Bootstrap Slider
×
menu

The Basin

Download & Print Map and Notes

2 hrs 30 mins

5.6 km Return

218 m

Moderate track
The Basin Track is the only land access to The Basin, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park’s only campsite. The walk follows mostly management trail and heads across the plateau away from West Head Rd, with a great side trip to Aboriginal rock engravings and The Basin Dam. This is a nice walk, heading through the heath of the plateau and down through the forest to the large campsite and facilities of The Basin. The Basin itself is a great place for a swim or overnight stay. There is a ferry service from the Basin.

Maps for the The Basin 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.
Broken Bay 1:25 000 Map Series 91301N BROKEN BAY NSW-91301N
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Tourist Map 1:40 000 Map Series CMA Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Tourist Map CMA Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Tourist Map
Sydney 1:100 000 Map Series 9130 SYDNEY 9130

Cross sectional view of the The Basin bushwalking track

Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the The Basin

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 5.6 km
Time 2 hrs 30 mins
.




Grade 3/6



Moderate track 		AS 2156.1 Gradient Short steep hills (3/6)
Quality of track Clear and well formed track or trail (2/6)
Signs Directional signs along the way (3/6)
Experience Required No experience required (1/6)
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

2km of this walk has short steep hills and another 430m is flat with no steps. The remaining (360m) has gentle hills with occasional steps.

Quality of track

Around 2.7km of this walk follows a clear and well formed track or trail, whilst the remaining 130m follows a smooth and hardened path.

Signs

Around 2.1km of this walk has directional signs at most intersection, whilst the remaining 670m is clearly signposted.

Experience Required

This whole walk, 2.8km requires no previous bushwalking experience.

weather

This whole walk, 2.8km is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation).

Infrastructure

Around 1.9km of this walk has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced), whilst the remaining 910m is close to useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats).

Similar walks

A list of walks that share part of the track with the The Basin walk.
Basin to Mackerel
thum image

This scenic walk gives an excellent excuse for a ferry ride in Sydney’s northern beaches region. The ferry leaves from Palm Beach Ferry Terminal, and crosses Pittwater to The Basin Wharf. The walk then heads around to Mackerel Beach and passes an optional side trip to some historic and interesting Aboriginal engravings. The scenic water views are complemented by the on-water views from a second ferry back to Palm Beach from Mackerel Wharf.

Total climbing: 200m
Note: There is no car transport option to or from this walk.

4.5 km One way
1 hr 45 mins

Hard track

The Basin Track and Mackerel Track
thum image

This walk is a great way to see some popular areas in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The walk from West Head Rd travels to The Basin campsite, and the ferry takes you over to Mackerel Beach. Before returning to West Head Rd, the walk also gives the option to head down to Currawong Beach. There is plenty to do at the beach, with swimming and picnic areas, and clearings for other games.

Total climbing: 226m

5.9 km Circuit
3 hrs

Hard track

Mackerel Beach
thum image

This walk takes one of two main tracks down to Mackerel Beach. The track leaves West Head Rd, passing some historic Aboriginal engravings before descending to the beach. The track loops around the small community of Mackerel Beach to come back down the beach and return to West Head Rd. A nice An optional side trip to Currawong Beach makes a nice addition to this walk.

Total climbing: 299m

8.2 km Return
3 hrs

Hard track

Mackerel Beach, West Head Loop
thum image

The Mackerel Beach, West Head Loop is a walk which explores a large part of the West Head. The journey starts and finishes with a ferry across Pittwater. The walk heads around West Head, taking in views on the Broken Bay side, with Lion Island featuring as a prominent sight. The walk follows sections of road that connect some fantastic bush tracks together. This is a solid day walk if allowing time to relax and have a dip at one of the many beaches along the way.

Total climbing: 422m

8.6 km Circuit
5 hrs

Hard track


Other Nearby walks

A list of walks that start near the The Basin walk.
Challenger Track
thum image

The Challenger Track is a simple track which heads through the heath and some forest to arrive at a pleasant lookout. Starting at West Head Rd, the track follows a ridge out to a rocky outcrop where views over the Hawkesbury River and Broken Bay reveal Patonga and Brooklyn.

Total climbing: 59m

3 km Return
1 hr 15 mins

Moderate track

Mackerel Beach Community
thum image

This short walk is a great way to see the beautiful Mackerel Beach and community. After a short ferry ride from Palm Beach, the walk heads up the grassed streets of Mackerel, leading to the lagoon. The track is mainly sandy beach or grass stretches, with the area behind the lagoon winding through a bushland area to bring the track back to Mackerel Beach. This loop is a great short walk, and only a hop, skip and jump away from Palm Beach.

Total climbing: 38m
Note: There is no car transport option to or from this walk.

