Why is strickland state forest unique

At just under 20km, this full day walk explores the Palm Grove, Hidden Valley and Ourimba Creek tracks, winding around the Tuggerah Lake field archery range and following the outside edge of a farming property.

The walk continues north, out of the Conservation Area, to Yarramalong for the second night, and further north into the Olney State Forest, finishing at the Basin Campsite. On day two, the walk continues north through the forest and around the back of some farmland to Cherry Lane, and along the Bumble Hill Dray track, to Yarramalong village.

This short walk starts from the Somersby Falls picnic area and follows the series of waterfalls along Floods Creek. The picnic area provides barbeques, picnic tables, toilets and ample parking.

This walk could make part of a great family day out in the area. The main falls drop onto a large rock platform and are best viewed after rain. Total climbing: 39m. This walk is a great way to explore the ridge-top bushland between Gosford and Lisarow. Passing through Rumbalara and Katandra Reserves, there are several picnic area, lookouts and other facilities scattered along the way. At times you will forget you are anywhere near houses, and at other points you will be enjoying vistas of the Central Coast.

Much of the road walk toward the end is through a rural setting, making an enjoyable walk. A short, interesting walk in the Rumbalara Reserve, near Gosford.

This short circuit walk takes in some nice scenery and a couple of the interesting bronze sculptures found in the reserve. Some short deviations from the walk take you to viewpoints with great views over Gosford and the surrounding areas.

Note that the entrance gate on Dolly Ave, for the upper section of Rumbalara, is locked at 8pm each evening. Total climbing: 29m. A steep walk from North Gosford to the top of the Rumbalara Reserve.

There is some great scenery along the way, and the views from the Wannagan Lookout, back over North Gosford and the surrounding area, are great. An optional sidetrip to the bronze sculpture of Edward John Eyre adds some historic interest to the walk. Total climbing: 80m. A nice walk through Popran National Park with good views along the way. The optional side trip to Mt Olive adds some great views and scenery.

If you have a car with good ground clearance, you could drive to Ironbark picnic area and start the walk from there. This walk passes through a variety of vegetation and offers some great views along the way. Emerald Pool is a really beautiful spot and it is well worth spending some time exploring around the creek.

The optional side trips along the trail and to Mt Olive, add to the great views on the walk. If your car has reasonable ground clearance, you could drive to the Ironbark picnic area and start the walk from there.

This walk, mostly in Popran National Park, passes through a great variety of scenery and beautiful views. The early part of the walk, along a ridgetop, is through relatively dry forest with some great views, while the steep but beautiful descent to Glenworth Valley is through moist, fern filled forest.

The cafe at Glenworth Valley is open on weekends. There is also an optional sidetrip for some nice views from Mt Olive. The walk passes through nice forest, and offers good views over Popran National Park from the top of Mt Olive. If you have a car with good ground clearance, you could drive to the picnic area, making the walk shorter.

Home Walks Campsites More. Moderate track. Strickland State Forest. The Strickland State Forest has a wide range of vegetation, including patches of rainforest along the sheltered creeks. The walking tracks take in some beautiful scenery, including a mixture of native forest and the remnants of an old arboretum.

Note: Access into Strickland is during the daytime only with the entrance gate being unlocked between 7am and 5pm Apr — Oct and between 7am and 7pm Nov — Mar [3] More info. From the car park near the end of Strickland Rd in the Strickland State Forest , this walk passes around the gate and goes across the picnic area to the track intersection at the opposite end.

Banksia Picnic Area. The facilities include picnic tables, pit toilets, BBQ fire places, garbage bins and tank water. A few bush walking tracks start from the picnic area. The walk initially passes through relatively dry forest, with signs naming some of the trees, before descending through moist forest, filled with cabbage palms. Cabbage-Tree Palm.

The Cabbage-Tree Palm Livistona australis is a tall, slender palm growing up to about 25 m in height and 0. It is found in moist open forest, often in swampy sites and on margins of rainforests or near the sea. It is widely spread along the New South Wales coast and extends north into Queensland and southwards to eastern Victoria, growing further south than any other native Australian palm.

More info. The trail meanders through shaded forest, filled with cabbage palms, for some time before reaching a signposted intersection with a bush track. The track starts from the small carpark near Banksia Picnic Area. Experience diverse plant communities ranging from wildflower-rich heath on ridge tops, to tall eucalypts on slopes and creeks lined with lush rainforest. Descending to the fall, you will notice the change in humidity, temperature and size of trees.

Spectacular cliffs, mossy rocks, ferns, palms, tall, moist eucalypt forest and gully rainforest are features of this walk. Find out about the Friends of Strickland volunteer program.

Find out about school excursions at Strickland State forest. A Special Purpose Permit is required for organised events and activities in State forests. See the latest Strickland State Forest photographs.

Check for current closures and notices before setting out. Staying Safe The most important part of your trip is arriving home safely. Make sure you read our information on forest tips and staying safe.

Authorised hunting Some State forests are declared for authorised hunting. Find out more about authorised hunting in State forests, including licensing and applying for permits. Strickland State Forest. Map Open larger, interactive map Google map disclaimer.

Strickland State Forest is a special place and a living exhibition of exceptionally diverse forest habitats: wildflowers and dry heath woodland in the north tall eucalypts on its slopes through to lush rainforest in the south.

This takes you over the F3. Visitor facilities Arboretum Track 2. Banksia Picnic Area Banksia Picnic Area is a delightful spot set amongst contrasting colours of grey gums, pink smooth-barked apples and banksias. The return trail starts with steps leading up from the waterfall, but once you have climbed to the top, most of the remaining track is flat.

It passes through dry eucalypt forest, where you can also see Gymea lilies. These were in bloom when we went in spring, with their two to three metre flower stems and bright red flowers making a great display.

We loved the Strickland Falls Trail because it wandered through different forest types and was fun to walk. We will be going back to do some of the other walks in the future. Skip to content. Banksia Picnic Area We parked at the Banksia Picnic Area, as it was close to the walk we wanted to do, as well as having toilets and picnic facilities.

Strickland Falls Trail We chose the Strickland Falls Trail for this visit, because it passes through cool forest areas, full of ferns and passes a waterfall. Lower Trail The trail towards the waterfall led downhill through a valley where we were surrounded by ferns and trees.

From here, the track leads up to the ridge and dry forest above.