She-Oak crossing walk

Bomaderry Creek Regional Park

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Overview

This two hour walk through Bomaderry Creek Regional Park boasts a hidden gorge with sandstone rock faces and boulders, creek and rainforest, and is suitable for dog walking.

Distance
3.9km loop
Time suggested
2 - 3hrs
Grade
Grade 3
What to
bring
Sunscreen, hat, drinking water
Please note
Remember to take your binoculars if you want to birdwatch.

For some decent exercise and a couple of hours of absorbing the delights of Bomaderry Creek, take the She-Oak crossing walk. This trail makes the most of the natural wonders of the park; the hidden gorge with its rock faces and tumbled boulders, the cool rainforest and softly running water, are the perfect accompaniment for this tranquil walk.

Setting out from Bomaderry Creek picnic area you will wander beneath rock overhangs, stride out on the heath, enjoy the wildflowers and keep an eye out for orchids sprouting from the rock crevices. You’ll enjoy the birdlife and be sure to watch the creek for fish as they dart through the rock pools.

Best of all, you can enjoy this two-hour walk during any season. Winter is a pleasant time of year on the NSW South Coast and this shady pocket provides shelter, even on hot sunny days.

Take a virtual tour of She-Oak crossing walk captured with Google Street View Trekker.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Map


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Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/sheoak-crossing-walk/local-alerts

General enquiries

Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about She-Oak crossing walk.

Track grading

Features of this track

Distance

3.9km loop

Time

2 - 3hrs

Quality of markings

Sign posted

Experience required

Some bushwalking experience recommended

Gradient

Short steep hills

Steps

Many steps

Quality of path

Formed track, some obstacles

Getting there and parking

Get driving directions

Get directions

    She-Oak crossing walk starts at Bomaderry Creek picnic area in the northern precinct of Bomaderry Creek Regional Park and enters land owned by Shoalhaven City Council. 

    To get there:

    • Drive along the Princes Highway to Bomaderry
    • Turn west into Narang Road and park in the carpark approximately 300m along on your left
    • It is a 150m walk along a sealed pathway to the picnic area
    • Start out on Mossy Gully track (a short loop walk along the gorge) and continue on past Mossy Gully along She-Oak crossing walk

    Parking

    Parking is available on Narang Road. Long vehicles will need to park in the tennis court carpark across the road.

    Best times to visit

    There are lots of great things waiting for you in Bomaderry Creek Regional Park. Here are some of the highlights.

    Autumn

    Autumn weather is perfect for a picnic and a bushwalk in the park.

    Spring

    Walk one of the park's lovely trails in springtime to see wildflowers in bloom above the gorge.

    Summer

    Enjoy the shade of the gorge and dip your toes in the cool water of Bomaderry Creek.

    Winter

    Take one of the longer walks – the 5.5km She-Oak crossing walk along the gorge is just the thing on a sunny winter afternoon.

    Weather, temperature and rainfall

    Summer temperature

    Average

    18°C and 24°C

    Highest recorded

    42.4°C

    Winter temperature

    Average

    8°C and 18°C

    Lowest recorded

    2.3°C

    Rainfall

    Wettest month

    March

    Driest month

    September

    The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day

    304.4mm

    Maps and downloads

    Safety messages

    Bushwalking safety

    If you're keen to head out on a longer walk or a backpack camp, always be prepared. Read these bushwalking safety tips before you set off on a walking adventure in national parks.

    Mobile safety

    Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

    River and lake safety

    The aquatic environment around rivers, lakes and lagoons can be unpredictable. If you're visiting these areas, take note of these river and lake safety tips.

    Don’t attempt to cross the creek after heavy rain as the high water can be dangerous.

    Permitted

    Fishing

    A current NSW recreational fishing licence is required when fishing in all waters.

    Pets

    You can walk your dog on-lead at this location. See other regional parks in NSW that have dog walking areas.

    Dog walking is permitted in this park away from picnic areas and children's play areas. You will need to keep them on a leash at all times and remember to pick up after them.

    Prohibited

    Gathering firewood

    Smoking

    NSW national parks are no smoking areas.

    Learn more

    She-Oak crossing walk is in Bomaderry Creek Regional Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

    A gorge of rainforest and sandstone

    She Oak Crossing walk, Bomaderry Creek Regional Park. Photo: Pam Lunnon

    Bomaderry Creek has forged in the landscape a winding, cliff-lined gorge with sandstone outcrops and great slabs of fallen rock. The gorge not only looks dramatic, but also protects a diverse and beautiful environment, making it a wonderful spot to visit.

    • Falcon Crescent link track Take this track across the open wooded heath from North Nowra down into the beautiful gorge and link with the lovely walks of Bomaderry Creek.
    • She-Oak crossing walk This two hour walk through Bomaderry Creek Regional Park boasts a hidden gorge with sandstone rock faces and boulders, creek and rainforest, and is suitable for dog walking.

    Aboriginal cultural experience

    Mossy Gully, Bomaderry Creek Regional Park. Photo: OEH

    Bomaderry Creek contains several sites of importance to its original inhabitants, and you're likely to see evidence of Aboriginal heritage such as rock shelters and axe-grinding grooves during your visit. The shade and abundant water and fish this unique place offered provided a welcoming environment for its dwellers, and it's full of stories of the past. Archaeological evidence and sites across the gorge country indicate that for the last 2000 years the park saw a diversity of use: for seasonal food gathering and possibly for ceremonial and social activity.

    • Bomaderry Creek picnic area Enjoy a bush picnic by the barbecue at Bomaderry Creek – it’s peaceful, surrounded by wildflowers and a short drive from Nowra on the Princes Highway.
    • Then and now: Aboriginal culture Then and now: Aboriginal culture is an Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) school excursion in Bomaderry Regional Park, focusing on HSIE. Through story and creative expression, the life and culture of the local people are shared.  
    • Then and now: Aboriginal culture Then and now: Aboriginal culture is a Stage 4 (Years 7-8) school excursion in Bomaderry Regional Park. Through story and creative expression, the life and culture of the local people are shared.

    Precious resources

    Bomaderry Creek Regional Park. Photo: OEH

    The water was important to European settlers as well as Aboriginal people. In 1938, a weir was built on Bomaderry Creek to provide the first reliable water supply for the town of Bomaderry. When the weir waters were no longer needed for town water, a section of the weir was taken out to allow Australian bass and other fish free movement along the creek in a fishway. You can see the weir from the lookout near the picnic area.

    Rare plants

    Bomaderry Creek, Bomaderry Creek Regional Park. Photo: OEH

    A walk through this lovely park in spring will reward you with the sight of an array of beautiful wildflowers. You'll find this small park surprisingly rich with threatened plant species, including the endangered Guinea flower, the vulnerable albatross mallee, and Bauer's midge orchid. But perhaps the most unique plant that calls this park home is the endangered Bomaderry zieria - it only grows within the park and surrounding bushland and nowhere else in the world. The park is also alive with animal activity - Australian bass and other fish use the fishway in the weir to travel upstream. Threatened species found here include the glossy black cockatoo, masked owl and yellow-bellied glider.

    • Bomaderry Creek picnic area Enjoy a bush picnic by the barbecue at Bomaderry Creek – it’s peaceful, surrounded by wildflowers and a short drive from Nowra on the Princes Highway.
    • She-Oak crossing walk This two hour walk through Bomaderry Creek Regional Park boasts a hidden gorge with sandstone rock faces and boulders, creek and rainforest, and is suitable for dog walking.

    Education resources (1)

    School excursions (2)