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Garawarra State Conservation Area

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Overview

On the border of Royal National Park near Sydney, Garawarra State Conservation Area is a peaceful spot with scenic waterfalls ideal for bushwalking, mountain biking, horse riding and enjoying a picnic.

Read more about Garawarra State Conservation Area

It's not often you get to retreat to the bush, so close to the city. Garawarra State Conservation Area borders the Helensburgh end of Royal National Park between Sydney and Wollongong. It’s a haven of scribbly gum and red bloodwood, with patches of subtropical rainforest, making the area perfect for bushwalking and hiking.

Take a walk or ride your mountain bike along Cawleys Road trail. It's a great place for birdwatching, and you could easily spot satin bowerbirds, honeyeaters and perhaps even a lyrebird. Horse riding is also popular in Garawarra, and there are scenic bridle trails located in the reserve to the west of Helensburgh.

Enjoy a picnic at Kellys Falls picnic area, with breathtaking views of its waterfalls below.

Highlights in this park

  • Kellys Falls picnic area, Garawarra State Conservation Area. Photo: Nick Cubbin © OEH

    Kellys Falls picnic area

    Kellys Falls picnic area is a network of walking trails, cascading waterfalls and scenic lookouts within Garawarra State Conservation Area between Syd...

  • Cawleys Road trail, Garawarra State Conservation Area. Photo: John Spencer © OEH

    Cawleys Road trail

    Cawleys Road trail is a wide, well-formed track popular for bushwalking, mountain biking and horse riding in Garawarra State Conservation Area, near H...

 

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A family walk a boardwalk section of Bouddi coastal walk, Bouddi National Park. Photo: John Spencer/OEH.

 

Saving Our Species program

Australia is home to more than 500,000 animal and plant species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. Saving our Species is a statewide conservation program that addresses the growing number of Australian animals and Australian native plants facing extinction.

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in a tree. Photo: Courtesy of Taronga Zoo/OEH

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