Girrakool and Piles Creek Loop Tracks

This walk takes place on Darkinyung Country

 

On the 28th February 2024, my Nana Betty passed away.

As she was living up in the central coast, I took leave from work for the Thursday and Friday to go stay up in Gosford to attend the funeral.

I booked in to stay at the Ibis Budget Hotel, given I really only needed a room for the night. I left Thursday morning, heading up towards Sydney, always happy for a little road trip I set up Google Maps and turned on my Road Trip Playlist on Spotify. As I crossed the Hawkesbury river, I was in awe of the destination, wishing I could get a boat and go off exploring along the river, in particular the large island jutting out of the river on my right called 'Spectacle Island'.

I arrived at my accommodation just after 12. Checking in I transferred my clothing into my room, and set of for a quick walk down the road to buy some lunch, deciding to buy the KFC Mega Fill Up Meal for $10. As I walked to KFC I crossed Narara Creek, stopping to take in the view.

I continued on to get my overly large, relatively cheap and greasy meal. I sat alone in KFC, scoffing down my lunch, filling up less than halfway through but forcing myself to keep eating, I thought about what I would do to fill in the time as I had a whole day in front of me. Wiping my greasy fingers off with a wet wipe I opened up Google Maps to see where abouts I was, and to see if there was any bushwalk nearby. I was surprised to see that right nearby was Brisbane Water National Park. I made my way back to my accommodation, heavy and bloated from lunch. I swapped my converse over to a pair of sketchers I had recently purchased just for more support (when walking around Sydney to do escape rooms.) However, in a rush, eager to get out and explore I quickly swapped into these shoes but didn't change into a more comfortable pair of socks, still wearing my small converse socks.

Part 1- The Girrakool Loop Track

As I head towards the national park, the road (Debenham road) was blocked by roadworkers, saying the road was closed and giving no directions for a detour. Frustrated I pulled up and had to actually google how to swap the route on Google Maps, having never actually done it before. I finally figured that out and began back on the road, taking me right across from the Australian Reptile Park (which we had often gone to as kids while visiting the central coast to see my Nana, and Aunt Corrine (who I mentioned in my post about my leukemia treatment had passed during her own treatment).

A lot of walks had appeared in the national park website when I had sat in KFC looking the park up after finding it, but I decided to head to where I could go the Girrakool walk, as it had an Aboriginal rock engraving site. As I turned down the road towards the Girrakoop picnic area (where the carpark was), I slowed down and watched a Goanna crossing the road.

As I pulled up in the carpark, I did a quick walk around at the two places you could begin walked from, right where I parked was the start of the Girrakool Loop track.

As I walked over to the notice board (also intending to purchase a parking ticket as it is paid parking), there was a sign up on the machine letting me know it was out for order, so I didn't need to buy a ticket. I smiled at my good luck, and continued to read the board learning about the area, the walks and having a look at the map.

"Girrakool -place of waters
Brisbane Water National Park was originally established in 1959 when an area of 6,000 hectares was dedicated for public recreation, the park is now more than 12,000ha in size.
Girrakool picnic area was established soon after the appointment of the first ranger, Mr Jack Higgs, in 1961.
The establishment of a picnic area and development of walking trails at Girrakool was carefully planned to provide access to the beautiful waterfalls and abundant native flora. Girrakool was officially opened on 11 September 1965.
This beautiful reserve takes its name from nearby Brisbane Water which can be seen from a number of places within the park. The park is a combination of rugged bushland, beautiful wildflowers and spectacular waterfalls and creeks.
Aboriginal people have used the area for centuries and there are Aboriginal engravings on many of the sandstone outcrops.
The importance of the area for Aboriginal people is reflected in the two Aboriginal places in the park, Bulgandry Art Site Aboriginal Place and Kariong Sacred Land Aboriginal Place."

Just down from here was another picnic area, and a toilet but also the start of the Piles Creek Loop. I returned to the start of the Girrakool loop nearby my car and set off down the track.

I began to walk, the dirt from the ground flicking up with every step. I could feel the burn from the sun on my skin with the intense heat of the middle of the day and was grateful for every little flicker of shade.

