Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

Summary: A pleasant half-day loop bushwalk from Little Wobby, which passes an Aboriginal rock art site, a secluded beach, many informal lookouts and an old WWII embankment. Access is via ferry and a free permit is required.

Trailhead: Ferry from Brooklyn Fery Service Wharf to Little Wobby Wharf
Public transport options: Ferry, Train
Train to Brooklyn; 0.2km walk to ferry wharf
Distance: 9.2km
Duration: 3-4 hours
Grade: Easy/Moderate
325m total ascent
Route type: Loop
Best season/s: All year
Topographic map/s: 9130-1N BROKEN BAY (1:25K) Buy / Download
Online map: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/little-wobby-loop-7a57662
No Dogs
No mountain bikes

This bushwalk is on Crown Land which forms part of the Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre – call 13 13 02 to register a bushwalk and gain a permit.

A relatively short loop from Little Lobby, this bushwalk starts with a ferry ride from Brooklyn: Little Wobby is only accessible by boat/ferry, or via a fairly long bushwalk from Patonga or Woy Woy. It does make a for a pleasant start to a bushwalk, and you’re unlikely to see anyone else once you step-off the ferry.

1X3A6666 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6668 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

Also slightly unusual is the route from the public Little Wobby ferry wharf to the start of the bushwalk. Due to the steep terrain behind the row of waterfront cottages and houses, there is a walkway that follows the waterfront. The path weaves through, under and over the front of the houses to provide residents with access to the wharf.

1X3A6682 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6683 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6684 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

Just beyond the line of properties, the walking trail enters the NSW Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre grounds where it meets the Pacific Drive. The road follows the foreshore all the way to Little Patonga beach and the Centre’s buildings and facilities – the first few hundred metres is an impressively engineered concrete drive.

1X3A6689 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6691 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

Enornous eucalyptus trees are on both sides of the road, with filtered views over the Hawkesbury River below.

1X3A6697 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6693 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

About a kilometre along the road, a bushwalking track ascends past an overhang up to the ridge (it’s marked on some maps as the Defile Track). This is one of three bushwalking trails that go up to the ridge.

1X3A6708 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6703 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6706 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

The track is fairly obvious but is also marked by tape, as it climbs fairly steeply up the side of the ridge.

1X3A6710 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6714 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

There are some nice views over the Hawkesbury River as the Defile Track reaches the ridge.

1X3A6721 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

The Defile Track meets the Midway Ridge Trail, which runs from the Pacific Trail at the southern end (near the NSW Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre buildings) to Alison’s Cascade. We make a small detour towards Alison’s Cascade and Tank Creek.

1X3A6795 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6796 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

About half a kilometre along the Midway Ridge Trail is rock platform with a great over Dangar Island and ther Hawkesbury River.

1X3A6826 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

There’s also a good view of Brookyln, and in the distance the Peats Ferry Bridge over the Hawkesbury River.

1X3A6831 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

We head back from this vantage point, initially re-tracking our steps to the junction with the Defile Track and then continuing along the ridge on the Midway Ridge Trail.

1X3A6841 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6843 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

It’s pleasant walking along the ridge, with nice views out over the river.

1X3A6722 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6864 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

The Midway Ridge Trail passes one of three Aboriginal rock art sites documented over forty years ago by Ian Sim; most of the figures have been reclaimed by soil and vegetation but one is still visible. (The other two sites have yet to be “re-located” and remain hidden in the thick bush.

1X3A6749 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

The trail continues along the top of the ridge, through open forest and past lots of wildflowers.

1X3A6850 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6851 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6858 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

Along the trail are many enormous eucalpytus trees, one of them is the rare Wishing Tree species, which is clearly breaching COVID protocols.

1X3A6868 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6875 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6876 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

Equally impressive is an enormous flowering orchid, just off the trail.

1X3A6877 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

As the Midway Ridge Trail reaches the southern end of the ridge, it starts to descend, past a campground. Similar to our route up the Defile Track, it’s a steep descent down the ridge.

1X3A6881 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6883 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

The Midway Ridge Trail finishes at the Pacific Trail, not far from the Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre – it’s signposted here as the Midway Trail (neither name is officially registered, and it’s also called the Highway Ridge Trail on some maps).

1X3A6884 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

It’s now an easy stroll back to the ferry wharf; on the way we briefly stop to look at Juno Section (also called the Juno Point Battery):

Two QF 18-pdr Mk 4 guns were installed in early 1942 at Juno Point on the northern shore of Broken Bay in New South Wales to supplement the 4.7″ guns at West Battery. The battery was known as the Juno Section. They were able to cover the approaches to Brooklyn and the entrance to Cowan Creek.
Oz at War

1X3A6886 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6888 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

The Pacific Trail passes a rock climbing area, a small (man-made) dam near the Defile Track, the Juno Head Campsite and the Forty Year Spring which provides water for the camp.

1X3A6891 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6894 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

Our final, stop is at Rhino Beach, a sandy breach on the Hawkesbury River: “Unlike what some might speculate, the beach isn’t named after any sightings of rhinos, which are, unsurprisingly, not native to Australia. Instead, the name is thought to derive from a unique rock formation near the shore, vaguely resembling a rhino’s outline”

IMG 1227 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

From Rhino Beach it’s about 20min back to the Little Wobby wharf, for our return ferry trip to Brookyln.

1X3A6903 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

1X3A6904 LR Wildflowers and Rock Art on the Little Wobby Loop

The Little Wobby Loop is the shortest bushwalk you can do from Little Wobby, which you can do within a few hours (but allow half a day).

Longer bushwalks that start from Little Wobby (which can also be done as overnight trips) include:

Little Wobby to Allison’s Cascade: An out-and-back walk to Rocky Ponds / Allison’s Cascade, with some nice views along the Midway Ridge Track. (You can extend this by continuing to The Icicles, which offers some great views). 10.5km (return) & 440m ascent. Half-day.
Little Wobby to Woy Woy: The shortest one-way walk you can do, taking the Midway Ridge Track top Allison’s Cascade then up the Rocky Ponds Firetrail to Dillons Firetrail. The walk passes Woy Woy Tip with a long road section to Woy Woy railway station. 16km (one-way) & 590m ascent. Full day. Wildwalks track notes.
Little Wobby to Wondabyne: Continues past Alisons Cascade up the Rocky Ponds Trail to join Tommos Loop Trail and Rifle Range Firetrail (alternatively you can go via Mount Wondabyne). Regular train services from Wondabyne station. 18.5km (one-way) & 625m ascent. Full day. AllTrails map.
Little Wobby to Patonga: Take one of the three routes up to the Midway Ridge Trail to Alisons Cascade and then the Rocky Ponds Firetrail to where it meets the Tunnel Firetrail. The Great North Walk (Dillons Firetrail) takes you to Patonga Drive (optional detour via Warrah Lookout), and onto Patonga Wharf where you can get a ferry to Palm Beach (or a water taxi to Brooklyn). 21km (one-way) & 630m ascent. Full day.

Getting to Little Wobby

The only way to get to Little Wobby (other than one of the full-day bushwalking routes above) is by boat or ferry. Brooklyn Ferry Service has four ferries in the morning and tthree or four in the afternoon, which take about 15min to get to the public ferry wharf. The fare can be paid in cash or via EFTPOS. From the ferry wharf, a walking path takes you along the front of the houses to the start of the Pacific Trail.

There are hourly trains to Brooklyn, and all-day parking is available (the carpark nearest the wharf has a 4-hour limit, so allow a bit of time to find a parking spot with no time limits).