Crosslands Trail

Begin at Crosslands Reserve, which has picnic facilities, play equipment and bicycle tracks, then travel along through mangroves for picturesque views. For those who want a more challenging trip, continue on to Calna Creek for the second half of the track, which is well worth the effort.

Due to areas of limited mobile coverage, remember to download this map (PDF) before you begin walking.

Crosslands Reserve map

Points of interest

1. 'Place of Winds' Interpretive trail
2. Special adaptations
3. Mangrove food cycle
4. Estuaries and viewing platform
5. Original inhabitants
6. All creatures great and small
7. Catch the threats
8. The Rock club
9. Bush supermarket
10. Stop! Look! Listen and Smell

This valley once formed part of the seasonal range of clans belonging to the Guringai and Dharug language groups. The surrounding landscape contributed to their food, medicine, shelter and other material and cultural needs. Signs of their way of life abound, and could potentially include occupation sites, rock engravings, middens, scar trees, and artefacts. Please respect any sites or objects you may come across. They hold a profound significance for present day descendants of these communities and are also protected by law.

The first colonial settlers in the area were Burton Crossland and Matthew Charlton in the 1850s, one on each side of the creek. Crossland was employed to oversee Burtons land and eventually his son purchased the land, resulting in the Crosland’s owning both sides of the creek. They earned their living cutting timber, growing fruit, fishing and boat-building. In fact, near the beginning of this walk on the left hand side, the remains of a channel lined with stone can still be seen. This was formed by Burton Crossland as part his boat construction activities. In those days, boats were able to sail right up to this area in order to collect timber and deliver lime from the burning of shell middens. Burton Crossland also built the sandstone fireplace for the church on Bar Island at the mouth of Berowra Creek, and the shingles for the roof of St. Judes church at Dural came from this area.

This trail passes through several important ecological communities. The Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest is the first community come across and is listed as “endangered” under NSW legislation. It is dominated by the Swamp Oak Casuarina glauca, a grey-barked tree with fine, needle-like cladodes or leaf-like structures.

The boardwalk section of this walk also passes through Mangrove Swamp. This community is characterised by two species: Grey Mangrove Avicennia marina subsp. australasica and River Mangrove Aegiceras corniculatum. These plants are able to tolerate the high salt levels in the water by having leaves that excrete excess salt through glands or by storing high levels of salt in their leaves and then discarding the entire leaf. Can you see any of these dead or dying leaves?

For the proficient bushwalker, trails continue on to Sams Creek, Berowra Waters, Berowra Station and Mount Kuring-gai Station.

The vegetation that most of the trail passes through as it runs along the creek belongs to Rough-barked Apple-Forest Oak Forest. Due to its rarity, this community is considered significant in the Sydney region. The main tree species are Forest Oak Allocasuarina torulosa with the same needle-like cladodes as the seen on the Swamp Oak, Rough-barked Apple Angophora floribunda and Grey Gum Eucalyptus punctate. The Grey Gum is recognisable by its silver-grey bark with slashes of bright orange.

Another rare ecological community listed as “endangered” under NSW legislation is Coastal Saltmarsh. It is made up of low-growing plants such as Sea Rush Juncus kraussii and Sand Couch Sporobolus virginicus that are able to survive in the harsh, salty conditions of the intertidal zone. A small section of Coastal Saltmarsh is situated near the beginning of the walk, however a much larger expanse is found on the far side of Calna Creek, with a boardwalk running through its midst.

Location

Somerville Road, Hornsby 2077  View Map

-33.6490716,151.1069009

Somerville Road , Hornsby 2077

Somerville Road , Hornsby 2077

Crosslands Trail