In no time at all I approached a rocky outcrop and could see a wooden pole on its side bearing a sign as I approached.

The sign informed me, that beyond this post was the Aboriginal Rock Engravings.

"Rock engraving provide valuable information about Aboriginal material, culture and social life. Engravings on rocks are an important part of Aboriginal songs, stories and customs that connect people with the land. Many of these sites are regarded as being of a sacred or ceremonial significance to Aboriginal people and they should not be interfered with."

Also asking not to walk, touch, or interfere with the site in anyway as well as stating it was an offence and the fines and potential imprisonment if you were to harm or desecrate it.

I walked back and forth along the boundary, but could not clearly make out any engravings, guessing they were pretty faded. I could see what looked like lines in the stone but could not make out any shapes or anything.
I looked to my left for the trail to continue, but noticed it cut down past the rock engravings.

I continued down coming to a section of steppingstones that had a little trail heading off to the left at the start of them, which with ample time on my hands, I decided to head down first instead.

Following this trail I soon came upon a water source, which I assumed was 'Brisbane Water'.

Upstream

To the right of me was a little set of falls, so I made my way over and down them for a picture looking up at them.

Downstream from the falls

There was no clear path, but I could see what was either a partial track, sometimes used, or an animal trail that was on the opposite side of the creek, so I crossed over it and followed it through the scrub, keeping a wary eye out for snakes. As the bush grew thicker and it was obvious there was no clear path. Now I could see an opening on the other side of the scrub, I climbed up on the end of a fallen down tree that led through the bush to the opening.

I balanced and walked down to the end of the fallen tree, hoping down for a little look around, and I thought I could hear people somewhere off in the distance. I climbed back onto the fallen tree, back through the scrub, up and over the creek and back to the steppingstones to continue along the path.

After getting to the end of the stones and following the sandy dirt-path along a short while I could see a clearway down to the creek, and I could see across the river the clearing I had just been at. As I walked, I heard the squawking of birds, which I thought I recognised as the sound of an Eagle or Hawk, I stopped to look around, hoping to see them. I could see nothing so continued walking once more until it started again. I stopped to look up, when overheard flew some Black Cockatoos, the ones who were clearly making the sound and suddenly it clicked, that that was where I recognised the sound from.

I soon came to another rocky outcrop, covered with leaf litter and one random metal pole, standing alone in the centre.

I looked around, wondering why this pole was there, wondering if it was maybe a marker? Wondering if maybe there were hidden Aboriginal engravings in the stone, hidden underneath the leaf litter. I did a little walk around, but there was nothing noticeable, but then I couldn't distinguish anything at the place location either. I continued on, stopping when I noticed a random mushroom inside was looked like a burnt-out tree stump (although it could have just been rot or sooty mould)

The path bended left here, down some uneven surfaces and past a bunch of grass trees (Xanthorrhoea).

As I reached the bottom the bush once more opened up to the flowing creek and a series of small falls.

I wandered around unable to find any clear path across from where I had exited, but at I followed the creek along on the opposite side to me I stumbled upon what I believed was the path.

I followed the wet and slippery path along for a while until my path opened up once more.

This opening was high up over a body of water, and there was a higher waterfall here, but the view of it was mostly obscured by plant growth.

There was another section of large round steppingstones, crossing the creek, but there was also a trail heading through the bush in the other direction.

I decided to explore down the other trail, but after 5 minutes of walking, heading away from the carpark I assumed it was part of one of the other walks, and so made my way back to the creek, and crossed the steppingstones.

As I reached the other side, there was a set of steps that I followed up, with sweat dripping from my brow.

At the top was a sign, informing me I was on the Girrakool Loop saying it was 2km. I thought to myself that the whole loop was meant to be 2km so surely it didn't mean from where I was standing. The sign also pointed in both directions for the Piles Creek Loop, and so I nodded to myself that the random path I had followed for 5 minutes was part of the Piles Creek Loop track.

