This is an outdoor adventure playground on the Central Coast near national park camping.
Northwest of Sydney and west of Gosford, the Central Coast settlement of Glenworth Valley offers the best of many worlds: it’s near the Hawkesbury River, several national parks, the beaches of the Central Coast, and the Northern Beaches and parks of northern Sydney. A wilderness adventure park in Glenworth Valley offers many outdoor activities, including horse riding, quad biking, and kayaking, and family-friendly camping and glamping. Nearby national parks offer more opportunities for wilderness experiences and simple bush camping while never being too far from towns and cities.
A short drive from Glenworth Valley, the Popran National Park is a great day-trip destination for campers in the area as there are no campsites within the park itself. Visitors can hike, mountain bike, kayak, fish, ride horses, and spot birds and animals. The park also protects a number of Aboriginal sites and there’s a picnic area. Most roads to the park require a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
Just southeast of Glenworth Valley, the Brisbane Water National Park offers walks, cycling, and fishing, and has some ancient Aboriginal rock art sites. There’s a small, basic bush tent site within the park or visitors can stay at Glenworth Valley or nearby coastal campsites at Umina or Gosford and make day trips into the park. Road access into this park does not require a four-wheel-drive vehicle so this is a good option for casual visits.
West of Glenworth Valley, on the other side of Mangrove Creek (a tributary of the Hawkesbury River), the large Dharug National Park contains the UNESCO-listed Old Great North Road hike. There are also other hiking and cycling routes and two campsites. The Ten Mile Hollow Campground is small and free to stay at (although bookings are required), while the Mill Creek Campground is larger and has more facilities, and fees apply.
Spring and autumn are the best times to visit the Glenworth Valley area for hiking, biking, kayaking, and horse-riding adventures. The weather is most comfortable then. Summers are hot and the risk from bushfires is high, but this is a good season if you want to visit the nearby beaches of the Central Coast. Winters are mild but often wet, and glamping or staying in a cabin or cottage would be most comfortable.