Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

The name "Ku-ring-gai" is an ethnonym referring to (a) an hypothesis regarding an aggregation of Indigenous Australian peoples occupying the territory between the southern borders of the Gamilaraay and the area around Sydney (b) perhaps an historical people with its own distinctive language, located in part of that territory, or (c) people of Aboriginal origin who identify themselves as descending from the original peoples denoted by (a) or (b) and who call themselves Guringai.

Little about the original inhabitants was recorded by Europeans at contact and their communities were soon destroyed through disease and conflict with European settlers.

The national park contains extensive evidence of Aboriginal occupation of the area prior to European contact, across more than 800 sites in the park. These include rock engravings, cave drawings, occupation sites, paintings and stencils, axe grinding grooves and middens providing significant evidence of the way of life of the Guringai people.

It was previously underdeveloped by early settlers due to poor accessibility and low soil fertility, except for some of the more fertile ridgetops. Sawmills were established in the 1830s, including at the upper reaches of Cowan Creek where Duffy's Wharf was built to transport logs.

The Pacific Highway and railway built along the ridgetop forming the park's current western border provided access to Cowan Creek along which pioneers settled. 40 hectares at Gerard Point, now Church Point, were granted to James Terry of Gordon.

Following pressure from a local citizen, Eccleston Du Faur, to establish a "National Park for North Sydney", approximately 13,500 hectares, including not only land areas but also most of Cowan Water, was set aside in 1894 as Ku-ring-gai Chase as a conservation area, and placed under the care, control and management of trustees. It is the third oldest national park in Australia, with the Royal National Park being the oldest.

The television series, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was shot in northern Sydney at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the adjacent Waratah Park. Bushfires ravaged the park in January 1994.

Ku-ring-gai Chase is part of the Hornsby Plateau, a massive block of sandstone tilting upwards to the north. The park comprises a plateau with an elevation of generally 150–200 m above sea level. The plateau is divided into separate sections by the steep valleys of Cowan Creek, Coal and Candle Creek, and Smiths Creek. These "flooded" or "drowned" valleys, knowns as rias, were eroded into the sandstone much deeper than the current sea level during the glacial phases of the Pleistocene ice age. When the ice caps melted about 10,000 years ago, the sea levels rose and flooded the valleys of the park.

• Park website
• 🌍 Bobbin Head Information Centre, 688 Ku-ring-gai Chase Road, Mount Colah. 10AM-4PM daily, closed during noon-12:30PM for lunch. Open 9AM-4PM during the NSW summer school holidays. Visitors can learn about the historic indigenous significance of the land to the Guringai people here, along with local flora and fauna. (updated Sep 2021)

• 🌍 Kalkari Discovery Centre, 402 Ku-Ring-Gai Chase Rd, Mount Colah, ☏ +61 2 9472 9300. 9AM-4:30PM. Closed Christmas. A little more on Aboriginal rock art here as well as some history and geography of the area. (updated Sep 2021)
• 🌍 Sphinx Memorial, Sphinx Rd, North Turramurra. 8AM-5:30PM. Created by a returned soldier from WWI, the Sphinx Memorial was created in memory of those who had lost their lives during WWI. (updated Sep 2021)

• 🌍 Barrenjoey Lighthouse, 1199D Barrenjoey Rd, Palm Beach. Guided tours every Sunday. The northernmost point of Sydney, this lighthouse was built in 1881 and is made out of sandstone. (updated Sep 2021)

• 🌍 Basin Aboriginal art site. Aboriginal rock art. Although accessibility is hard, it's still worth the trek up here. Best viewed in the morning or afternoon. (updated Sep 2021)
• Red Hands cave. (updated Oct 2021)

• Pittwater YHA, ☏ +61 2 9999 5748, fax: +61 2 9999 5749, pittwater@yhansw.org.au. Halls Wharf. This quiet hostel is accessible only by ferry. There are lots of local bushwalking and kayaking opportunities. Dorm beds $23 per night. Double or twin rooms $60 per night.  

• The Basin campground, ☏ +61 2 9974 1011, fax: +61 2 9974 4036, northern.beaches@npws.nsw.gov.au. Contact the National Parks and Wildlife staff. Booking is essential. This campground is near West Head on Pittwater. This is the national park's only campground. The campground is accessible by ferry from Palm Beach wharf or by water taxi from many local wharves. You can also drive or cycle to West Head and walk to the campground (2.8 km). The campground has drinking water, toilets and cold showers. There is a $10 per night fee for adults and $5 per night fee for children.