Visitor Guide NPWS VISITOR GUIDE: Glenrock State Conservation Area

Glenrock State Conservation Area

ABOUT GLENROCK SCA

Glenrock SCA conserves over 500 hectares of natural coastline close to the heart of Newcastle. The park has striking headlands, attractive beaches and pockets of littoral rainforest. Its rocky creeks flow over waterfalls, past enclosing cliffs into water- worn rockpools before entering picturesque Glenrock Lagoon.

The park is an ideal place to escape suburbia and enjoy beach activities, bushwalking, mountain bike riding, hang gliding and even horse riding. It is a cultural landscape of State Heritage Significance and contains several Aboriginal and historic sites of great interest.

ACCESS

Glenrock is 5 km east of Charlestown off Burwood Road via Dudley Road and 5 km south of Newcastle via the Pacific Highway.

BEACHES

Swimming, fishing and surfing are popular recreational activities at Dudley, Burwood and Glenrock beaches. The park offers a surprisingly isolated and unspoilt beach setting, unique when compared to the the cliffs in this area was once used by the Road or from the Yuelarbah Track. An surrounding urban area. Awabakal to make stone tools which were important Awabakal midden sits between traded as far inland as Quirindi. The beach the beach and the lagoon. Middens are Dudley Beach is one of the most popular itself was once part of a traditional Awabakal accumulations of shell material mixed in beaches in Newcastle due to its natural pathway stretching from Newcastle to Lake with the remains of birds, fish and mammal setting. Pedestrian access is from the Dudley bones, artefacts such as stone flakes, Beach carpark and picnic area. A fossilised Macquarie. The remains of Australia’s first grinding stones, axe heads and hearths. forest can be seen in the rock platform at the commissioned copper smelter (1851) can be They provide detailed information on southern end of the beach. seen in the hind dunes and Australia’s first railway tunnels (1861) in Merewether bluff. Aboriginal occupation in an area and of the At high tide Burwood Beach can only be Interpretation panels describing these sites types of plants and animals which occurred accessed from the north via the Hickson are provided at the northern end of the beach. in the past. Street walking track; at other times pedestrians can walk from Merewether Baths Glenrock Beach can be accessed from the ImAGES THIS pAGE: Glenrock State Conservation Area. across the rock platform. Rhyolitic tuff from Leggy Point Loop track off Scout Camp Photos: David Benson / OEH.

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HANG GLIDING provides excellent views over the lagoon to the coast. From the beach, visitors can loop Hang gliding pads are provided at two sites back to the Yuelarbah carpark via the Leggy within the park: Point Loop Track and the Burwood Track; or continue north, at low tide, to Merewether HICKSON STREET HANG GLIDING Baths outside the park. During high tide PAD visitors heading to Merewether must exit This is a gently sloping grass pad providing via the Hickson Track at the northern end of for both takeoff and landing in south to Burwood Beach and then via Lloyd Street to . south-east wind conditions. Access is via Merewether Baths. the Hickson Track from Hickson Steet, Merewether. This heavily used pad is suitable THE LEGGY POINT LOOP TRACK for the safe training of new pilots. Landing is (2 km – medium) not permitted on Burwood Beach, except in This track is pedestrian only and begins the event of an emergency. at the Leggy Point carpark at the end of Scout Camp Road and loops around to the BOMBALA TRACK HANG GLIDING water tank above the Scout Camp on Scout PAD Camp Road. Walkers may continue on to This is a takeoff only pad for experienced the Burwood Track (opposite the tank and pilots in east to north-east wind conditions. a little farther down) off Scout Camp Road. Access is via the Bombala Track off Bombala A side track also links the Leggy Track to Street, Dudley. Landing is not permitted on Glenrock Beach, Burwood Beach and onto Dudley Beach. In the event of an emergency the Yuelarbah Track. landing the glider must be carried out via the Dudley Beach carpark or the Banksia Fire THE BURWOOD TRACK Trail to minimise damage to walking tracks.

(750 m – medium) Photo: SCA. Glenrock Glenrock, at Beach David Benson / OEH The Burwood Track is a multi-use track WALKING tracks for both horses and pedestrians. It begins coastline are available from the pad. The above the Scout Camp opposite the water track provides a high tide alternative to THE YUELARBAH TRACK tank on Scout Camp Road and continues on walkers on the Yuelarbah Track heading Footprints in the Sand (5 km – to join up with the Yuelarbah Track and the towards Merewether, linking into the Bathers wheelchair accessible for 1 km Yuelarbah Management Trail at Flaggy Creek. Way via Lloyd Street in Merewether. and then medium grade for the The State Heritage listed Burwood Colliery remainder) historic site (c. 1861) can be seen below THE BOMBALA WALKING TRACK the escarpment from this vantage point. An extremely popular walk, the Yuelarbah (500 m – medium) Interpretation panels describe its operation Track is part of the Great North Walk which and significance. The Bombala Track provides access to the stretches from Newcastle to Sydney. southern end of Dudley Beach. Parking The first section of the track caters for THE HICKSON TRACK and interpretation panels are provided at wheelchair access via a raised boardwalk the end of Bombala Street, Dudley. A small from the Yuelarbah carpark on Burwood (500 m – difficult) set of steps and a viewing platform occur Road, Kahibah, through to a picnic area on This track begins off Hickson Street in halfway along the track providing excellent Flaggy Creek. The remainder of the track is Merewether and ends at the northern end views to the north. A fossilised forest can be pedestrian only and winds its way along the of Burwood Beach. The popular Hickson seen embedded in the rock platform at the creek, past two waterfalls and on to Glenrock Track hang gliding pad is situated part way southern end of the beach. Lagoon and the beach. Leichhardt’s Lookout along this track, just prior to its descent to is situated midway along the track and the beach. Good views of the Newcastle . Glenrock Lagoon, Glenrock SCA. Photo: SCA. Glenrock Lagoon, Glenrock David Benson / OEH

