Down to Five Mile Creek via Kamber Road Trail

It’s another “new” walk for me in the northern part of Garigal National Park… starting at the end of Kamber Road, I’m planning to do a short loop walk down to Five Mile Creek. I’m beginning to get accustomed to the almost non-existent signage within Garigal National Park, as I set off down an unsigned track which should be the Kamber Road Trail. Initially a narrow track, it skirts around a property before becoming a wide service trail.

After a few hundred metres there’s a junction with a walking track to the right (west), which I ignore – I’ll hopefully be returning on this trail. After another couple of hundred metres there’s a narrow track to my left (east), which I explore for a short distance – before deciding to continue along the Kamber Road Trail. From this second trail there’s a few of the Kimbriki Resource Recovery Centre, on the other side of the valley.

My only brief detour is to look for a couple of potential Aboriginal engraving sites – one of them (Kamber Road Shields) has a two quite distinct, large carvings of shields.

Nearby is a slightly less distinct kangaroo (or wallaby), and on an adjoining rock there’s another shield that clearly shows the individual puncture marks.

Back on the Kamber Road Trail, there is a glimpse of the ocean in the distance, and right in the middle of the track a rough engraving of a figure that even to my untrained eye looks rather un-Aboriginal in its provenance!

There’s also an abundance of flowers in bloom, with a number different-coloured grevillea species including what I think is Caley’s Grevillea (top left).

The Kamber Road Trail officially finishes near the base of some electricity pylons, and at first glance this seems to be the end of the road, so to speak… A bit of sleuthing is needed to find a rough track that continues down the hill. Marked by pink ribbons, it’s more of a route than a track, with a few steep sections through some boulders.

At the bottom is Five Mile Creek, which I cross over a rocky section which has a few shallow pools.

I’m soon on the wide Five Mile Creek, which crosses a tributary of Five Mile Creek.

I’m expecting the Five Mile Creek Trail to be a wide fire trail, and it is for a short distance – but soon turns into a narrow bushwalking trail. It follows Five Mile Creek fairly closely, although most of the time you can’t see the shallow creek though the thick scrub.

After just over a kilometre of fairly easy walking the track crosses another side-creek, which is surrounded by ferns and grooved walls that have been eroded by the water.

The track then leaves the creek and starts to ascend more steeply out of the valley, passing a few rock formations.

At the top of of the valley, the File Mile Creek Trail veers left towards Forest Way; an unnamed track heads right (east) back to the Kamber Road Trail. Altough there’s the occassional sight of the back of some properties, it’s a pleasant walk that completes today’s loop.

0.0km Start of trail at end of Kamber Road
0.3km Junction with unnamed walking track
0.5km Junction with unnamed walking track
1.0km End of Kamber Road Trail (start of bushwalking route)
1.6km Five Mile Creek Trail
3.7km End of File Mile Creek Trail
4.7km Kamber Road

More information on Kamber Road Trail and Five Mile Creek

Although most of the tracks are fairly obvious, a map is essential as there’s no signage. The route down from the Kamber Road Trail to Five Mile Creek is marked by ribbons, but is a very rough foot-pad.

For more bushwalks (as well as mountain-biking trails and swimming holes) in this area, have a look at the Guide to Garigal National Park. This includes 25 bushwalks in Garigal National Park with links to detailed track notes and online maps.