Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is located on the northern edge of Sydney, not far from where I live. As the weather is warming up here in the southern hemisphere, I decided it was time to start exploring this amazing national park (as well as others in the future) on my days off from work when I get the chance.

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Depending on what information you read, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is either the second or third oldest national park in Australia, being formed as such in 1894. It is a heritage listed National park because of significance in its high levels of biodiversity and its many important Indigenous Australian sites that are located within the park.

Within the park, there is temperate rainforest, cliffs, mangroves, drowned river valleys (caused by rising sea levels in the past) and plateaus.

Over one thousand native plants call the park home, along with moths, butterflies, koalas, bandicoots, bats and even penguins (on Lion Island-something I did not know, but think is an awesome thing to have close by). There are also these guys in the photos below-lizards, cormorants, plovers and bush turkeys, all seen on my visit yesterday.

Indigenous peoples have inhabited the area for 7,400 years, specifically by the Garrigal People from Broken Bay and the Terramerragal People of the Turramurra area. Within the park are rock engravings that are 600 years old and more than 800 documented burial and occupation sites connected to the Indigenous Peoples of the area.

What activities can you do?

While national parks in Australia have been set up to protect the indigenous flora and fauna of the country, they are also places where people can go and enjoy this flora, fauna and fresh air. Within Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, there are many things to do across the whole area.

There are many walks you can do throughout the national park of varying lengths and difficulties, depending on what you feel like doing and your physical capabilities. From a walk along the Gibberagong Track that is a boardwalk through some mangroves, being wheelchair friendly, to the Sphinx Memorial to Bobbin Head loop track that is a 10 km loop that is a harder walk, but a very nice one to do if you have the time.

At Bobbin Head, there are many things to do. There is a kids playground, picnic table, bbq’s, pedal boat hire, a marina (I’m not sure about boat hire here, but there are many nice boats kept here by their owners), a coffee shop, a bistro and a visitor centre with friendly staff (and toilets too, in case you were wondering). You can also take your own boat down to Bobbin Head and launch it at the boat ramp.

In other areas of the park, there is a camp site, called ‘The Basin Campground’, which is accessible by hiking, ferry, boat or water taxi. This needs to be booked in advance.

It is worth noting that, as with many national parks in NSW, there is a park entry fee of $12 per vehicle per day, or you can get an annual pass for $65 if you will make regular visits to national parks. I got one of these, as I plan to make regular visits to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and others in my area and beyond over the next year. It is also worth mentioning that there are many paths that you can access from the surrounding streets without having to drive into the park itself-I do this quite often in Lane Cove National Park, part of which is five minutes from home.

My October visit

I had my first visit to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in years on the 10th October 2025. I purposely went to the Bobbin Head area of the park as it is a very pleasant area to visit and I didn’t want to do a long walk. I went along the Gibberagong Track and carried on past where the boardwalk ends, where there is a bit of climbing to do (although up some steps carved into the rocks). When I got to the top of these steps, I spent some time enjoying the views below before heading back down.

I then went and had a sit down in the shade, watching the world go by for a while. There were some cormorants enjoying the sun nearby, which I enjoyed watching too.

I had a lovely couple of hours in the park. I love spending time surrounded by nature. In Ku-ring-gai Chase, National Park, it is very easy to forget that you are on the edge of Sydney as there is no sign of it from here at all-something that I love!

References

https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/-/media/npws/maps/pdfs/parks/kuringgai-chase-national-park/ku-ring-gai-chase-national-park-map.pdf

https://www.dcceew.gov.au/parks/heritage/heritage/places/national/ku-ring-gai-chase

https://www.dcceew.gov.au/parks-heritage/heritage/places/national-heritage-list

https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/campgrounds/the-basin-campground

https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/kuringgai-chase-national-park