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Hunter Wetlands NP LOCATION mOUNTAIN BIKE RIDING

Wallsend Glenrock provides excellent opportunities for mountain bike riding with 14 km of single Blue Gum Mayfield track and 20 km of linked management trails in the northern half of the park. A ‘noHolmesville sign, no Hills RP Stockton Lambton ride’ policy has been adopted in the park – only ride on signposted trails, and only in the Elermore Vale northern zone. Broadmeadow NEWCASTLE Cardiff Killingworth The mountain bike tracks wind through open forest and woodlands and, in combination Merewether with the management trail network, provide access to Burwood Beach, Leichhardt’s Lookout and the waterfalls. The single track network is predominantly graded ‘More Teralba Lakelands Glenrock difficult’ under the International Mountain Bike Association trail difficulty rating system. SCA Gateshead Lake Macquarie SCA HORSE RIDING (Awaba Bay)

Awabakal Horse riding is predominantly provided for in the northern half of the park, however, those NR with a permit are allowed timed access from the south of the park down Banksia Fire Trail Toronto Valentine and along Dudley Beach between 5 am and 9.30 am EST. 0 2 4 Lake Belmont KILOMETRES A ‘no sign, no ride’ policy has been adopted for horse riding in the parkMacquarie – only ride on signposted trails and at the times specified. Limited parking for horseSCA floats is providedLake for at the NPWS Works Depot at the start of Scout Camp Road. (Myuna Bay) Macquarie CARING FOR YOUR SCA NATIONAL pARKS (Wangi Pt) • Please respect Aboriginal sites and places, they are protected. • All native plants and animals and rock formations are protected. • Fires are not permitted in coastal parks. Free gas barbeques are available at a number of areas. • Leave dead wood and rocks where you find them, they provide important habitat for many animals. • Please use rubbish bins where provided, otherwise take your rubbish with you when you leave. • Please leave your pets at home – they are not permitted in national parks, state conservation areas or nature reserves. • Please do not feed native animals as this may make them sick. • Drive carefully. Vehicles, including motorbikes, must keep to formed public roads. Unregistered vehicles, including motorbikes, are not permitted.

DISCOVERY pROGRAmS

To find out about guided Discovery Activities phone (02) 4320 4205 or visit our website: www.nswnationalparks.com.au or www.wildwildworld.com.au

FURTHER INFORmATION

NPWS Newcastle Office: Hunter Wetland Centre, Sandgate Road, Shortland, phone (02) 4946 4100

GENERAL INqUIRIES

Phone 1300 361 967 www.nswnationalparks.com.au

Published by the Office of Environment and Heritage, Department of Premier and Cabinet

Cycling Glenrock. Photo: David Benson / OEH. OEH Publishing number OEH 2012/0306

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GLENROCK STATE CONSERVATION AREA

MEREWETHER HEIGHTS MEREWETHER S c e n i HIGHFIELDS Y c A D W r H Mitchells Road iv IG e H Tunnel c.1846 C IFI PAC

Bathers Way Trackhead kson S ic t H ully M ing G k u r de r c

a Copper r Waster T Railway Smelter n Water o c. 1851 tunnels c. 1861 Treatment ks

c Works i Awabakal Little F G u lub Ro H lag n C ad rhyolitic gy C Merewether tuff quarry re e Quarry k uelar Y bah ACH M BE an D ag OO em W UR en B Leichhardts t T ra Lookout il ood T Yu Burw rac ela k Gle rba nro h Railway Line c. 1861 ck Tr L ac Burwood No. 1 a k Scout go OCK o ENR BEAC Colliery c.1860s Camp n GL H Remains of early railway bridge S k Yuelarbah c C o u t Awabakal campsite Carpark NPWS Ca y mp R g oa Glenrock SCA g Depot d a Northern Zone

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Glenrock SCA ad Ro bicycle track / h ac direction of cycling Be H y C dle A Du E Walking track B

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a METRES R l o a ad b This map gives you a basic overview of features and m o N facilities. It does not provide detailed information on B O c e topography and landscape, and may not be suitable for an St some activities. We recommend that you buy a topographic map before you go exploring.

DUDLEY

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