- Duration
- a short driving day, A$12 entry (≈ 2 h: moving and stop time only)
- Who it suits
- Everyone
- Transport
- drive
- Start
- Kalkari Discovery Centre
- Finish
- Bobbin Head
- Pace
- relaxed pace
- Best time
- a weekday, from 9:30 when Kalkari opens
- Budget per adult
- A$12 per car for the dayPrices as of: July 2026; transport and zoo prices October 2026
Getting there
This is a drive through Ku-ring-gai Chase to Bobbin Head.
Stops in order
The text version of the route: stops, time at each and the legs between them. Times are estimates, without queues, traffic or swims.
1. Kalkari Discovery Centre~40 min at the stop
The centre at the park entrance. A short bush trail starts at the door. The lookout above the centre is closed.
Tip: The centre is open 9:30 to 16:30 and closed on Christmas Day. Leave the lookout. The trail by the building is the open walk.
Open on the map ↗↓ drive · 10 min · 3 km
2. Bobbin Head~1 h 10 min at the stop
A boardwalk through the mangroves, a jetty, picnic lawns and a café on Cowan Creek inside Ku-ring-gai Chase. It is the flat, easy part of the day after the bush trail at Kalkari: sit by the water with no more climbing.
Worth knowing: From the early 20th century Bobbin Head was a pleasure ground on Cowan Creek. The stone causeway sits in a mangrove inlet inside Ku-ring-gai Chase, reserved in 1894.
Tip: The Bobbin Head visitor centre opens 10am to 4pm (9am in the summer school holidays), closed 12 to 12:30pm and on Christmas Day. One A$12 vehicle fee covers both stops. Waterside Bistro at 1002 Bobbin Head Road: breakfast 8:30 to 11:45am, lunch to 3pm, coffee and cake to 3:30pm. Cards only.
Open on the map ↗
Before you go
- Route times are estimates: walking, driving and a sensible pause at each stop. Add queues, traffic and swims yourself.
- Prices, timetables and trail status change. Check the venue's official site and the state transport app before you go.
- On beaches, swim only between the red and yellow flags. Use sun protection even when it is cloudy.