Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd
Download & Print Map and Notes4 hrs 15 mins
344 m
Hard track
(0km) Int of Ironbark Rd and Popran Pipeline Trail → Ironbark Rd picnic area
1.7 km
35 mins
88m
-19m
Easy track
Ironbark Rd Picnic area
(1.7km) Ironbark Rd picnic area → Int of Mt Olive trail and 248 Trail
310 m
6 mins
10m
-10m
Easy track
(2.01km) Int of Mt Olive trail and 248 Trail → Int of Hominy Creek Trail and 248 Trail
1.5 km
29 mins
21m
-75m
Moderate track
(3.54km) Int of Hominy Creek Trail and 248 Trail → End of 248 Trail
600 m
12 mins
24m
-8m
Moderate track
End of 248 Trail lookout
(3.54km) Int of Hominy Creek Trail and 248 Trail → No Horses signpost
460 m
8 mins
4m
-7m
Moderate track
(4km) No Horses signpost → Hominy Creek crossing
1.2 km
24 mins
10m
-96m
Hard track
(5.24km) Hominy Creek crossing → Emerald Pool
110 m
2 mins
1m
-8m
Moderate track
Emerald Pool
(5.35km) Emerald Pool → End of Hominy Creek management trail
480 m
11 mins
43m
-1m
Moderate track
Turn right: From the intersection, the walk crosses the creek and follows the ‘Hominy Creek Track’ arrow up the hill (from the opposite side of the creek to the Emarald Pool track). The walk climbs and meanders for a while before reaching the end of a management trail, signposted with ‘Hominy Creek Track’, ‘No horses beyond this point’ and others.
(5.83km) End of Hominy Creek management trail → Int of Mt Olive trail and Mt Olive bush track
3 km
1 Hr
137m
-31m
Moderate track
Continue straight: From the intersection, the walk follows the ‘Carpark 2.7km’ arrow along the management trail, going up the hill. The walk climbs gently and meanders for some distance, offering nice views along the way, before arriving at an intersection with a bush track (signposted ‘Mt Olive’).
(8.78km) Int of Mt Olive trail and Mt Olive bush track → Top of Mt Olive
190 m
5 mins
22m
-1m
Hard track
Turn left: From the intersection, the walk follows the bush track steeply up the hill and soon arrives at the top of Mt Olive. At the end of this side trip, retrace your steps back to the main walk then Turn right.
Mt Olive
(8.78km) Int of Mt Olive trail and Mt Olive bush track → Int of Ironbark Rd and Popran Pipeline Trail
2 km
41 mins
30m
-98m
Moderate track
Turn right: From the intersection, the walk follows the management trail past the ‘Way Out’ signpost and immediately bends to the right. The walk soon passes around a gate and arrives at the car park.
Continue straight: From the car park, the walk follows the road, passing some ‘private property’ and eventually arrives at another car park at the end of the signposted ‘Pipeline Track’.
Maps for the Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd 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.
Gunderman | 1:25 000 Map Series | 91313S GUNDERMAN | NSW-91313S |
Mangrove | 1:25 000 Map Series | 91313N MANGROVE | NSW-91313N |
Gosford | 1:100 000 Map Series | 9131 GOSFORD | 9131 |
Cross sectional view of the Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd bushwalking track
Analysis and summary of the altitude variation on the Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd
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 | 10.8 km | ||
Time | 4 hrs 15 mins | ||
. | |||
Grade 4/6 Hard track |
AS 2156.1 | Gradient | Very steep (4/6) |
Quality of track | Rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely (4/6) | ||
Signs | Directional signs along the way (3/6) | ||
Experience Required | Some bushwalking experience recommended (3/6) | ||
Weather | Storms may impact on navigation and safety (3/6) | ||
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
9km of this walk has gentle hills with occasional steps and another 1.2km is very steep. Whilst another 940m has short steep hills and the remaining 25m is flat with no steps.
Quality of track
9km of this walk follows a clear and well formed track or trail and another 1.2km follows a rough track, where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely. The remaining (590m) follows a formed track, with some branches and other obstacles.
Signs
Around 7km of this walk has directional signs at most intersection, whilst the remaining 4km is clearly signposted.
Experience Required
Around 9km of this walk requires no previous bushwalking experience, whilst the remaining 2.3km requires some bushwalking experience.
weather
Around 9km of this walk is not usually affected by severe weather events (that would unexpectedly impact safety and navigation), whilst the remaining 1.8km is affected by storms that may impact your navigation and safety.
Infrastructure
Around 7km of this walk has limited facilities (such as not all cliffs fenced), whilst the remaining 4km is close to useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats).
Similar walks
Other Nearby walks
Plan your trip to and from the walk here
The Emerald Pool circuit from Ironbark Rd walk starts and ends at the Int of Ironbark Rd and Popran Pipeline Trail (gps: -33.37159, 151.19528)Your main transport option to Int of Ironbark Rd and Popran Pipeline Trail is by;
Car. There is free parking available.
(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 Hunter weather district always check the formal BOM forecast or pdf before starting your walk.Forecast snapshot
Park Information & Alerts
Short URL = http://wild.tl/epcfir
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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