Dubbo Gully and Ten Mile Hollow Circuit (via Clares Bridge)
Download & Print Map and Notes
2 Days
24.3 km Circuit
1117 m
Hard track
(0km) Dubbo Gully Rd car park → Upper Mangrove cemetery
3.6 km
1 hr 24 mins
140m
-310m
Moderate track
From the car park (a small clearing about 450m along the unsignposted Dubbo Gully Rd. Dubbo Gully Rd is found a by turning left off Waratah Rd when it becomes unsealed[1], about 4km from Mangrove Mountain shops), the walk follows the management trail down the hill and soon passes around a gate. There are some beautiful rock overhangs and scenery along this section of the walk. The walk continues to wind down the hill for a long while and eventually reaches the signposted intersection with the ‘Upper Mangrove Creek Rd’ (just before a bridge).
Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail (now Ten Mile Hollow Rd) and immediately crosses the longer bridge (leaving the shorter bridge with a gate to the right). The walk meanders along the trail for some time, passing an old ‘134’ sign to the right and a few old orange trees to the left. Soon after passing under some high voltage power lines, the walk arrives at a historic cemetery.
Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail (now Ten Mile Hollow Rd) and immediately crosses the longer bridge (leaving the shorter bridge with a gate to the right). The walk meanders along the trail for some time, passing an old ‘134’ sign to the right and a few old orange trees to the left. Soon after passing under some high voltage power lines, the walk arrives at a historic cemetery.
Upper Mangrove Cemetery
The Upper Mangrove Cemetery is on the western bank of Mangrove Creek, near the junction with Newmans Creek. The cemetery was part of St Thomas’ Church of England, however the church building was destroyed in the 2002 bushfires. Exploring the cemetery gives a glimpse into the history of the valley. You will find the stone remembering Alfred and Amanda Andrews who built ‘Fairview’ in 1922 and read of the loss of Leslie Starkey’s parents in 1913. On the other side of the road, up the hill, is the remains of of the old St Thomas’ Church building[3]. More info.
(3.6km) Upper Mangrove cemetery → Int of Ten Mile Hollow Rd and Donnys track
740 m
15 mins
27m
-21m
Moderate track
Continue straight: From the cemetery, the walk follows the management trail down the hill, leaving the cemetery to the left. The trail meanders along the valley for some time, passing a swampy area to the right and a large grassy clearing to the left. A short distance later, the walk reaches the signposted intersection with ‘Donny’s Track’[4].
(4.35km) Int of Ten Mile Hollow Rd and Donnys track → Int below Fairview Homestead
810 m
15 mins
19m
-22m
Moderate track
Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail down the hill. The walk soon passes around a gate and continues a little further, passing around a swampy area to the left and immediately arriving at an intersection near a gate. The trail behind the gate leads to an old abandoned house and shed, which could provide some shelter.
(5.15km) Int below Fairview Homestead → Fairview Homestead
120 m
3 mins
10m
-2m
Moderate track
Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk passes around the gate and follows the management trail steeply up the hill. The trail soon arrives at an old, abandoned house. At the end of this side trip, retrace your steps back to the main walk then Turn right.
Fairview
Fairview (550 Ten Mile Hollow Rd, Mangrove Creek) is a property with a homestead, built in 1922 by Alfred Andrews. The homestead and adjoining slab hut are now fenced to protect them, however the large corrugated iron shed on the south side is still open. The homestead was once a popular rest area for people traveling the North Road, via the Simpson track. The home was privately owned until 1973 when Gosford City Council acquired the land to protect the catchment area. The home was rented until 2002, when the tenants moved due to the threat of bushfires. The building is now in poor condition and the ‘Friends of Fairview’ are exploring ways to save the building and restore the history of the valley. Save Fairview More info.
