overnight summer walks around Sydney

[mys]

I'm looking for walks like Erskine Creek (http://bushwalkingnsw.com/walk.php?nid=197) or Bargo Gorge (https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y ... LWnFSz9Hsg, day walk) -- lots of pools and nice place to stay overnight. Few hours drive from Sydney is fine, but all day long bushbashing would be hard to sell to the rest of the group.

Any suggestions?

[johnw]

The most obvious one is probably the Coast Track in Royal NP, but is very popular with overnighters and day walkers alike. A few others come to mind but bear in mind how hot and dry it is/has been recently and the consequent increased bushfire risk if visiting fairly remote places, e.g. Starlights Trail down to Macarthurs Flat/Emmetts Flat is always nice. Wild Dog Mountains has numerous options such as Carlons Creek, Breakfast Creek, Coxs River. Maybe camp around there and return via Tinpot Mtn for a really pleasant short overnighter. Nothing wrong with a trip into the Grose Valley either, maybe just go in from Perrys Lookdown and camp at Acacia Flat (again can get busy). Plenty of other options to make a circuit in that vicinity such as returning via Govetts Track. Anyway there's a handful of suggestions to start.

[mys]

yeah, CT is good one, but twice per year is quite enough . Starlights Trail looks good -- thanks for the tip. I did only one walk in Wild Dog Mountains but there is quite a lot to explore: http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=13/-33.8264/150.2281

[davidmorr]

Barrington Tops can be pleasant in summer. Maybe still bit hot for backpacking at times, but often quite pleasant. You can expect the temperature to be 10-15 degrees cooler than the lowlands, and there is plenty of water for paddling and even swimming in places (Junction Pools). Night times get down below 10, even close to zero, in summer.

[GPSGuided]

The coastal track in RNP can be quite exposed and is a scorcher on hotter days. Be prepared to have water, lots of it.

[tom_brennan]

Also have a look at the Colo River (http://bushwalkingnsw.com/region.php?nid=210) - some of the walks in and out are long and steep, but once you're on the river there are usually good sandbanks for camping. In some places the banks are pretty good going, in others it's scrubby. If you don't want to bash down the banks, a liloing trip at that time of the year can be nice.

Ettrema Creek is another place to look at - no tracks but the walking is not too hard ... once you get in!

Bungonia Gorge and the Shoalhaven also have swimming.