Strickland State Forest

Located on the Central Coast of NSW, less than an hour’s drive north of Sydney, south of Newcastle, or a 10-minute drive west of Gosford, Strickland State Forest is a great place to visit.

The forest is only five square kilometres but contains an impressive variety of flora and fauna species, along with extensive walking tracks. These wander through varying forest types, past waterfalls, under cabbage tree palms and along creeks.

The forest has excellent picnic facilities including an all-weather shelter, picnic tables and toilets.

Banksia Picnic Area

We parked at the Banksia Picnic Area, as it was close to the walk we wanted to do, as well as having toilets and picnic facilities. There is also an information board showing the walks available, which is great if you are not sure what you want to do. The walks are clearly sign posted and easy to follow.

Strickland Falls Trail

We chose the Strickland Falls Trail for this visit, because it passes through cool forest areas, full of ferns and passes a waterfall. The trail is well sign posted and generally easy to walk, although it does have steps in many places. The return trail was far easier and passed through tall eucalypts on the ridge.

Lower Trail

The trail towards the waterfall led downhill through a valley where we were surrounded by ferns and trees. On a hot day it felt nice a cool, making us appreciate it even more. The track varied from steps made of stones to flat dirt tracks. On most of the trail, we were surrounded by the plants and trees that the forest is famous for.

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Strickland Waterfall

The weather had been very dry prior to our visit, so the waterfall was little more than a trickle, but the surrounding area was wet and damp, giving it a wonderful atmosphere. Although we didn’t see the waterfall at its best, it was still a great place to stop and look around.

From here, the track leads up to the ridge and dry forest above.

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Upper Return Trail

The return trail starts with steps leading up from the waterfall, but once you have climbed to the top, most of the remaining track is flat. It passes through dry eucalypt forest, where you can also see Gymea lilies. These were in bloom when we went in spring, with their two to three metre flower stems and bright red flowers making a great display.

The return trail ends near the Banksia Picnic Area, which was near where we had parked.

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What Did We Think of the Strickland State Forest?

We loved the Strickland Falls Trail because it wandered through different forest types and was fun to walk. We will be going back to do some of the other walks in the future.