some interesting boulder outcrops and the great variety of vegetation just add to the scene

Total climbing: 115m

Moderate track

Stoney Creek Trail

2.2 km One way, 1 Hr

An excellent walk, spending much of its time in the shaded, rainforest-filled valleys of the Strickland State Forest. From the dry eucalypt forest around the Banksia picnic area, the walk soon descends into moist forest, filled with ferns and cabbage tree palms. You could make this a return walk by

Total climbing: 58m

Moderate track

Strickland Falls Loop Trail

1.8 km Circuit, 1 Hr

A loop walk with plenty of excellent scenery. The walk starts in the dry eucalypt forest around the Banksia Picnic Area and soon descends into lush green rainforest remnants, filled with ferns and cabbage tree palms. The walk includes some great scenery along the base of the cliff line and around th

Total climbing: 133m

Moderate track

Strickland Tour

8.1 km Circuit, 3 hrs 30 mins

A grand tour of the Strickland State Forest. This great walk covers most of the established walking tracks in Strickland and enjoys much of the excellent scenery available in the area. Plenty of time is spent in the lush green, rainforest-filled valleys, and there is some really nice boulder and cli

Total climbing: 402m

Moderate track

Somersby Falls

426 m Return, 20 mins

This short walk starts from the Somersby Falls picnic area and follows the series of waterfalls along Floods Creek. The picnic area provides barbeques, picnic tables, toilets and ample parking. This walk could make part of a great family day out in the area. The main falls drop onto a large rock pl

Total climbing: 39m

Moderate track

Arboretum Loop Trail

2.3 km Circuit, 1 Hr

A very nice walk through a mixture of native (regrowth) forest and one of Australia's oldest arboretums. The arboretum has both native and exotic trees, with the plantings dating from 1887-1924. This walk takes you along some of the rainforest-clad creeks of Strickland State Forest, before crossing

Total climbing: 45m

Moderate track

Plan your trip to and from the walk here

The Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd walk starts and ends at the Int of Ironbark Rd and Popran Pipeline Trail (gps: -33.371590, 151.19528)

Car. There is free parking available.<br /> (get details)

Weather Forecast

This walk starts in the Hunter weather district.

Current Alerts

Park Information

Popran National Park

Popran National Park is divided into 5 main section and sits north of the Hawkesbury River between Dharug NP and the Sydney-Newcastle freeway. The park protects many creeks, Aboriginal sites, some shore line of the Hawkesbury, interesting rock formationtions and a diverse range of flora and fauna. One of the five section is closed to the public and walking is more popular in the larger of the five. Walking during spring will reward you with many wildflowers, warmer days are great for enjoying the refreshing water holes.

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