Willow Tree to Calala Hike

Willow Tree to Calala is a 10.5 km return walk on the historic Lady Carrington Drive, from Willow Tree Picnic Area to the Calala clearing beside the Hacking River and back the same way. Allow about four hours. It’s graded 3 (moderate); most of the route is a broad, gently undulating road, so the distance is the main effort. The rewards are a cobbled stretch beneath a sandstone overhang, old water troughs and a riverside turnaround.

Start at the Lady Carrington Drive gate beside Willow Tree Picnic Area. The shared management track rises gently at first, with the Hacking River close by. At Gibraltar Rock, the old cobbles pass under a sandstone lip, with the river and Wattle Forest across the water. This is the walk’s best photo stop: keep some of the roadway in the frame beneath the overhang. Beyond it, the surface returns to dirt and crosses Mullion Brook at an old sandstone culvert, then rolls past palms and glimpses of the river. Jersey Spring is just under 2 km beyond Gibraltar Rock.

Two sandstone troughs remain at Jersey Spring. They once supplied water to horses and travellers on the carriage road, and the spring still flows, but its water isn’t drinkable. Bring your own drinking water. A little farther on, a grassy riverside clearing makes another natural pause.

South of the spring, follow the old road past retaining walls, palms and more creek culverts, including Kobardo Brook, to signposted Calala. The shaded clearing has a picnic table beside the river. A short, steep informal path drops from there to a small sandy beach; take care on that descent, then retrace the same road to Willow Tree.

Vehicle entry fees apply when you enter the park. Lady Carrington Drive is shared with cyclists, who must give way to walkers, and it can become boggy after rain. Dogs and other pets aren’t permitted in NSW national parks; trained assistance animals working in public areas are allowed. This suits walkers happy with a half-day return distance rather than a short stroll.