I’ve been a bit lazy the last couple of weekends, and I didn’t quite manage my early-morning start today to do a couple of long day-walks I had planned. Instead I head to West Head, where I’ve got a few tracks left which I haven’t done yet. The first is the very short Koolewong Track, a loop bushwalk which starts opposite the entrance to the Resolute Picnic Area. It’s ironic that while the Resolute carpark and picnic area is generally the busiest place in West Head, there’s not a single person on the Koolewong Track.
The Koolewong Track descends gently through tall eucalypt forest until it reache the viewing point, which you can’t really miss! A very solid sandstone seat is dedicated to Dorrie Davis: I can’t find any reference to her on the Web, so I’m not sure what she’s done or why she has a seat in her honour…
Although I don’t think the view is as good as from the end of the Bairne Trail, there are sweeping views from here. But it’s a much shorter walk, so I’d argue this track offers the best views for the least effort. (The other contender of course being the West Head Lookout, where you get spectacular walks without having to walk at all. But you’ll be sharing the views with loads of people, while here you can have them to yourself!)
To the west and north-west, across the Hawkesbury River, is Patonga.
To the north-east is Lion Island and the entrance of Broken Bay at Barrenjoey.
There are nice spots where you can sit and watch the boats go past in the distance, before returning the same way. After about 100m either veer right to go back the same way (500m), or continue straight ahead to take an alternate track back (400m). If you do the loop track, you finish a couple of hundred metres further down West Head Road.
More information on the Koolewong Track
There’s no official NPWS page on the Koolewong Track, not that you really need any detailed information on this short walk. For a complete guide to West Head bushwalks, have a look at the Guide to West Head or download a two-page overview.
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