Easy access with beautiful views of the Georges River: this short bushwalk is one of our top Sydney children’s walks.

The Ridge Walk follows a bushtrack up the small escarpment overlooking Georges River National Park and offers a lot of great spots for secluded picnics away from the river’s speed boats, jet skis and and fishing.

Angophoras line the escarpment overlooking the Georges River, Ridge Walk, Georges River NP

Verdict

We’ve done this walk twice now and, believe it or not, have enjoyed it more each time. It’s perfect for slightly older children (5+) as the walk up to the ridge is quite steep. We had to turn back at around the half-way point on our first attempt (Marilla was 4) but finished it second time around a year or so later when we took Marilla’s friend Charlotte.

The bush is remarkably weed-free considering suburbia is just on the other side of the hill. That said, the bush at river level is a different story. As you walk the ridge, angophoras (smooth barked floribunda and rough-barked costata) line the path, along with banksias (ericfolia and the very pretty spinulosa with its orange, black-tipped flowers). We even found a few ground orchids and wood fungus.

Ground orchid on the Ridge walk, Georges River NP

The real highlight are the many glimpses of the Georges River, especially when you’re sharing a hot chocolate or coffee from one of the many rock platforms along the ridge. Marilla and Charlotte had a great time running along the track, hiding behind rocks or trees and pretending to be cockatoos and wombats.

On another note, I’ve just started reading (or browsing to be precise) a book on the Georges River history of aboriginal inhabitation, Rivers and Resilience. The authors note that for millenia aborigines have been ‘managing, cultivating and changing the native species on the river and its banks.’ This reading of the landscape provides another way in which to experience the walk and one that I’ll comment on in the future…

The other option at Georges River NP is the Yeramba Lagoon Circuit, which is better suited to younger children as it is less steep.

The Ridge walk affords fantastic views over Georges River NP

The Walk at a Glance

• Park along the river near Burrawang Beach (keep an eye out for a toilet block on the right and a sign at the base of the escarpment)
• Walk follows steep walk up the escarpment before running along the ridge-top through dry scelrophyll forest and the odd wet gully
• Follow the path until you get to signs pointing back to Cattle Duffers Flat and then head down the steep path, through a lot of ferns.
• Return to your car along the river (walking on or next to the road)
• We lost the path towards the end of the ridge so be careful as it was a bit overgrown

There are many great rocks for picnic spots along the ridge walk, Georges River NP

Access and duration

• You’ll need a car to get here (Burrawang Reach picnic area in the Morgans Creek precinct of Georges River National Park)
• Walk is 1km one way but you’ll also need to walk another km back to the car; I ended up walking ahead and drove back to pick up the rest of the party
• It took us about 2 hours, including a relaxed picnic with hot drinks (courtesy of my new Trail Designs sidewinder stove)

Conditions

• We’ve walked this in the colder months but there is some sun at the top
• Both times conditions have been very pleasant and it would probably wouldn’t be too bad in Summer as you’d be in the shade a lot

Resources

• Walk notes on the National Parks website
• Wildwalks track notes (note this describes a slightly longer walk of which the ridge is one section)

The wonderful diachromatic flowers of banksia spinulosa line the walk, Ridge Walk, Georges River NP