She-Oak crossing walk
Bomaderry Creek Regional Park
Overview
This two hour walk through Bomaderry Creek Regional Park boasts a hidden gorge with sandstone rock faces and boulders, creek and rainforest, and is suitable for dog walking.
- Where
- Bomaderry Creek Regional Park in South Coast
- Distance
- 3.9km loop
- Time suggested
- 2 - 3hrs
- Grade
- Grade 3
- What to
bring - Sunscreen, hat, drinking water
- Please note
- Remember to take your binoculars if you want to birdwatch.
For some decent exercise and a couple of hours of absorbing the delights of Bomaderry Creek, take the She-Oak crossing walk. This trail makes the most of the natural wonders of the park; the hidden gorge with its rock faces and tumbled boulders, the cool rainforest and softly running water, are the perfect accompaniment for this tranquil walk.
Setting out from Bomaderry Creek picnic area you will wander beneath rock overhangs, stride out on the heath, enjoy the wildflowers and keep an eye out for orchids sprouting from the rock crevices. You’ll enjoy the birdlife and be sure to watch the creek for fish as they dart through the rock pools.
Best of all, you can enjoy this two-hour walk during any season. Winter is a pleasant time of year on the NSW South Coast and this shady pocket provides shelter, even on hot sunny days.
Take a virtual tour of She-Oak crossing walk captured with Google Street View Trekker.
Map
Map legend
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/sheoak-crossing-walk/local-alerts
General enquiries
- National Parks Contact Centre
- 7am to 7pm daily
- 1300 072 757 (13000 PARKS) for the cost of a local call within Australia excluding mobiles
- parks.info@environment.nsw.gov.au
Park info
- in Bomaderry Creek Regional Park in the South Coast region
Bomaderry Creek Regional Park is always open, but may have to close at times due to wet weather or fire danger.
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about She-Oak crossing walk.
Track grading
Features of this track
Distance
3.9km loop
Time
2 - 3hrs
Quality of markings
Sign posted
Experience required
Some bushwalking experience recommended
Gradient
Short steep hills
Steps
Many steps
Quality of path
Formed track, some obstacles
Getting there and parking
Get driving directions
She-Oak crossing walk starts at Bomaderry Creek picnic area in the northern precinct of Bomaderry Creek Regional Park and enters land owned by Shoalhaven City Council.
To get there:
- Drive along the Princes Highway to Bomaderry
- Turn west into Narang Road and park in the carpark approximately 300m along on your left
- It is a 150m walk along a sealed pathway to the picnic area
- Start out on Mossy Gully track (a short loop walk along the gorge) and continue on past Mossy Gully along She-Oak crossing walk
Parking
Parking is available on Narang Road. Long vehicles will need to park in the tennis court carpark across the road.
Best times to visit
There are lots of great things waiting for you in Bomaderry Creek Regional Park. Here are some of the highlights.
Autumn
Autumn weather is perfect for a picnic and a bushwalk in the park.
Spring
Walk one of the park's lovely trails in springtime to see wildflowers in bloom above the gorge.
Summer
Enjoy the shade of the gorge and dip your toes in the cool water of Bomaderry Creek.
Winter
Take one of the longer walks – the 5.5km She-Oak crossing walk along the gorge is just the thing on a sunny winter afternoon.
Weather, temperature and rainfall
Summer temperature
Average
18°C and 24°C
Highest recorded
42.4°C
Winter temperature
Average
8°C and 18°C
Lowest recorded
2.3°C
Rainfall
Wettest month
March
Driest month
September
The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day
304.4mm
Maps and downloads
Permitted
Fishing
A current NSW recreational fishing licence is required when fishing in all waters.
Pets
You can walk your dog on-lead at this location. See other regional parks in NSW that have dog walking areas.
Dog walking is permitted in this park away from picnic areas and children's play areas. You will need to keep them on a leash at all times and remember to pick up after them.
Prohibited
Learn more
She-Oak crossing walk is in Bomaderry Creek Regional Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
A gorge of rainforest and sandstone
Bomaderry Creek has forged in the landscape a winding, cliff-lined gorge with sandstone outcrops and great slabs of fallen rock. The gorge not only looks dramatic, but also protects a diverse and beautiful environment, making it a wonderful spot to visit.
- Falcon Crescent link track Take this track across the open wooded heath from North Nowra down into the beautiful gorge and link with the lovely walks of Bomaderry Creek.
- She-Oak crossing walk This two hour walk through Bomaderry Creek Regional Park boasts a hidden gorge with sandstone rock faces and boulders, creek and rainforest, and is suitable for dog walking.
Aboriginal cultural experience
Bomaderry Creek contains several sites of importance to its original inhabitants, and you're likely to see evidence of Aboriginal heritage such as rock shelters and axe-grinding grooves during your visit. The shade and abundant water and fish this unique place offered provided a welcoming environment for its dwellers, and it's full of stories of the past. Archaeological evidence and sites across the gorge country indicate that for the last 2000 years the park saw a diversity of use: for seasonal food gathering and possibly for ceremonial and social activity.
- Bomaderry Creek picnic area Enjoy a bush picnic by the barbecue at Bomaderry Creek – it’s peaceful, surrounded by wildflowers and a short drive from Nowra on the Princes Highway.
- Then and now: Aboriginal culture Then and now: Aboriginal culture is an Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) school excursion in Bomaderry Regional Park, focusing on HSIE. Through story and creative expression, the life and culture of the local people are shared.
- Then and now: Aboriginal culture Then and now: Aboriginal culture is a Stage 4 (Years 7-8) school excursion in Bomaderry Regional Park. Through story and creative expression, the life and culture of the local people are shared.
Precious resources
The water was important to European settlers as well as Aboriginal people. In 1938, a weir was built on Bomaderry Creek to provide the first reliable water supply for the town of Bomaderry. When the weir waters were no longer needed for town water, a section of the weir was taken out to allow Australian bass and other fish free movement along the creek in a fishway. You can see the weir from the lookout near the picnic area.
Rare plants
A walk through this lovely park in spring will reward you with the sight of an array of beautiful wildflowers. You'll find this small park surprisingly rich with threatened plant species, including the endangered Guinea flower, the vulnerable albatross mallee, and Bauer's midge orchid. But perhaps the most unique plant that calls this park home is the endangered Bomaderry zieria - it only grows within the park and surrounding bushland and nowhere else in the world. The park is also alive with animal activity - Australian bass and other fish use the fishway in the weir to travel upstream. Threatened species found here include the glossy black cockatoo, masked owl and yellow-bellied glider.
- Bomaderry Creek picnic area Enjoy a bush picnic by the barbecue at Bomaderry Creek – it’s peaceful, surrounded by wildflowers and a short drive from Nowra on the Princes Highway.
- She-Oak crossing walk This two hour walk through Bomaderry Creek Regional Park boasts a hidden gorge with sandstone rock faces and boulders, creek and rainforest, and is suitable for dog walking.