As I walked only a few more steps away there was another sign, pointing giving similar information, but also pointing back the way I had come for the 'Great North Walk', and just after this sign the path split in two the sign informing me that the way I was heading feature the 'Bundilla Lookout' and the Girrakool Loop. With the Bundilla Lookout apparently in 200m. I assumed the lookout would be straight along, and that the Girrakool loop would be the track that headed up to my right (which I assumed returned to the carpark, and so I followed the path straight along a short while, which ended up leading me to 'Illoura Lookout' instead.

I stopped at the lookout, taking in the view over the creek. A light breeze had picked up and was a welcome relief to the intensely hot and humid weather. I had a swig of water from my bottles which I had forgotten to fill up before I began the walk, so I tried to savour it, and not drink it all in one go. I was so hot and thirsty that my brain didn't even register that Illoura Lookout was not the one listed on the sign beforehand. I continued on, curious to see what was ahead.

I read the sign and was confused, as this was the Girrakool loop. So once, more I backtracked, noticing a little track through the scrub on my right down to below the Illoura Lookout. I continued past it, back to the fork, and headed up the stairs.

I trudged up hill, sweating and really wishing I had had the forethought to pack more water.
'I should have ducked into the creek for a swim' I thought to myself. But then got in my head about PFAS and contaminates flowing down the river from an external source, overly paranoid about these things from my cancer treatment. I soon reached a small marker, pointing right for the Girrakool loop (and straight to a picnic area), which confused me, as the path I had been following before said it was the Girrakool loop.

"What the-" I said out loud, gazing down at it. I followed the path to my right, which took me to the 'Broula Lookout'.
'This must have been the lookout it said on the sign.' I thought to myself (it wasn't, that was Bundilla).

You couldn't see much from the lookout, as all the trees had grown blocking the view that probably once showed the waterfall.

I noticed another track that continued on from here, still leading right which I followed for a time, before turning around, and assuming that it probably someone linked back onto the Girrakool loop at a different point. I returned to the sign and continued up hill, until I reached the picnic area, which I thought I recognised as the area down from the toilet block, at the start of the Piles Creek walk.

I continued up past it, just to make sure I was right about where I was, a little annoyed that I would have to walk back down to continue the Girrakool loop, when I once more spotted a Goanna along the path to the toilet block (confirming I was where I thought I was).

I turned around after reaching the toilets, questioning myself about whether or not I needed to go, and deciding I didn't as I was far too dehydrated. As I began the walk back, I passed a sign about root rot. Informing me that 'Phytophthoria dieback' was present in parts of the reserve, and so to make sure to clean the bottom of your shoes/boots before walking in other areas to help reduce spread, as there was no treatment, so infestation is permanent.

After making my way back down to the main path I decided to take the little unmarked trail down to the base of the lookout I mentioned where I came upon a beautiful little waterfall.

I sat for a bit, thinking about the short distance of this walk and how long it had taken me so far with all the alternate routes, but I looked at the time and started thing about the Piles Creek track. I looked back on the picture on my phone letting me know that it was 4km.
'I can do that too' I thought and began the climb back up to the trail to continue along past where the Piles Creek and Girrakool tracks diverged, following along the Girrakool track.

While walking along I kept looking at all the different species of Banksias and noticing little ones growing up along the side of the trail, as the trail began to incline, I passed a section of ferns, which only stood out to me as it was so contrast to the rest of the landscape of the walk I had been exposed to.

'This feels longer than 2km' I thought to myself, though I was never good with distance, (though I sometimes question the accuracy of walking trail distances, some longer ones feeling shorter than others, where or not this is a perception thing, or has to do with elevation but I have never really focused on elevation gains or distances, more just enjoying and exploring the world around me).

As I passed through this area, I began to hear what sounded like cars running, and I suddenly got paranoid about my car being broken into. (Though there was nothing of value in there). I tried to shake the thought from my head, wondering why I always bothered thinking negative thought about this. I thought 'there's nothing I can do' and focused on enjoying the and looking out and the natural beauty surrounding me.