1.4 km Circuit
45 mins

Moderate track

Mackerel Beach and Resolute Loop
thum image

This walk is another great walk in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, accessed by ferry. From the Mackerel Beach wharf, this walk uses the Resolute Loop track to round the headland, enjoying a few secluded beaches and excellent, historic Aboriginal sites. This walk features Mackerel Beach and community, with an alternative route through the town which is well worth the walk.

Total climbing: 384m
Note: There is no car transport option to or from this walk.

5.4 km Circuit
3 hrs

Hard track

Flint and Steel Beach and bay loop
thum image

This track creates a loop between Flint and Steel Beach and Bay by traversing the headland between them. The walk explores Flint and Steel Beach and the McGaw ruins, while providing scenic views across the Hawkesbury River to landmarks such as Lion Island.

Total climbing: 227m

2.8 km Circuit
1 hr 30 mins

Very experienced only

Flint and Steel track
thum image

This walk follows a scenic route to the secluded Flint and Steel Beach, which provides views across the Hawkesbury River to landmarks such as Lion Island, Patonga and Box Head. The walk passes through palm, pine and grass tree forests. There is a great diversity of flora and some fantastic sandstone rock formations along the way.

Total climbing: 209m

2.1 km Return
1 Hr

Moderate track

Flint and Steel Bay (to White Horse Beach)
thum image

This is a nice walk to White Horse Beach on Flint and Steel Bay. The return-style walk passes McGaw’s ruins and and the old water catchment. From White Horse Beach, there are scenic views across the Hawkesbury River. The ruins are a nice addition to the walk – although overgrown, they add a touch of recent history to the walk.

Total climbing: 159m

1.9 km Return
1 Hr

Hard track

America Bay Track (to beach)
thum image

This short walk has a great range of scenery, making it a great choice if you have only a short time in this National Park. This track one of two ways to access America Bay – the other is by boat. The track cuts straight through the bush from West Head Rd to pass historic Aboriginal engravings and a large cliff with a small waterfall, which also gives an impressive view of the bay.

Total climbing: 130m

2.2 km Return
1 hr 15 mins

Hard track

America Bay Waterfall
thum image

This short walk is a great way to see a slice of what Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park has on offer. The track visits some historic Aboriginal engravings, and enjoys water views, heath and forest environments. The America Bay track also throws in a waterfall for your enjoyment – from the top of the fall, walkers won’t see much of the fall itself, however the outlook is lovely and the walk very enjoyable.

Total climbing: 76m

1.9 km Return
45 mins

Moderate track

Red Hands Cave
thum image

This is a short walk down to Red Hands Cave from the Resolute Picnic Area. The walk loops from the picnic area through the heath and down to the overhang of the cave. The Aboriginal rock art is quite faded but is estimated to be over 2000 years old. This makes for an interesting historic walk, great as an appetiser before a picnic lunch at Resolute Picnic Area.

Total climbing: 9m

403 m Circuit
30 mins

Moderate track

Aboriginal Heritage Track
thum image

The Aboriginal Heritage Track takes in one of the most popular rock art sites in Ku-ring-gai National Park, and an amazing Aboriginal engraving site. The walk leads out from Resolute Picnic Area to pass by the caves and then continues down the management trail to the engravings. The walk then returns to the picnic area. It is a great way to see historic Aboriginal art in the Sydney region.

Total climbing: 27m

1.1 km Circuit
45 mins

Moderate track

Resolute Track
thum image

The Resolute Track, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, is a great way to see two major Aboriginal sites and Resolute Beach. The return-style walk starts from Resolute picnic area and heads down to Resolute Beach, passing a Red Hands Cave and an Aboriginal engraving site. The Resolute Track uses management trails and bush tracks which have views over the sea as they pass through heath, rainforest and bushland.

Total climbing: 201m

3.7 km Return
1 hr 30 mins

Hard track

Headland track (Resolute track)
thum image

This walk is a great way to see two major Aboriginal sites and up to three of Ku-ring-gai Chase’s beaches. The circuit walk visits Red Hands Cave and some historic engravings, in addition to enjoying expansive views over Pittwater, with Barrenjoey Headland as a feature. The walk includes Resolute and West Head beaches and the option of a side trip to Mackerel Beach as well. To top it all off, this walk has an added bonus of a WWII gun emplacement to explore.

Total climbing: 243m

3.5 km Circuit
1 hr 45 mins

Hard track


Plan your trip to and from the walk here

The The Basin walk starts and ends at the Int. Basin Trk and West Head Rd (gps: -33.590099, 151.28222)
Your main transport option to Int. Basin Trk and West Head Rd is by;
Car. A park entry fee is required for driving into the park.
(get details)



Fire Danger

Each park may have its own fire ban, this rating is only valid for today and is based on information from the RFS Please check the RFS Website for more information.

Weather Forest

This walk starts in the Metropolitan weather district always check the formal BOM forecast or pdf before starting your walk.

Forecast snapshot

Park Information & Alerts

Comments

 


Download Pdf

Open iPhone app

Short URL = http://wild.tl/tbtxx


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 🙂