Over the ANZAC day long weekend, I had the idea of tackling another training section of the GNW, from Woolwich to Wondabyne. 

I had attempted a full run of the GNW last September but after about 210kms, had to back out due to extreme weather. It’s since become my nemesis track and I’ve been determined to try a 5 day attempt at some point but would have to train first. 

I’ve completed this particular section about 5+ times in the past, as it’s quite diverse in terms of its difficulty and features. It’s usually my go-to training ground.

Below: Overlooking the Hawkesbury from Midway Ridge trail near Mount Wondabyne

Trip Report

Day 1 (Friday)

I left home at 5:15am on Friday morning, and after a quick McDonald’s breakfast stop, arrived at Woolwich Wharf around 6am. Had waited for some early morning rain to die down a little, and got underway. My first 5kms or so through suburbia are always quite enjoyable. For this outing, I chose the Topo Ultraventures as I believed they’d offer a little more support over my Traverses for road walking. This worked out very well. 

Around 10kms or so, I had my first gel. When I first started hiking, I relied on very limited carb sources and would usually get physically tired within about 15kms. I’ve realized now that prioritizing short term energy is pretty key to being able to gun it up inclines and stay at a sustained pace. I use Pure Fluid Gels. The track is more of the same up until Thornleigh Oval, with some nice caves and rock formations as you walk alongside Lane Cover River. I arrived at Thornleigh Oval at around 11:30am, after about 29kms or so. 

After a quick sit down, I passed through Thornleigh station and arrived at the Jungo within about 40 minutes. The rain started up a little bit more, which turned made the path across Berowra Creek almost impassable. I stood before the crossing debating my options for a couple of minutes (as there’s no real detours), after which a mountain bike rider had the confidence to cross – after seeing him make it, I used my single trekking pole to stabilize myself and was able to cross safely. 

Below: Berowra Creek flooding the Benowie Walking Track

Around Tunks Ridge, I noticed a strange hot spot on my left heel. I’m not exactly sure what this was caused by, but I had a feeling that the last 10kms with wet shoes didn’t help very much. Nevertheless, I was stunned to find that my socks were almost completely dry despite it being about 15 degrees and having been knee deep in water about 2 hours prior. I applied some Gurney Goo and Leuko Tape to cover up the wannabe blister, and continued on.

This marked the longest distance I’d made in one day previously with a hiking pack. The tape was doing a nice job and I was still feeling quite alert, despite walking 44kms over the last 10 hours. I knew I had about 2 hours of daylight left, so decided to continue down to Galston Gorge with the goal of camping slightly after Crosslands Reserve.

After about 40 minutes of night walking, I arrived at Crosslands with 50.37kms on the clock, marking the longest distance I’d ever walked in one day with a hiking pack.

Below: The grass moorelands shortly after Crosslands on the Place of Winds Interpretive Trail

Day 2 (Saturday)

I’ve done the section after Crosslands so many times that its become a little tedious, though still offers some great walking - even with it's never ending hills. It's pretty smooth hiking on the Place of Winds trail, until about a 200m incline around Sams Creek. I passed Naa Badu lookout, which offers great 180° views of Berowra Creek and surrounds. 

After a little bit of fire trail, it's a bit more undulating trail until Berowra Waters. I refilled my water once more here and downed another gel, reaching Ridge Top campground about an hour later. The views from the start of the Hawkesbury Track near Berowra waters are very special, with great visibility of all of the houseboats.

I reached Cowan station around 2:30, but still felt quite capable of continuing despite a massive previous day. After another sit down, I continued onto Jerusalem Bay, which is always a nice sight, before another terrible incline up to the Brooklyn Dam Trail.

Below: Jerusalem Bay near Cowan.

As I'd slept in until quite late, I unfortunately missed the last ferry to Little Wobby. Decided to call it at Brooklyn, arriving around 5:30pm, with about 30 kms on board for the day. The decline just before Brooklyn wreaks havoc on some weary knees.

Below: Overlooking the railway on the Brooklyn Dam Trail

I waited around half an hour for the train from Brooklyn Station (Hawkesbury River). Enjoyed a burger at Circular Quay, before the rain started pouring at Woolwich. Luckily my car was still there, and I headed home.

Gear

Highlights

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Aero 28 Fastpack (Backpack)

I used the Aero for the first time around 4 months prior, on a slightly shorter section of the same track. I really like all of the front pockets, and while many people find that the zipper pocket doesn’t fit a phone, I don’t really have any issues as long as the pocket is empty. The front pocket come in very handy for pre-placed gel and electrolyte access, and I use the bottom pocket for trash.

The side bottle pockets are a little awkward to use on the go however – I have to loosen the side straps to be able to access them. Not really much of an issue though, as I’m drinking from my flasks anyway and really only keep spare water in them.