I crossed a little wooden bridge, and followed the trail along for a few more minutes before reaching another built-up lookout point, the Andamira Lookout (still not Bundilla). As I walked up the stairs to this lookout I could see a waterfall down below, mostly obscured once again, while the Girrakool trail continued up, bending around back the direction I had come from. I decided to go off the track and make my way down to a better view of the waterfall, which I assumed was called 'Andamira'.

I sat down at this beautiful spot, finishing the last of my very limited water, taking my backpack off and trying to cool down my very sweaty back.

I tried not to rest to long, as I thought to myself that I had very limited time up here, visiting for my Nan's funeral, and although the temperatures were scorching, and I had now finished my water I was determined to also do the Piles Creek loop trail too.

I marched myself up the remainder of the walk, popping out at a picnic and barbecue area, which I passed through to get back on to the road that led back down to the parking area.
As I arrived there was a Mum and her daughter standing around their open car and I wondered if they had just done the same walk, and if they were the voices I had heard at the start of the Girrakool loop (although it is possible they were just about to start a walk), also parked up was a large truck with a man sitting inside with the truck still running, eating some food. 
'See' I told myself. 'The noise was nothing to get paranoid about'. I settled my nerves, heading to the start of the Piles Creek track.
 

Part 2- Piles Loop Track

I headed to the bathroom, tempted to fill my water bottles from a tap inside. However, as I walked in a foul smell hit me, and I instantly got paranoid again that the hand tap water wasn't 'drinking water' as often in places in Australia it isn't drinking quality and can be boar water or untreated. However, there was no signage saying anything like that, but I decided against filling up my bottles and set off once more down the trail, back onto the Girrakool loop which I followed until I reached the Piles Creek turn off.

I could feel the dehydration now. That feeling like a constriction upon your brain, a tightness and a headache with the slight dizzy feeling. 'I'm totally one of those dickheads that heads off unprepared, without informing anyone where they're going in case of an accident'. I shook my head at myself, realising my own arrogance and self-assuredness that nothing would occur to me.

Suddenly I came about the turn off finally, to Bundilla Lookout. (Bundilla being the waterfall near the steppingstones and end trail of the Piles Creek track I had followed for a short while).

You can see the steppingstones.

I turned to continue on the walk, but noticed something, a splatter of blood, I turned and there beside me was a dead body-

Just kidding. Unreliable narrator, sorry. (Just trying to keep you on your toes.) No, the blood splatter, was just the dripping of sap, on fallen leaves.

I continued walking while I actually thought in my head about writing that trick about stumbling upon a body, and I found myself doing it often as I continued along the Piles Creek walk. Writing blog post narration in my head, even trying to take my head and stop myself from doing it and just focusing on the walk (in all honesty the narration I thought while walking was probably better than what I end up writing, more visceral, as everything was there and in front of me and not the recollections of someone with bad memory ever since their chemotherapy).

The track was a lot more uneven and undulating, with more ups-and-downs frequently, and a less stable surface. I thought back on the sign that had said Girrakool was graded easy, and this was graded as moderate-hard. 'Who grades these things' I wondered.

Soon a little dirt trail branched off on my left and I followed it down to a view over a wider section of the creek.

There were water Dragons all over the place here, but such a distance away, that when I zoomed in on my phone the pictures were just blurring and not worth taking. 'I need a good camera' I thought' but knew it would be a hassle to carry around on walks. I was about to leave when one of the Dragons jumped off a tree branch that was jutting out of the water and began swimming, so I took my phone out to try and film it.

I made my way back up, and just as I stepped out onto the track, I jolted out of surprise, as there was a girl walking on her own in the opposite direction. I hadn't expected to see anyone, but I nodded a polite acknowledgement, while she said hello. 

I felt a bit of awkwardness at not having said hi back and wondered if she had felt that shock that I had, being a woman walking alone on a track and coming across a man. I wondered if that would have freaked her out (with recent case all over the media about Smantha Murphy.) Then again, she might not have even thought about it.

The narration in my head continued, documenting my thoughts and feelings that occurred about not only the scenery, but how I was feeling at the time (which by now I have of course forgotten). I kept trying to get my brain to stop doing it, but it seemed compelled to do so. Meanwhile I continued dripping with sweat, the dizziness, and headache growing and I could feel a fuzziness in my vision.

