Yuelarbah Walking Track NSW (4.8 km)
Yuelarbah walking track
Nearest Town
Newcastle, NSW
Starting Location
Yuelarbah Walking Track car park
Yuelarbah Walking Track car park is well sign posted. There is parking for about 20 plus cars. There are also a couple of picnic tables but no toilet or water facilities
Entrance to the car park is well marked
Finish Location
Yuelarbah Walking Track car park
Best Time to Travel
Year round. Start early in the day to avoid the crowds. We started our walk at 7:00 am and had the trail to ourselves on the way out but came across plenty of walkers on the return trip
Yuelarbah Walking Track Review
I’m lucky enough with my work and family commitments that I end up travelling to various parts of the country and this allows me to do walks that I otherwise wouldn’t. In this case I was spending a couple of days in the Newcastle area in NSW, and located this walk not far from where I was staying.
The Yuelarbah Walking Track is located in the Glenrock State Conservation Area just south of Newcastle and when you look at the map from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service you would think this walk isn’t going to be anything special however you would be wrong.
The car park for this walk is very easy to locate either online or via one of the mapping apps on your phone or in your car. This car park is a decent sized area and will take approximately 20 plus cars but given its location, I would start walking early in the morning before the crowds get there particularly in the warmer months of the year and given there is also a cycling trail in the same area.
Start the walk at the trail head in the corner of the car park – make sure you read the good interpretive signage before heading off on the well maintained trail. This trail doesn’t have a huge change in altitude however when it occurs it does so in a couple of sections which means that on the way back you have one super steep section that you need to traverse. Prior to the steep set of stairs, the trail is wheelchair accessible.
About a third of the way in, you will come to Leichhardt’s lookout that provides your first glimpse of the ocean. This lookout is about the only area where you need to think about where you are going – you need to walk onto the platform at one set of small stairs then off the platform at another set of stars located on the left of the platform. There is not obvious trail marking here so we had to guess the direction we needed to head.
You will cross two large creeks that have bridges on them – there is plenty to see at these crossings so make sure you linger a little. The turnaround point is at the 4.8 km point when you reach the beach. At this point you could do a one way walk by continuing on the trail into Newcastle. Another option is to do the return leg on foot which will put you close to 20 km for the car park-Newcastle round trip. We opted to return from the beach the way we came and given that we spent a bit of time just looking around, this took us around 90 minutes – a slow pace for us and an indicator of how much we enjoyed this trail.
The Yuelarbah Walking Track is one of the prettiest walks I have done for a number of months. In late winter, there were plenty of wildflowers, good bird life and plenty to see so, if you are in this area or live nearby, it is well worth doing.
Interpretive signal at the trail head in the corner of the car park is descriptive and helpful
Picnic table at the trail head but there a number of spots on the track you can eat your packed lunch or snack including by the beach
The trail head signage
Almost immediately after starting the trail there is an elevated walkway
The track is very well maintained with an even surface
Coastal Wattle species flowering on the trail
This trail forms part of the Great North Walk from Sydney to Newcastle
Suspension bridge crossing over a large creek about a third of the way into the trail
This trail is well marked
The surrounding vegetation has a lot to offer and there is plenty to see
One of the two main creeks on this trail that you cross. Both creeks have bridges
Native Clematis in flower
The track has a few ups and downs but it’s not that difficult
A view of the ocean from Leichhardt’s Lookout
Stepping off Leichhardt’s Lookout and back on the track
More signage on the trail including for the Great North Walk
Bird wading
At the turnaround point. In this image the inlet is crossable but this is not the case during high tide
Getting There
The Yuelarbah Walking Track is located in the Glenrock State Conservation Area and is managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. The trail head car park is located on Burwood Road in the Newcastle suburb of Kahibah. The trail head car park is 9 km and about 15 minutes drive south of Newcastle. If coming from Warners Bay to the south, by car it will take about 12 minutes to travel the 8.1 km.
Warning: When using your GPS or phone app for directions, search for the ‘Yuelarbah Trail car park, Burwood Road’. If you search for ‘Yuelarbah Walking Track’ you will get directed to the Shortland Wetlands Area which is in the opposite direction from Newcastle.
Things to Know
- Phone: There is reasonable phone signal on this track
- Water: You need to bring your own water
- Toilets: There are no toilets on this trail
- Trail: This trail consists of formed track and beach walking if you spend some time along the beach
- Dogs: No dogs allowed
- Camping: No camping allowed
- Other:
- This walk is done in an out and back fashion
- If the weather is warm then come prepared to swim and spend some time on the beach if that’s what you’re into
Disclaimer
This walk was undertaken by the team from Australian Hiker