(5.15km) Int below Fairview Homestead → Int of Ten Mile Hollow Rd and Simpsons track
2.5 km
47 mins
60m
-66m
Moderate track
Turn left : From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail, leaving the gate to the right and keeping the swampy area to the left. After passing a grassy clearing and old trail to the left, the walk soon passes a ‘Heritage Road Wall AND Culvert Protection’ signpost[5]. Allow some time to look at the old road retaining wall sections along here. The walk continues to meander close to the creek, passing amongst some nice trees and some large clearings. The walk then passes a smaller clearing, to the left, with a padlocked steel ‘Monitoring Well’. Soon after this, the walk passes through another long clearing with the remains of an old wooden fenced cattle yard. The walk then crosses a small creek and passes through to another clearing, passing a couple of boulders on the left with ‘Convict Trail’ information signs[6][7] and a visitors book, to arrive at the intersection with the Simpson track, marked with a National Parks walkers signpost[8].
Convict Trail plaque and log book
(7.7km) Int of Ten Mile Hollow Rd and Simpsons track → Simpsons Cave
2.4 km
49 mins
135m
-70m
Moderate track
Turn right: From the intersection, this walk follows the NPWS arrow post west along the flat trail (Simpsons Track), further up the Ten Mile Hollow gully. The trail leaves the large clearing and soon passes a series of smaller clearings. After crossing a few creeks, the trail enters the thicker bush. About 1.7km from the large clearing, the trail enters the signposted ‘Dharug National Park’. From here, the walk continues up the trail and, after about 750m and a distinct change in vegetation, the trail comes to the base of a large cliff and a couple of caves, up the hill on the left.
Simpsons Cave
Simpsons Cave is an informal name given to a sandstone overhang on the Simpson Track, about 2.5km east of the junction with the Old Great North Road. The cave is perched high on the side of the old road and looks north over Ten Mile Hollow valley. The cave has an outward sloping floor and is best viewed from the track.
(10.07km) Simpsons Cave → Ten Mile Hollow
2.5 km
47 mins
108m
-39m
Moderate track
Continue straight: From the caves, this walk follows the management trail (Simpsons Track) up the hill keeping the valley to the right. After winding up the hill for quiet some time, the trail leads under some high-tension power lines in a large clearing. About 200m past this clearing, the main trail comes to a signposted intersection with the Old Great North Road at Ten Mile Hollow and a ‘Simpsons Track’ sign[12] pointing back along the trail.
Ten Mile Hollow
This large, open campsite is found next to the Old Great North Road, at the top of the Simpson Track. The campsite is great for people walking or cycling in the area. There is fairly new hybrid toilet, a few fire circles and plenty of places to pitch some tents. There is a water tank next to the toilet – if this is empty, there is sometimes water in Ten Mile Hollow creek a short distance north along the OGNR (otherwise the Wat Buddha Dhamma, about 600m south along the OGNR, provide a water tank for visitors). Treat water before drinking.
The area was formally a stockade (a camp) for the convicts who built the road in c.1830. Later the area was named ‘Snodgrass Valley’ and plans to build a town were developed, neither the name nor the town proved popular (even at 2 pounds an acre). Solomon Wiseman (of Wisemans Ferry fame) was given 100 acres to build an inn, however it is not clear if the inn was ever built. More info.
End of day 1
This is the planned overnight stay for the end of day 1, happy camping.
(12.57km) Ten Mile Hollow → Clares Bridge
1.2 km
22 mins
33m
-6m
Moderate track
Turn right: From Ten Mile Hollow, this walk follows the ‘Clares Bridge’ sign[14] along the OGNR, as it soon bends to the left. The trail narrows and comes to an old bridge (with a timber base). The walk crosses the bridge (and Ten Mile Hollow Creek) and heads around the gate. The walk follows the overgrown management trail through the bush for a while, coming to a white wooden barricade. Heading around the barricade, the walk comes to a clearing and signpost just before Clare’s Bridge[15].
Clares Bridge
Clare’s Bridge, on the Old Great North Road, is about 1km north of Ten Mile Hollow camping area. This, and a number of other bridges, were built during the construction of the old road. Clare’s Bridge is the most visually spectacular of the bridges. The second oldest bridge on mainland Australia (The oldest being Thomas James Bridge), it is built of sandstone blocks and has a wonderful, sweeping retaining wall. The sweeping design gives full view of the craftsmanship to those passing by. Much work has been done by NPWS and Gosford Council to restore the bridge. There is no deck on the bridge, however it is still an impressive structure and a fascinating piece of history. More info.