The Aero also features two small elastic loops at the very bottom of the shoulder straps. This comes in very useful for quick trekking pole stowage, if you’re using folding poles.

The pack is quite comfortable considering what it is, though I do find that the shoulder straps start digging in after about 30 or so kilometers. This won’t be an issue for most people, and I think it will be alleviated over time as there are many other straps to finetune the fit.

Mont Zero Superlight (sleeping bag)

I’ve used the Zero a few times and find it quite warm down to around 5 degrees. It’s remarkably light for what it is, and until a comparably light quilt comes out for a similar temperature rating, the Zero will stay my go-to for almost all UL trips. The fabric is also incredibly soft and is a dream to sleep in – for how light it is, it does a great job at not feeling constricting or uncomfortable.

Nemo Tensor Elite (sleeping pad)

This was the item that gave me the idea for this trip. I’ve actually never used a Regular Mummy sized inflatable pad before, always opting for Long Wide variants, though I’ve had and still use 3 other variants of the Nemo Tensor, so had pretty high expectations. The short size didn’t bother me as much as I expected, even though my feet were hanging off the edge at some points. Additionally, it worked well in conjunction with the sleeping bag, where had I been using a quilt, likely would have fallen off much more. Time will tell of its durability as I’d specifically brought a foam pad to protect it on this trip, though I suspect patching will be quite easy.

The Tensor Elite will be available from Ultralight Hiker around August 2025. In the meantime, check out the Tensor Trail for another ultralight sleeping pad option.

Hyperlite Mid 1 (tent)

This tent is awesome. Condensation and size are usually the most common complaints with designs like these, and even though my head touched the end when waking up, I find the stormworthiness and weight is a very valuable benefit. I’ve had this tent out in a hailstorm on the NSW Main Range, and after not receiving a single hole, has been my go-to ever since. I’ve added four extra guy lines to the cordage loops but seldom use them as the inner space doesn’t really bother me.

Exped Rem Pillow (pillow)

The pillow is great with long and wide pads, and I will always make an exception to pillow weight (even on trips like these) as it makes such a difference to my sleep. This time was unfortunately a miss, as the 20in width of my sleeping pad didn’t keep the pillow securely in place, so had woken up many times to readjust. I suspect the smaller option would have worked fine however and will still recommend this pillow.

Cook Set

The BRS is a great stove for what it is. It’s pretty much all I take on overnighters and when I’m not concerned about gas or wind, though it is a gas guzzler and will burn out in the smallest gust. A windshield is almost always necessary for reliable use.
The Toaks 550ml pot is a great, affordable, no frills cookpot. No complaints.

Clothes

My Macpac Nitro hoody was pretty great when I first got it but after taking it bushwacking in remote Newnes, it’s looking a little worse for wear. I’ve grown quite fond of Alpha Direct fabrics and I believe it will still stay as part of my insulation roster. – For better colour options and fit, take a look at Farpointe and Sambob.

Sea to Summit Pocket Towel

The Sea To Summit Pocket towel is good for wiping condensation, but dries quite slowly. I normally use Tek Towels now but these were in the wash.

Feetures Trail Max Cushion Mini Crew

These are awesome socks. Unbelievably durable, zonal cushion and a lifetime guarantee. I selectively use Feetures socks when hiking now. Feetures also has a very unique feature of making left and right socks, which really does make a big difference in comfort and blister prevention.

Brynje Sprint Multisport shorts

I’ve tried many lined and non lined shorts from most of the major brands and these are by far my favourite. The liner offers a small level of compression, which prevents ride up. I’ve found the liner to also offer just that small amount of warmth, preventing me from having to put on an extra layer during cold gusts. The back pocket is perfect for car keys or trash, and the side pockets, despite not being zippered, are actually deep enough to confidently hold my S25 Ultra without falling out while walking.

The shorts also feature a unique ripstop polyester as the face fabric, which prevents pilling and increases durability by a massive margin – what I would be worried about puncturing with thinner shorts are no match for these. Quick drying as well, these have become my new go-to shorts.

Topo Ultraventure 4 shoes

This was my first proper hike with the Ultraventures. I’d purchased them a week previous to wear them in a little, and they ended up being really good. A size 12 in the Traverses ended up being a little small after a while, so I opted for a 12.5 in the Ultraventures. I did experience a little bit of slippage, but these gave so much feedback and had much needed cushion when tackling long road walking sections or fire trails.

The drying time also just blew me away. I’ve never had my socks dry this quickly, or in the temperature that I mentioned. These are one of our most popular shoes and I can see exactly why.

Check out the LighterPack list!

https://lighterpack.com/r/vnbnbm

Feel free to drop any questions or comments below!