Galston Gorge

Galston Gorge

Galston Gorge is part of the picturesque Berowra Valley Regional Park in Sydney, Australia and separates Galston from Hornsby Heights. It contains a narrow stretch of road with a one-way wooden bridge across Tunks Creek, a tributary of Berowra Creek. Here traffic must wait for cars already on the bridge before crossing. A second bridge in the gorge crosses Berowra Creek itself.

During heavy rain the Gorge is often transformed into a far more picturesque and natural drive with waterfalls and streams running alongside and sometimes even across the road. Care must be taken by commuters to drive carefully during wet weather for this heavy run-off can cause a car to slip into the guard rail. The entire length of the Gorge is enclosed by this guard rail on the Berowra Creek side of the road to stop a sliding car from falling down the steep slope. Recently a round-a-bout was installed on the Galston side of the Gorge to give heavy vehicles like Buses and Semi's a chance to turn around, for they are far to long to navigate the tight hairpin turns in the Gorge. In the past the Gorge has had to have been closed for extended periods of time due to a heavy vehicle becoming stuck. This causes massive disruption to commuters in both Galston and Hornsby as the only other way across is via Boundary Road. From Galston to Hornsby Heights via the Gorge takes approximately 20-25 minutes whereas the same route via Boundary Road takes approximately 40-45 minutes, depending on traffic. During peak hour it can be as long as 1 hour and 20 minutes.

There are 3 tiny car park spots for nearby bushwalks precariously close to the narrow road at the foot of the valley, and coupled with a number of difficult hairpin turns in close succession to each other on the Hornsby Heights side and rock cuts very close to the road, particularly going up to Galston side, the road has a notorious reputation. There are, of course, other Sydney roads more difficult for driving than Galston Gorge, but there are fewer places in Sydney where there is such a large flow of cars during peak hour. There is a lack of suitable public transport for residents travelling from the Galston side of the gorge through to Hornsby as buses are too long to negotiate the hairpin turns. Therefore, residents of Sydney's mostly rural expanding north-west are forced to drive through the gorge or take other public transport options which add considerable time to the trip when travelling to North Shore or city business districts.

Before 2000, a population of feral chickens lived in the bushland. This population was boosted from time to time by local residents, who would leave chickens from their semi-rural properties on the Galston side of the gorge at the bottom of the valley. Foxes kept the number down. However, steps were taken by Hornsby Shire Council to eradicate this population.

The Gorge is also home to many native birds, mammals and reptiles.