(13.78km) Clares Bridge → Int of the OGNR and Donnys track
790 m
21 mins
75m
-27m
Moderate track
Continue straight: From the ‘Clare’s Bridge’ information sign[16], this walk follows the track down to cross the gully, keeping Clare’s Bridge to the right. On the other side of the gully, the track rises to meet the management trail again. The walk continues along the OGNR up the hill, away from the old bridge. The track winds around the hill and comes to an intersection with the Wat track (on the left, signposted with ‘125,126 142-168’).
Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk follows the OGNR up the gentle hill, keeping the valley to the right. Soon, the trail leads to a large clearing and four-way intersection, with a sign pointing back to ‘Clare’s Bridge’[17].
Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk follows the OGNR up the gentle hill, keeping the valley to the right. Soon, the trail leads to a large clearing and four-way intersection, with a sign pointing back to ‘Clare’s Bridge’[17].
(14.58km) Int of the OGNR and Donny’s track → Donny’s View
3.9 km
1 hr 27 mins
136m
-217m
Hard track
Continue straight: From the intersection, this walk follows the ‘Donny’s Track’ sign[18] along the only trail that heads steeply downhill. The trail soon bends right and starts to flatten out, then after a left-bend, the trail straightens out for about 700m. Soon after passing an overgrown trail (on the right), the main trail bends left and crosses a wide gully and often-dry creek. The trail then bends right and starts to wind up the hill, passing a few cuttings. About 300m after passing under the power lines, the trail comes to an intersection with the signposted ‘138 137’ track (on the left) and a view to the power lines. Here, the main trail bends right and continues uphill more gently. Soon, the trail crosses a saddle and starts to head down the other side of the ridge. The trail then heads down through a sharp left then right bends, then comes to another right-hand bend and an unfenced rock platform with views into the valley, Donny’s view.
Donny’s View
Donny’s View is an informally named vantage point partway up Donny’s Track. The unfenced rock slabs provide a view over Chaselings Run valley and swamp, down to the old Ten Mile Hollow Road. Found on the bendy section of the management trail, this view provides a good excuse to stop and take a break. To the north is a view of the high tension power lines that span this section of the park
(18.46km) Donny’s View → Dubbo Gully Rd car park
5.9 km
2 hrs 22 mins
384m
-337m
Moderate track
Continue straight: From Donny’s view, this walk follows the old road down the hill, keeping the filtered views of ‘Chaselings Run’ to the left. The trail passes the base of some high-cut cliffs (on the right) and some rusty guard rails and soon comes to a locked gate. The walk passes around the locked gate and the ‘Dharug National Park’ sign[19], then follows a rusty guard rail to a right-hand bend. The trail then winds down the hill and, soon after passing between two old fence posts, the trail bends sharply left and passes to two more old gate posts. The trail then gently winds down the hill and comes to an intersection with the old Ten Mile Hollow Road and a sign pointing back up ‘Donny’s Track’[20].
Veer left: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail up the hill. After a short distance, the walk passes a large grassy clearing to the right and a swampy area to the left. The trail meanders along the valley for some time before arriving at a historic cemetery, on the right.
Continue straight: From the cemetery, the walk follows the management trail (Ten Mile Hollow Rd) up the hill, leaving the cemetery on the right, and soon passes under some high voltage power lines. The walk then meanders along the road for some time, passing some old orange trees on the right and an old ‘134’ sign on the left. Some distance later, the walk crosses an old timber bridge and arrives at the signposted intersection with the ‘Upper Mangrove Creek Rd’ (with a shorter bridge to the left).
Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail up the hill (now Dubbo Gully Rd). The trail winds up the hill for a long while through some beautiful scenery, including some great rock formations and overhangs. The walk then passes around a gate and continues a little further up the hill to reach a small car park on the left (on Dubbo Gully Rd, a short distance off Waratah Rd, about 4km west of Mangrove Mountain).
Veer left: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail up the hill. After a short distance, the walk passes a large grassy clearing to the right and a swampy area to the left. The trail meanders along the valley for some time before arriving at a historic cemetery, on the right.
Continue straight: From the cemetery, the walk follows the management trail (Ten Mile Hollow Rd) up the hill, leaving the cemetery on the right, and soon passes under some high voltage power lines. The walk then meanders along the road for some time, passing some old orange trees on the right and an old ‘134’ sign on the left. Some distance later, the walk crosses an old timber bridge and arrives at the signposted intersection with the ‘Upper Mangrove Creek Rd’ (with a shorter bridge to the left).
Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail up the hill (now Dubbo Gully Rd). The trail winds up the hill for a long while through some beautiful scenery, including some great rock formations and overhangs. The walk then passes around a gate and continues a little further up the hill to reach a small car park on the left (on Dubbo Gully Rd, a short distance off Waratah Rd, about 4km west of Mangrove Mountain).
Maps for the Dubbo Gully and Ten Mile Hollow Circuit (via Clares Bridge) walk
You can download the PDF for this walk to print a map.These maps below cover the walk and the wider area around the walk, they are worth carrying for safety reasons.
| Mangrove | 1:25 000 Map Series | 91313N MANGROVE | NSW-91313N |
| Gosford | 1:100 000 Map Series | 9131 GOSFORD | 9131 |
Cross sectional view of the Dubbo Gully and Ten Mile Hollow Circuit (via Clares Bridge) bushwalking track
Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Dubbo Gully and Ten Mile Hollow Circuit (via Clares Bridge)
Daily actual walking time estimates
| Day | Walking Time | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 hrs 20 mins | 12.7 km |
| 2 | 4 hrs 32 mins | 11.8 km |
Overview of this walks grade – based on the AS 2156.1 – 2001
Under this standard, a walk is graded based on the most difficult section of the walk.
| Length | 24.3 km | ||
| Time | 2 Days | ||
| . | |||
| Grade 4/6 Hard track |
AS 2156.1 | Gradient | Very steep (4/6) |
| Quality of track | Formed track, with some branches and other obstacles (3/6) | ||
| Signs | Directional signs along the way (3/6) | ||
| Experience Required | Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6) | ||
| Weather | Weather generally has little impact on safety (1/6) | ||
| Infrastructure | Limited facilities, not all cliffs are fenced (3/6) |
Some more details of this walks Grading
Here is a bit more details explaining grading looking at sections of the walk
Gradient
11km of this walk has short steep hills and another 9km has gentle hills with occasional steps. The remaining (3.9km) is very steep.
Quality of track
Around 23km of this walk follows a clear and well formed track or trail, whilst the remaining 1.2km follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles.
Signs
Around 18km of this walk has directional signs at most intersection, whilst the remaining 7km is clearly signposted.
Experience Required
Around 23km of this walk requires no previous bushwalking experience, whilst the remaining 1.2km requires some bushwalking experience.
weather
This whole walk, 24km is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation).
Infrastructure
Around 12km of this walk has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced), whilst the remaining 12km is close to useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats).
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Plan your trip to and from the walk here
The Dubbo Gully and Ten Mile Hollow Circuit (via Clares Bridge) walk starts and ends at the Dubbo Gully Rd car park (gps: -33.293017, 151.15119)Your main transport option to Dubbo Gully Rd car park is by;
Car. There is free parking available.(get details)
Short URL = http://wild.tl/dgatmhccb
Gallery images
There are other downloads I am still working on.
You will probably need to login to access these — still all free.
* KML (google earth file)
* GPX (GPS file)
Special Maps/ brochures
* A3 topo maps
* PDF with Lands Topo map base
* PDF with arial image (and map overlay)
I wanted to get the main site live first, this extra stuff will come in time.
Happy walking
Matt 🙂
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