About 10 years ago, my friend, Chris, gave me a book about the Great North Walk by Garry McDougall and Leigh Shearer-Heriot. I was pleased to have it but when I opened it for the first time I saw:
3. Galston Gorge
One quick look at the 'Galston Gorge' map and it appears that the track takes you through the middle of a rifle range. Could this be Darwin unnatural selection, or the disappearance of the fittest?
No. Despite appearances the rifle range is set high above the Benowie Track, which follows the creek bank below. Those distant but terrifying gunshots you may hear on weekends need not worry you. As you move beneath the range its sounds recede to nil; the walk though the moist valley floor Is at Its quietest.
So, I had no desire to explore the GNW.
However, years later, fancying a walk, I took the book down from the shelf and opened it at the Benowie Track once again. It seemed that the Hornsby to Berowra section was about the right distance for me, so off I went - and I've never looked back since that day. I've now done all the route from Woolwich wharf at the southern end to Wondabyne north of the Hawksbury River. Some sections I have done more than once - the Benowie Track section four times, showing off what I had discovered to various friends, including Chris.
The GNW is divided into six sections:
The southern section of the GNW, from Hunters Hill to Brooklyn, forms the basis of the route for the Sydney Trailwalker event which I was contemplating this year. My exploration of this route was intended as training for this event, but I have since decided not to take part.