Great North Walk

Overview

The Great North Walk runs from Sydney to Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. The main track, which runs between Governer Maquarie's Obelisk in Sydney to Bicential Park in Newcastle is 250km in length. There is also many "side tracks" which convieniently link the track to populated areas along the length of the walk. The walk includes a huge variety of wildlife and scenery. It is not necessary to do the walk in one go, as individual sections can be completed. The walk is often close to the railway line, so the train provides a convenient transport mechanism. It is popular to camp along the way at designated spots. The walk from Sydney to Newcastle takes around 14 days to complete. The best time to take this walk is late autumn, winter and spring. Summer is extremely hot and should be avoided.

History

The Great North Walk was initated by Gary McDougall and Leigh Shearer-Heriot. They both planned and marked the original route from Sydney to Newcastle, with access to many linking tracks. Todays great north walk is quite true to the original trail. The original name for the Great North Walk was the 'Sydney to Hunter Project'. The name 'the Great North Walk' was derived from the first road from the Hunter Valley to Sydney, called the 'Great North Road'.

Additional Information

The Great North Walk Discovery Kit, available from the NSW Department of Lands.

Great North Walk, by Garry McDougall and Leigh Shearer-Heriot, published by Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, Australia (Out of print - available at libraries)
--Seanaust 08:48, 30 October 2006 (UTC)