'Maybe KFC wasn't the best idea'. I thought to myself, feeling the lethargy of such a heavy lunch now.

The trail had led up along the side walls of the valley, and continued along the face of this, and began winding downwards, with large portions of stone jutting out above me.

I found this portion of the track a lot more wet along the track, and wondered if I would encounter any leeches or find any ticks on me (I didn't).

Wandering through this section I dried to stick to drier sections (which I would have done anyway), but I was trying to stop mud gathering on my shoes, not wanting to spread any of the root-rot fungus. Passing through the wetter section I noticed a blob of orange/caramel covered slime building up in a pile of water and I wondered what it was.

I was beginning a notice a change in the landscape around me. It wasn't huge but ever so slightly different trees began to appear around me. 

I came upon another fork in the path. One heading straight, and one heading up the valley wall more.

'Well, I have to see what's up there!' I thought to myself, and quickly turned off the track to follow the other trail up. As it bended left it opened up to a large cut in the cliff that was pretty magnificent to look at.

I followed the cliff along and found that it had a trail that eventually linked up with the main track anyway.

I began to question how far in I was, as I felt like I had walked further then 2km and I thought the walk was 4km, so I assumed it would have to cross Piles Creek and head back the other way soon, however the trail just seemed to keep on going, however I noticed a trend downwards which I assumed would be leading to a crossing.

I walked on, brain caught in the continual cycle of self-narration and wondering when the track would cross the creek and turn back. My thought was broken by the sound of trees above me rubbing loudly together with the wind, which had now picked up, and I hoped that I wouldn't need to worry about any falling. Just as I thought this, I turned a corner and found a fallen tree pressed against the cliff wall for me to walk underneath.

I passed another large grass tree that looked like it had been hedged, showing that the trail was maintained (you'd hope so with a park rangers station build along the road on the way into the carpark).

I noticed through the bush and up the wall on the opposite side to me a built lookout, giving me assurance that I was getting close to the crossing. I then came along two more fallen trees to walk under, but I was too happy with the breeze cooling me down ever so slightly to stress about it.

The trail began to head downhill pretty substantially now. Which to me signified that I was going to have to head uphill again once I crossed the creek to get to the lookout I had seen.

As soon as the trail leveled out, it was back uphill once more.

As soon as I reached the top I was heading back downhill. My heart sank as every time the track had begun downhill, I had thought I was about to reach a crossing. I paused, wiping away sweat and taking in a breath. My headache was awful now, and every time I quickly pulled out my phone to snap a photo, I felt like looking at the screen made my headache so much worse.

If a tree falls in the woods and there's no one there to take a photo did I even blog?

I finally reached the creek which I could see through the trees, and I thought I could see some stairs, however I followed the path along past those stairs, and soon saw a large set of stairs leading up to a big bridge in front of me.

The little signpost pointed left over the bridge for the Piles Creek walk, while heading straight for the Great North Walk (which in the carpark had a sign saying sections of that were closed at the time).

As I looked left over the bridge, I could see the old, faded stair I had seen through the bushes, the remnants of an old bridge that probably crossed over the creek.

Looking left, upstream

Looking right, downstream

I was suddenly filled with renewed enthusiasm for the walk, as anyone who'd some of my posts before (literally no one), would know I love a good bridge crossing. 

As I predicted the path instantly began uphill heading back, finally on the opposite side of the creek.

I came to a cut in the path where rainwater would flow down, with a sign with distance markers for the Great North Walk (which I will have to do one day).

I continued on past a newer built sign with a map, past another smaller wooden post pointing me towards Girrakool.

The natural scenery around me rapidly changed as I progressed along.

I ducked underneath another fallen tree while walking before coming across a large section of boulders you needed to cross where someone had carved out steps to show you the path to take to cross over them.

This track bent left and then right and then left again, leading up and up the higher and higher.

I passed a large boulder on my right before coming across another on my left a short while on, as I continued past it, rounding the bend I saw the slice in the side of it revealing it's beautiful honeycomb like inside.

