Heathcote to Audley

Heathcote to Audley is a 10.05 km (6.25-mile) one-way traverse from Heathcote Railway Station to Audley Visitor Centre, following the Karloo and Uloola tracks past Karloo Pool and Uloola Falls. Allow about 4½ hours, plus time for stops. The route climbs about 227 m and drops about 406 m. Choose it when you want a cross-park walk and can arrange your return from Audley; it is not the separate 10 km return walk from Heathcote to Karloo Pool.

Heathcote Station has parking and toilets. Walk southeast along Wilson Parade, past the emergency services centre, to the signed Karloo Track entrance. The track drops through eucalyptus forest toward Heathcote Brook, climbs a ridge, then descends over rougher, stepped ground to Karloo Pool. Short steep hills and many steps make this first stretch more demanding than the station approach suggests.

Karloo Pool is a swimming and picnic stop. Continue on the signed route: it crosses Kangaroo Creek, climbs exposed sandstone through low heath, then drops to Uloola Brook and the campground. Another rocky climb reaches the open ridge. At Karloo Pool, a view across the green water from its sandstone margin keeps the shelves and bush in one frame.

From Robertson’s Roundabout, rock steps descend through shaded bush to Currawong Flat and the Hacking River. Cross the footbridge and follow Lady Carrington Drive to the Visitor Centre. Uloola Falls campground has toilets, but no drinking-water stop is confirmed along the route. The track can become boggy after rain; dogs and other domestic animals are prohibited, except certified assistance animals.