Paddling in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park sits on Sydney's northern edge, where tidal creeks cut through sandstone bush and drain toward the Hawkesbury River, Pittwater, and Broken Bay.

The paddling here is almost entirely flatwater — sheltered tidal creeks and bays rather than moving current — and the park's roughly 14,882 hectares hold enough waterway to keep a paddler busy across multiple visits.

Bobbin Head is the most accessible starting point and the one most paddlers use to build familiarity with the park. The creeks here are narrow and sheltered, which makes them forgiving — but tidal timing matters.

At high tide the water is deep enough to paddle cleanly; at low tide sections go shallow and muddy, and some routes become impractical.

Cowan Creek is the main artery from Bobbin Head, with the paddle from Bobbin Head to Kierans Creek among the most-traveled routes.

Apple Tree Bay, reachable from the same precinct, connects to Cockle Creek and gives a different character — more open, still tidal. Akuna Bay, accessed from McCarrs Creek Road via the Terrey Hills entrance, is a different proposition.

The bay is more exposed, and wind builds quickly on open water. When wind and tide run against each other, paddling becomes genuinely hard work.

The routes out of Akuna Bay are longer and more committing; experienced paddlers willing to read conditions carefully will find them rewarding. Smiths Creek is one destination from this side of the park.

McCarrs Creek itself is accessible from the same road corridor. The park's waterways also include Coal and Candle Creek and Jerusalem Creek. The park is managed by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and paddling is permitted on these waters.

Whether a permit is required for your specific activity is worth confirming with the park before you go — rules can change.

The park can also close due to fire danger or weather, so checking current alerts before leaving home is standard practice here, not an afterthought.

What makes paddling inside a national park different from paddling a public waterway is mostly what surrounds you: red granite cliffs, mangroves, eucalypt bush, and the absence of development.

The water itself doesn't care about the park boundary — the tides run the same — but the context does.