Garie Beach to Helensburgh (The Burgh Track)

Download & Print Map and Notes

4 hrs 30 mins

11 km One way

664 m

Hard track

This walk has a great mixture of ocean cliffs, with fantastic views, and beautiful forest. The walk follows the well maintained Burgh Track, passing great views of the ocean and the cliffs, before turning inland and exploring some eucalypt forest on the way to Helensburgh. The environment and views near Lady Wakehurst Dr are incredibly special as the track winds its way through a shrouded eucalypt forest.

The track between Garie and Little Garie

The track through the grasslands on the Burgh Ridge

The view of the coast from Burgh Ridge (Nth) Int

The view just east of Lady Wakehurst Dr.

North Era camping ground

North Era camping ground, Royal National Park, is a large dune area situated directly behind North Era Beach. This camping spot is popular with surfers, and it also has a toilet and a cleared area to pitch your tent. A maximum of 36 people (12 sites) can camp here, so there is plenty of room for everyone. Open fires are not permitted, you can carry a fuel stove for cooking. A camping permit is required from NPWS before arriving (Phone:(02) 9542 068). Water is often available from the creek (treat before drinking), If dry you can walk to Garie Beach for water, although the water here may also be dried up, during a dry period it is best to carry all your water with you.

(0km) Garie Beach Car Park → Little Garie

750 m

20 mins

59m

-47m Moderate track

From the Garie Beach car park, the walk follows the sign to 'North Era', keeping the sea to the left. This track follows the base of the large grassy hill between the rocks and the ocean, to the Little Garie cabins and up past the Little Garie Community Hall.

(1km) Little Garie → North Era Bush Campground

850 m

23 mins

62m

-74m Moderate track

Continue straight: From the community hall in Little Garie, the walk heads steeply up the hill, following the track to the south-west. To prevent erosion of the hill, wooden steps have been installed. From the top of the ridge, the track continues down the other side, keeping the ocean on the left while winding down into North Era Bush Campground.

(2km) North Era Bush Campground → Int of Burgh Ridge Track and Era Track (East)

910 m

20 mins

59m

-20m Moderate track

Continue straight: From the North Era Bush Campground, the walk heads up the grassy hill, keeping the ocean to the left. Just before the buildings, the walk comes to an intersection with a track on the right (which heads into the trees).
Continue straight: From the top of the ridge, the walk heads down the hill, keeping the ocean to the left as it winds down between the cabins to the beach at the bottom. From here, the walk continues around the back of the beach following the coast, and up between the houses to the large clearing before the top of the hill. Here, the walk comes to an intersection with two rough bush tracks towards the top of the hill.

(3km) Int of Burgh Ridge Track and Era Track (East) → The Squeeze Way and Burgh Ridge track

1.3 km

32 mins

181m

-13m Moderate track

Veer right: From the intersection, this walk heads up the hill and away from the ocean, winding through the tall grass to the top of the hill, where it comes to a 'T' intersection with the track at the top.
Veer right: From the intersection, this walk follows the bush track heading up the hill and away from the ocean, towards the thick forest at the top of the ridge. The track winds up the long hill to the treeline, where it continues up through the forest, climbing to the top of the long hill where it gradually flattens out and comes to the intersection of the 'Squeeze Way' service trail at the end of the Garrawarra Farm car park.

(4km) The Squeeze Way and Burgh Ridge track → Int of Burgh and Bola Heights Tracks

330 m

6 mins

-10m Moderate track

Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk heads across the car park, following the right-hand side for a short while before it comes to the signposted intersection of 'The Burgh Track'[2], before reaching the paddock.
Continue straight: From the 'Burgh Track' sign, this walk follows the sign away from the car park, keeping the paddock to the left. The track heads into the dense bushland, crossing a small creek and continuing along for a short while before coming to the intersection with the unnamed management trail.

(4km) Int of Burgh Track and Bola Heights Trail → Int of Lady Wakehurst Drive and Burgh Track

1.3 km

29 mins

11m

-163m Moderate track

Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk follows the bush track, heading west through the bush and away from the service trail. The track winds through the dense scrub for a short while, before starting to drop down a long hill, which gradually steepens as it continues down the scattered wooden steps. At the bottom, the walk comes to the intersection with Lady Wakehurst Drive.

(5km) Int of Lady Wakehurst Drive and Burgh Track → Int of Burgh and Hacking River Tracks

890 m

19 mins

48m

-18m Moderate track

Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk heads north-west along the bush track, away from Lady Wakehurst Drive. The track soon passes two signs saying 'Burgh Track', following the one that also points to 'Helensburgh', passing two large boulders. The track soon tends downhill, following one of the tributaries of the Hacking River. The walk crosses the creek using the boulders as stepping stones. After a short climb up the bank, the track continues slightly further alongside the creek to an old disused management trail, marked by several signs pointing the way to 'Helensburgh'. At this point, the track turns and leads up the hillside to an intersection with the Hacking management trail, marked by a small trailmarker signpost.