Passing through a little walkway between two boulders, the trail now became a more open sandy path, I followed this along, noticing a set of stairs in front of me, with a little trail off to the left that led to the lookout I had seen from the opposite side of the creek.

View from the lookout

The scenery now was beginning to remind me of the track I had walked down near the Bundilla waterfall.

I felt like I had sweat out every last bit of moisture in my body and was feeling emotionally weary from taking photos.

'Do I even need this many photos?' I thought to myself. 'Does anyone need this much detail in a blog about a walk.' 

I thought about a comment someone had posted on my Iceland blog, saying that it should have been posted as multiple shortform blog posts. I had mentioned this to my friend Tristan who had agreed with that criticism. I thought the rise of short form media, TikTok, and thought that if someone wanted to read a blog post then they could, that making Steventure in this format, compared to edited videos on some other host like YouTube or TikTok was not what I wanted to do. It wasn't about getting views, or popularity. It was a good way for myself to recollect my adventures, help grain them into my memory and to look back on what I was doing, where I was in life and what my mental state was like, though I had to admit it could sometimes be emotionally taxing when writing, yet at other times, completely emotionally rewarding.

I came across the turn off to Kariong Scout Camp, and no part of me was interested in traversing up that trail, I was just eager now to have a drink and cool off.

The trail led to one of the cliff overhangs, very close to the ground that I had to walk through, so low that I had to walk through hunched to not knock my head, swiping away spiderwebs as I passed through.

At the end I came to another set of stone stairs leading down and back up and I could feel the muscles in my thighs straining.

I passed a tree on my right dropping off all its bark, and dripping with sap, which I've always sort of thought of as tree blood.

I thought I would recognise the spot I had stopped walking, when I had headed this way from Bundilla, as was waiting to reach that location, however without noticing I burst into a clearing and realised I was back at Bundilla. I sort of did that stunned blink, and then crossed the steppingstones, and headed back to the carpark. I reached my car, throwing off my backpack, grateful to let my back breath. I looked at the time and it was about half past 5pm.

I was about to head back to the Ibis hotel but thought that I would like an alcoholic drink for the night. I looked up on Google Maps where 'Oldfields Cellar' was located (discovering it many years ago, when I travelled up to visit my Nana Betty, and stopping in every time I was up here as they had a great variety of interesting and unique craft beers, especially stouts). 
I saw that it wasn't very car from the Ibis, so set my GPS back to my hotel, where I pulled up, and went for a walk to the cellar and bought myself a Milk Stout and a 'Lamington' Brown Ale. I headed back, eager for a shower to wash of my sweat, but instead of doing the right thing, and hydrating with water, I cracked open the milk stout, drinking it while I rinsed off (realising there was no soup or shampoo within this ibis bathroom), and it instantly went to my head.

I shrugged it off, figuring a wash with water would do. By now it was getting late, and I wanted to be in the unit for 7.30 as the new episode of Survivor Season 46 (huge Survivor fan, but US series only, not the Australian version) was going to be on. I quickly searched for dinner, driving to a place nearby called 'KCKN CHKN'. As I went inside to order, I realised I was still full from my KFC and didn't really feel like chicken after having so much for lunch. But I was there, and in a hurry, so quickly grabbed a Spicy Korean Burger (which tasted really good even if I didn't feel like it).

I took it back and laid down on the bed, reluctantly eating the tasty burger and cracking open the Lamington Brown Ale. I caught the last of a repeat episode of 'The Nanny' before Survivor began.

Soon the cramps started. Intense leg cramps causing me excruciating pain (hydration matter folks), I got up trying to stretch out the agonising pain that made me want to scream. Finally, it went away. Survivor finished and I had planned to continue reading 'The Wind in the Willows', the book I was currently reading. However, too tipsy from the alcohol, I made myself drink some water, and tucked into bed, blasting the aircon on cold, and went to bed, thinking about what the funeral would hold the following day.


Continued on 'Strickland Falls, Cabbage Tree and Stoney Creek Tracks' post

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Thanks for reading! - Steven