The Great North Walk Guide Book
Book
The Great North Walk Guide Book Review
The Great North Walk is a 260km long trail that takes you from central Sydney, NSW through bushland, suburbs and coastal regions to the city of Newcastle. While this walk doesn’t have the exposure of some of Australia’s other long distance walks its claim to fame is that it is easily accessible – being easy to get to is a big bonus considering some of our other walks require a logistical feat to get to the trailhead.
The Great North Walk Guide Book is the seminal text for this trail and provides all the relevant information to plan your walk whether as a thru hike or as a section hike which is what many walkers who live in the Sydney and Newcastle regions tend to do. Like the majority of guide books on the market the author presents the information starting in Sydney and sets it out in a series of sections making its way northward to the destination of Newcastle.
I’m a big fan of books that present information travelling in both directions as I often find myself travelling against the flow of traffic and just find it hard having to read the book backwards. Having said that the information is well laid out in a logical sequence and provides enough images and diagrammatic maps to allow you to plan your walk. There are also some suggested itineraries in this book that provide some options to help with the planning process.
The first edition of this book was released in 2012 and this second edition in 2018. Even after nearly three years this guidebook is accurate although the options for the Hawkesbury River crossing have changed with a slight trail diversion now in place. In addition when I started my 2020 aborted attempt of this walk I also discovered that due to COVID, some of the motel accomodation options were not available leading to some creative planning.
This guide for the Great North Walk is a must for hikers looking at undertaking this walk and is a great text and image planning aid.
Chapter Headings
- Location Maps
- Introduction
- The Great North Walk at a Glance
- The Great North Walk
- Out of Sydney via Lane Cove Valley
- The Benowie Track
- Hawkesberry
- Cedar Brush Track
- Watagan Track
- Yuelarbah into Newcastle
- Walking itineraries
- Preparation and Safety
- Index
- About the Author and Wildwalks
- Acknowledgements
- Other Books from Woodslane Press
We Like
- An all-in-one source of information for the Great North Walk that has an easy to read, no nonsense style
- Simple maps
We Don't Like
- This book is written travelling in the direction of north. For me a perfect guide book has at least some components that provide information in both directions
Buy One
You can purchase The Great North Walk Guide Book from Amazon Australia
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Investment
AUD $25.40 RRP
The Great North Walk Guide Book cover image
Map image from The Great North Walk Guide Book
The Great North Walk Guide Book text and photo example
Itinerary examples
Disclaimer
This review was done with product purchased by Australian Hiker
Last updated
8/12/2023