(6km) Intersection of Hacking River Firetrail and Burgh Track → End of Halls Rd

3.5 km

1 hr 19 mins climb

214m

-114m Hard track

Turn sharp right: From the intersection, this walk heads north along the management trail. The track undulates as it winds its way around the hill, tending west. Gradually, as the walk turns to the west, the track begins to rise steeply. The track goes up to the ridgeline and then flattens out for some time. The trail comes to an intersection and large fenced-in clearing (a tip), marked by a large sign saying 'Royal National Park'. Here the walk turns right to follow the fence for just shy of 500m before following a short track to the end of Halls Road.

(10km) End of Halls Rd → Helensburgh Railway Station

1.2 km

24 mins

25m

-69m Moderate track

Turn left: From the end of Halls Rd, this walk heads south along the road, immediately passing Gardiner Pl on the right. After a while, the walk comes to a 'T' intersection with Parkes St. The walk turns right onto Parkes St, heading downhill along the footpath until reaching Tunnel Rd (signposted), opposite a 'Helensburgh' Station sign. The walk turns right and goes along Wilsons Creek Rd for a short while before turning left and taking the the steps down to Helensburgh Railway Station.

Maps for the Garie Beach to Helensburgh (The Burgh Track) 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.

Otford	1:25 000 Map Series	91294S OTFORD	NSW-91294S
Appin	1:25 000 Map Series	90291S APPIN	NSW-90291S
Campbelltown	1:50 000 Map Series	90291 CAMPBELLTOWN	CW-90291
Port Hacking	1:100 000 Map Series	9129 PORT HACKING	9129
Wollongong	1:100 000 Map Series	9029 WOLLONGONG	9029

Cross sectional view of the Garie Beach to Helensburgh (The Burgh Track) bushwalking track

Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Garie Beach to Helensburgh (The Burgh Track)

Altitude analysis for Garie Beach to Helensburgh (The Burgh Track)

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	11 km
		Time	4 hrs 30 mins
		.
Grade 4/6 Hard track	AS 2156.1	Gradient	Short steep hills (3/6)
		Quality of track	Formed track, with some branches and other obstacles (3/6)
		Signs	Directional signs along the way (3/6)
		Experience Required	Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6)
		Weather	Weather generally has little impact on safety (1/6)
		Infrastructure	Limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged) (4/6)

Some more details of this walks Grading

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

Gradient

11km of this walk has short steep hills and another 250m has gentle hills with occasional steps. The remaining (85m) is flat with no steps.

Quality of track

Around 7km of this walk follows a clear and well formed track or trail, whilst the remaining 3.8km follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles.

Signs

Around 8km of this walk has directional signs at most intersection, whilst the remaining 3.2km is clearly signposted.

Experience Required

Around 7km of this walk requires no previous bushwalking experience, whilst the remaining 3.8km requires some bushwalking experience.

weather

This whole walk, 11km is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation).

Infrastructure

7km of this walk has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced) and another 3.5km has limited facilities (such as cliffs not fenced, significant creeks not bridged). The remaining (840m) 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 Garie Beach to Helensburgh (The Burgh Track) walk.

Garie Beach to North Era Beach

3.2 km Return, 2 hrs

This walk is the shortest walk to North Era Beach and starts from the Garie car park. Both beaches are popular surfing beaches, and have either camping or basic hostel accommodation. This makes the walk between the beaches an excellent way to transport boards and supplies for your surf retreat, week

Total climbing: 242m

Using a variety of tracks, this walk follows the coast as well as going inland to Garrawarra Farm. With great coastal views and a magnificent palm jungle, this walk demonstrates perfectly, the diversity of the Royal National Park. Of historical significance are the houses scattered along the coast t

Total climbing: 754m

Hard track

The Coast Track (Otford to Bundeena)

27.4 km One way, 2 Days

Following the coast through the Royal National Park with its magnificent coastal views, this walk is truly amazing. Although walked traditionally from Bundeena, this direction makes for a shorter first day. There are coastal and cliff views along much of this walk. There are also a small house commu

Total climbing: 1244m

Hard track

The Coast Track

27.4 km One way, 2 Days

Heading south, this walk covers the coastline of the Royal National Park and can truly only be described as amazing. With breathtaking coastal views from Bundeena to Otford this walk follows the cliffs along a well managed and signposted track. You will enjoy the truly fantastic views out to sea an

Total climbing: 1351m

Hard track

Other Nearby walks

A list of walks that start near the Garie Beach to Helensburgh (The Burgh Track) walk.

Garie Beach to Eagle Rock

7.7 km Return, 3 hrs

This walk, from Garie Beach to Eagle Rock, is another great way to explore the Royal National Park coastline. Eagle Rock is an iconic rock formation in the park, and this lookout provides a great view of it. The walk then returns to the expansive Garie Beach, offering more great views as you head d

Total climbing: 344m

Hard track

Garie Beach YHA

1.3 km Return, 45 mins

**On 02/12/2010 this YHA was completely destroyed by fire and plans for the future are not yet decided** This track is the only access to Garie Beach YHA. If you leave your car in the Garie Beach car park it is easy to head up to the hostel, before spending the rest of your time down at the beach. T

Total climbing: 68m

Moderate track