Hike at a glance
Length
Duration
Difficulty
Trail type
Trail details
Max elevation: 603m
Min elevation: -61m
Total Ascent: 8451m
Check current conditions
Track conditions, access and closures can change quickly due to weather, fire, maintenance or safety concerns. Always check the relevant land manager’s website before you visit. Trail Hiking Australia does not provide real-time track and closure monitoring, and land managers remain the authoritative source for current alerts, closures and access restrictions.
About this trail
Trail difficulty
Remote, unmarked, and high consequence
These are the most challenging walks and are only suited to highly experienced and well-prepared hikers.
Expect very rough, steep, and often unmarked terrain, with limited or no signage. Navigation skills are essential, and you must be self-reliant, including emergency preparedness. Distances may exceed 20km, and conditions can quickly become serious if things go wrong.
Safety note: There is little margin for error. Mistakes in navigation, weather judgement, or preparation can have serious consequences.
Planning information
Preparation matters: Plan your multi-day hike well and bring the right gear, weather-appropriate layers, food and plenty of water. Before you head out, read up on bushwalking safety and use this multi-day hike planning guide to make sure you're ready. Need help getting started? Check out the full hike preparation guide.
Map and GPX file
Safety and preparation
Think safety first
Australian conditions can turn a small oversight into a serious situation faster than most walkers expect. The Hiking Safety Systems and planning calculators are designed to help you identify and close those gaps before you leave home. Work through the Interactive Safety Scenarios to see how incidents unfold, then use the tools to build your plan and make sure a trusted contact has your trip details before you head out.
Free checklists
Download the hiking preparation and safety checklists before leaving home to help you think through your plans. They help ensure important considerations are not overlooked and support safer decision-making on the trail.
Let someone know
Before you go, complete a trip intentions form and share it with a trusted contact. Agree on a Late-Back Time and ask them to call 000 (Police) if you have not checked in. A clear trip plan is one of the simplest and most effective safety steps you can take, and it only takes two minutes.
Heading somewhere remote, off-track or overnight? Use the comprehensive trip intentions form instead — your emergency contact will need more detail. Register your trip plan here →
Getting there and travel options
Travel arrangements
Whether you are travelling from across Australia or exploring closer to home, these options can help you organise your journey to the trail and make the most of your visit.
✈️ Find flights →
🚗 Compare car hire →
🥾 Explore nearby experiences →
Accommodation before / after your walk
Find hotels, cabins, and campgrounds near the trailhead. Click the button below to open an interactive map automatically centred on this hike's location — no searching required.
Or search accommodation in nearby towns: Darling Harbour, Millers Point, Pyrmont, Sydney, Ultimo
Explore the region
About the region
More hikes nearby
Photo gallery
Do you have any photos from this hike?
Your photos can help others plan. Share shots from along the trail so fellow hikers know what to expect.
Weather on the trail
The map below shows the rain forecast for the trail area. Tap the toggle in the top right corner to explore other layers including wind, temperature, UV index, thunderstorms, fire danger, and weather warnings — all useful for planning a safe hike.
Trail Reviews
Notice something different about this trail?
Whether it’s a new feature, a route change, or permanent closure, share your update so we can keep our info accurate and helpful for fellow hikers.
Acknowledgement of Country
Trail Hiking Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we hike and pay respects to their Elders, past and present, and we acknowledge the First Nations people of other communities who may be here today.
1 Review on “The Great North Walk (260km)”
The walk is 280km and change, not 250km – be warned. Completed the walk in 10 days, with distances of 17-35 km a day and no rest days.
Walked from North to South (Newcastle to Sydney) in July 2026, which I highly recommend for both the journey’s ‘narrative’ and the terrain.
Once out of Newcastle, the northern part of the walk is by far the wildest, with the 30+km trek out of Newcastle suburbs and hobby farms being a great mix of coast, beach, rainforest, urban and rural; the Watagans quickly make you really feel remote. Overall the journey to Sydney is amazing, leaving the wilderness north of the Hawksbury river, observing the change in enviroments, and finally making your way through Lane Cove National Park you have the ever-present Sydney skyline for the last 2 days, leading to the crescendo and excitment of the harbour ferry under the bridge, past the Opera House into circular Quey with 400m to finish at the marker, then over to the Rocks for a beer at ‘Fortune of War’ Sydneys oldest pub – wow! Is there a better conclusion to an end-to-end in the country?
I found the route well marked with what looks like a very recent ‘re-posting’ of the GNW trail markers and some trail maintenance. The GPX route from this site was accurate enough to aid navigation, but in urban areas double-checking with a map was required at times. To be honest, navigation was relatively straightforward with trail markers positioned well, and sensible route finding with limited ‘map to ground’ for confirmation only required.
Summer would not be the time to do this walk; I did it in July. There was plenty of water on the track (with your own filtration) with fill-ups in the creeks, as the ridge ‘campsite’ water tanks are in disrepair and full of silt and possum mess. The cooler temps assisted in some of the killer ascents and the amount of water consumed.
Highlights – 1. The finish into Sydney – catch the train to Newcastle and walk back, 2. The ‘Boat Shed’ at Patonga after a very long day – well worth the early morning Uber to get to Woy Woy station to continue the walk at Brooklyn. 3. Amazing contrast in environments, bird life, etc.
Lowlights – 1. Leeches, leeches, leeches – Bushmans 40% is your friend. 2. Ferry from Patonga to Brooklyn no longer runs.
Overall, a great walk; it is a challenge, so be prepared for long days and lonely campsites. If deciding to do it solo, don’t be fooled by the seemingly close proximity to ‘civilisation’; you are quickly in very remote and very difficult terrain that, without proper preparation and emergency gear, would find you absolutely screwed very quickly.
Kelly Campbell
Kerry Tober
planning on doing the whole thru hike march next year once it cools down, anyone wishing to get a group hike going?
Let’s do it in 8!
No
ohhh yes would love to do this Melinda Ritchie ??
Ohhhhhh yeah! ? stace would scratch my eyes out…
Ooh we need to do a bit of this together M!
Peter Fisher yes let’s leave it at least another 5 years
Philip Vincent why not?
Shaye Meaghan Scotney after oxfam, goals ?
Sophie Woodworth Sammy Hunt. You two up for this ??
Stacey Stone too soon?
Sue I live at Westleigh near GNW. I trail run – walk it solo. PM me if you are keen for a walk partner.
Tanya Marshall-Disher….
Teyanah Brown
We have been doing it for years with our kids – we have walked from Sydney central to Hornsby – it’s amazing and a great way to discover Sydney even if you are a Sydneysider like me!!
Yes – let’s book it in – love that
Yes and u will have at least a 12 year old boy and 15 year old girl going with you both 🙂 Fun time
Yes there are some lovely walks, and you can choose how much you do. Put it on the list!