Flat Rock to Beavens Pt Rd on the Great North Walk

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Flat Rock to Beavens Pt Rd on the Great North Walk

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Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 15.3 miles / 24.6 km
Duration: Multiple days

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Overview: This is a 2-day hike in fairly tough but very rewarding countryside.

FLAT ROCK LOOKOUT TO BASIN CAMP 11.1km (approx) Moderate to Hard
South from Flat Rock Lookout crossing Watagan Creek which is a bit tricky after rain as there is no bridge. Walk through pockets of rainforest and then up through Olney State Forest’s stands of native timber; past a (2.2 km) spur up Mt Warrawolong and on to the Basin Campsite.

BASIN CAMP TO BEAVENS POINT ROAD 13.3km (moderate to hard)
From the campsite south along Cedar Brush Track to the trackhead to join Cedar Brush Road as far as its intersection with Beavens Point Road.

Full details about the Great North Walk can be found at http://www.thegreatnorthwalk.com
We also recommend accessing e-trails and guides at Great North Walk books - http://tiny.cc/Buy2GNWbooks

Watch a hike movie http://vimeo.com/10912042

Download EZ Guide to Great North Walk and downloadable e-trails http://tiny.cc/EZguideGNW

Tips: Access and over-nighting are both a bit tricky. The Basin Campsite is fine with fixed fireplaces and plenty of room. Otherwise there is an accommodation option at Cedar Brush Downs. This is a single cottage, the old Cedar Brush School House, fully self-catering, with three bedrooms and shared bathroom, swimming pool and tennis court. Further afield (past or in Yarramalong) there are more places to stay.

Further afield but very pleasant is Wollombi. Sculpture in the vineyards follows the Wollombi Valley Wine Trail with exhibits from artists, local, regional and city-based to reflect the rural nature of the vineyard location. An annual exhibition that commenced in 2002.
Great Deal –buy both Great North Walk books -http://tiny.cc/Buy2GNWbooks

Points of Interest

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Banksia

The name Banksia was given to the genus by the son of another famous man, Linnaeus, more than a decade after they returned from Cook's first great three-year voyage in 1771. During his visit to the country, Banks identified a large number of Australian flowers and trees and received full credit for the introduction to the western world of plants such as eucalyptus, acacia and mimosa, as well as the genus that was eventually named after him, Banksia, of which there are about 80 species

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Watagan Creek Stepping Stones

as you splash across the creek be aware that if you have sprayed your boots, gaiters and socks to repel leeches (not a bad idea) you may add this nasty stuff to the aquatic environment -- so be careful and pick you stones with thought.

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Turn-off to Mount Warrawolong

There is a trail to the top of Mount Warrawolong (see separate EveryTrail Guide for details). This is a short and worthwhile detour to be able to say you have hiked to the HIGHEST point on the whole of the 250 km Great North Walk.

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Colourful Fungus

There are very many kinds of fungus on the Great North Walk; many are poisonous, some not so. More widely, the name “mushroom” is also applied to a large range of gilled fungi.
Identifying fungi is challenging for many reasons, not least of which is the edible/poisonous divide. Experts use features such as the presence of juices when the fungus is broken, their smell, colour and habitat although modern identification is often done at the molecular level. The stage of development of the fungus can also be misleading since young mushrooms tend to emerge with a button shape until the final shape takes over — and then old mushrooms, once their spores are distributed, may take on characteristics different from those typically seen in mature specimens.

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Lyrebirds and Magpies

Look around you as you walk – you may find a lyrebird tail feather! You are les likely to glimpse lyrebirds. The Superb Lyrebird - are shy and have weak wing muscles so they try to avoid flying. Both are greyish brown but only the male bird has steeply curved outer tail feathers. If you picnic however, look out for Bell Magpies who will accept (or steal) and biscuits you have.

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Fire Safety and GNW Signposts

Trail signs are adequately frequent in this area but there are other hazards. In summer there is the danger of bushfires. You should be prepared to take the (signed) alternative routes (usually along 4WD trails) when bushfires are burning the area. Do NOT risk walking where a fire may be. Carry adequate water at all times and consult the Bureau of Meteorology about weather conditions.

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Basin Campsite

The trail around here zig-zags up and down into tiny gullies. Watch out for trail bikers hammering down the steeper slopes and also for the degradation they have caused making footings slippy and destroying slog steps on some slopes.
There is a long descent towards the Basin campsite. The campsite is very good with fireplaces and barbecues plus a toilet block and plenty of space for tents. At weekends there are usually groups of campers already set up for the night with fires and quite a spread set out in the picnic shelter.

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40-acre Wood

This so much reminded us of Winnie the Pooh -- but of course neither he nor Christopher Robin made it quite this far.

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Golden Banksia

There are many commonly occurring Banksias on the Great North Walk trail. These include Silver Banksia Banksia marginata — called ‘silver’ because of the pale grey colour of the underside of the leaves —has clear yellow flower spikes in autumn and winter. Hairpin Banksia Banksia spinulosa takes its name from its ‘hooked’ styles that project from the axis of the flower spike and are often deep red or black. Heath-leaved Banksia Banksia ericifolia has red-gold flower spikes that stand out in autumn–winter against white-backed, deep green leaves. Banksia oblongifolia, Fern-leaved Banksia, a shrub about 1 m high. It’s easy to recognize because its new leaf growth is of a bright orange colour; although, later, this new growth will be covered by dense rusty hair. And -- best known to Aussies - Banksia serrata — Old Man Banksia.

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Red Cedar

Red cedar became the ‘poster child’ of Australian primary produce in the mid-19th century. There has been no other kind of timber that has achieved such popularity in Australia and been interpreted as expressing an emerging Australian nationalism.

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Gum and Other Trees

This region is famous for its red cedar but her are many other beautiful native trees and these house a wide range of birds. Lookout for Roundleaf gum (Eucalyptus deanei) plus various other eucalypts such as Ironbark, Mahogany, the Cedars of course, and fewer Turpentines and Stringybarks. And also for birds that frequent these lovely trees including two sorts of Cockatoos, Eagles, Kookaburras, Green Catbirds, Brush Turkeys, Wompoo Pigeons, King Parrots, Spinebills, Finches and Wrens the local Powerful Owl

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Yarramalong Store

Yarramalong's general store is famous for food and good coffee. The name Yarramalong is derived from the Aboriginal word meaning ‘the place of cedar’. European settlers came into the region for this prized timber as early as the 1830s but found that, while the trees were sound and tall, getting logs from this area to the ports of Newcastle and Sydney was much too difficult to make this region viable for cedar harvesting.

Pictures in this guide taken by: OzGNW

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