Galston Gorge
Encyclopedia
Berowra Valley Regional Park
The Berowra Valley Regional Park is in the Hornsby Shire in Sydney, Australia. Notable features include the Thornleigh Zig Zag Railway, an historic quarry and a bridge spanning Tunks Creek at Galston Gorge...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and separates Galston
Galston, New South Wales
Galston is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Galston is located 36 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire and is part of the North Shore region....
from Hornsby Heights
Hornsby Heights, New South Wales
Hornsby Heights is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hornsby Heights is located 27 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire and is part of the North Shore region.Hornsby Heights lies to the...
. It contains a narrow stretch of road with a one-way wooden bridge across Tunks Creek, a tributary of Berowra Creek
Berowra Creek
Berowra Creek is a tributary of the Hawkesbury River, situated to the north of the city of Sydney in the Australian state of New South Wales....
. Here traffic must wait for cars already on the bridge before crossing. A second bridge in the gorge crosses Berowra Creek itself.
During heavy rain the Gorge is often transformed into a far more picturesque and natural drive with waterfalls and streams running alongside and sometimes even across the road. Care must be taken by commuters to drive carefully during wet weather for this heavy run-off can cause a car to slip into the guard rail. The entire length of the Gorge is enclosed by this guard rail on the Berowra Creek
Berowra Creek
Berowra Creek is a tributary of the Hawkesbury River, situated to the north of the city of Sydney in the Australian state of New South Wales....
side of the road to stop a sliding car from falling down the steep slope. Recently a round-a-bout was installed on the Galston
Galston, New South Wales
Galston is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Galston is located 36 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire and is part of the North Shore region....
side of the Gorge to give heavy vehicles like Buses and Semi's a chance to turn around, for they are far to long to navigate the tight hairpin turns in the Gorge. In the past the Gorge has had to have been closed for extended periods of time due to a heavy vehicle becoming stuck. This causes massive disruption to commuters in both Galston and Hornsby as the only other way across is via Boundary Road
Boundary Road
Boundary Road may refer to:* Boundary Road , British Columbia, Canada* Boundary Road, Singapore...
. From Galston
Galston, New South Wales
Galston is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Galston is located 36 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire and is part of the North Shore region....
to Hornsby Heights
Hornsby Heights, New South Wales
Hornsby Heights is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hornsby Heights is located 27 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire and is part of the North Shore region.Hornsby Heights lies to the...
via the Gorge takes approximately 20-25 minutes whereas the same route via Boundary Road
Boundary Road
Boundary Road may refer to:* Boundary Road , British Columbia, Canada* Boundary Road, Singapore...
takes approximately 40-45 minutes, depending on traffic. During peak hour it can be as long as 1 hour and 20 minutes.
There are 3 tiny car park spots for nearby bushwalks precariously close to the narrow road at the foot of the valley, and coupled with a number of difficult hairpin turns in close succession to each other on the Hornsby Heights side and rock cuts very close to the road, particularly going up to Galston side, the road has a notorious reputation. There are, of course, other Sydney roads more difficult for driving than Galston Gorge, but there are fewer places in Sydney where there is such a large flow of cars during peak hour. There is a lack of suitable public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
for residents travelling from the Galston side of the gorge through to Hornsby
Hornsby, New South Wales
* Highest Maximum Temperature: 42 °C* Lowest Maximum Temperature: 4.9 °C* Warmest Month: January* Coolest Month: July* Highest Precipitation: February* Lowest Precipitation: July-Notable residents:...
as buses are too long to negotiate the hairpin turns. Therefore, residents of Sydney's mostly rural expanding north-west are forced to drive through the gorge or take other public transport options which add considerable time to the trip when travelling to North Shore
North Shore (Sydney)
The North Shore is an informal term used to describe the primarily residential area of northern metropolitan Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The term usually refers to the suburbs located on the north shore of Sydney Harbour between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River, up to...
or city business districts.
Before 2000, a population of feral chickens
Feral chickens
Feral chickens are derived from domestic chickens that have returned to the wild. Like the Red Junglefowl , feral chickens will take flight and roost in tall trees and bushes in order to avoid predators at night.Feral chickens, like the wild Red Junglefowl, typically form social groups composed of...
lived in the bushland. This population was boosted from time to time by local residents, who would leave chickens from their semi-rural properties on the Galston side of the gorge at the bottom of the valley. Foxes kept the number down. However, steps were taken by Hornsby Shire
Hornsby Shire
Hornsby Shire is a Local Government Area in the Northern region of Sydney, Australia. The Shire stretches from the suburb of Eastwood in the south to the Hawkesbury River town of Wisemans Ferry, some to the north...
Council to eradicate this population.
The Gorge is also home to many native birds, mammals and reptiles.