Girrakool loop track

How to get there

1. M1 → Central Coast Highway exit → Wisemans Ferry Road / Girrakool Road. Sealed 2WD to the picnic area.
2. Do not mix this car park with Somersby Falls — they are separate nodes with the same lock-time pattern.
3. Pay vehicle day-entry ($8 / Park’nPay / NSW Parks Pass — confirm the live amount on NSW National Parks) before you walk.
4. Busy on weekends; arrive early if you want BBQ space and a quieter engraving-site visit.

How to do it (step by step)

1. Check alerts. Pack water even though the picnic area has taps — the loop still has steps and heat.
2. At the start, view the Aboriginal rock engraving site from the path. Do not walk on or touch engravings.
3. Follow the signed loop through bushland past forest views, waterfalls and creek. Stop at Illoura lookout and the shady waterfall at Andamira lookout.
4. Bundilla lookout is another signed stop — treat unfenced edges as fall risk.
5. Return to the picnic area for BBQ/lunch. Extend only if legs and lock time allow — Piles Creek Loop is the usual upgrade (official 4 km loop, Grade 5 — verify on NPWS).

Who this walk is for

Girrakool Loop is the family walk with a picnic: a 2 km Grade 3 loop with tables and toilets, an engraving site at the start, and lookouts that do not need Great North Walk fitness. Official time: 30 minutes to 1 hour.

It is a good next walk after Somersby Falls if everyone still has energy. It is the wrong place to hop the fence at the engraving for a photo. Darkinjung Country — view from the path.

If you want more waterfall and overhang time, Piles Creek Loop is the official upgrade from the same picnic hub — more challenging, still not a multi-day.

Day shape

Girrakool picnic area → Aboriginal rock engraving site (do not walk on it) → bushland track past forest views, waterfalls and creek → Illoura, Bundilla and Andamira lookouts (Andamira = shady waterfall) → return to picnic area.

NPWS describes it as a short and easy walk that is still Grade 3. “Easy” here means short, not flat. Steps and uneven ground remain.

Late winter and early spring wildflowers are the seasonal bonus. After rain, waterfalls improve and rock gets slick — same trade as Somersby.

Logistics, lock times, reverse

Start/finish: Girrakool picnic area, Girrakool Road, Somersby. Entry fee applies. Car park open 7am–8pm daylight saving / 7am–6pm standard and locked at closing time, reopening 7am daily (official track page).

Bail-outs: it is a loop — you can reverse or cut short via signed options rather than forcing a full circuit with a fading child. Facilities at start: toilets, BBQs, picnic tables, drinking water, accessible parking.

Turn around for heat distress, empty bottles, anyone walking on rock art (stop the group), or 60 minutes to closing. Don’t add Piles Creek just because the loop felt easy if you started after 2pm. Planning from official NPWS notes (checked 22 Aug 2026), not a trip diary.

Extra tips

• Late winter–early spring wildflowers are a highlight on this loop.
• Andamira’s shady waterfall is the rest stop; Illoura is the view stop.
• Weekdays are kinder for families than peak Sunday.
• Open fires and solid fuel burners are prohibited park-wide — use the provided BBQs.
• Pets are not permitted (except certified assistance animals).

Map (orientation)

Pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads, parking and track status on NSW National Parks before you drive.