A tour of Mueller Track, located within Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens, located in St Ives on the Sydney Upper North Shore. You should allow up to 2 hours for this hike which takes you through varying ferns and other flora with views of multiple waterfalls along the way.
The last street on the left as you are heading east out of St Ives will see you on Richmond Avenue, the entry point to the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens. Although there is a National Park-style collection booth at the Wildflower Garden gates, they no longer appear to operate and there is free entry. Once inside, park near the visitor center and head 30 seconds down the paved road to the entrance to the Mueller Track.
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The gardens are a sanctuary for anyone who wants the National Park experience, but on a smaller scale. The property is also used as the location of the “Wildflower Parkrun”. For anyone who doesn’t know about the Parkrun movement, it is a free, weekly, timed 5km run (or walk if you like), held in hundreds of locations around Australia and other countries throughout our big world on a Saturday morning …and highly recommended. While we are talking about Parkrun, their courses are a great way to explore new paths and trails if you want a guided tour of a new area. I’m a massive fan of Parkrun and the volunteers who run it!
Mueller Track is a 3km trail with several steps heading down into a valley. The trail then follows Ku-ring-gai Creek and Tree Fern Gully Creek before ascending to the Lambert’s Clearing recreational area inside the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens. Along the trail you can stop and check out Phantom Falls and Tree Fern Gully Falls. There are plenty of spots to take a rest along the way, and multiple intersecting trails which can provide multiple extensions to the Mueller Track.
Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens offer about half a dozen walks, with walk distances ranging from a couple of hundred metres up to the Mueller Track at 3km. This definitely isn’t a pram friendly walk, with stairs and some tough terrain the whole way. There are multiple alternative tracks in the garden which are suitable for children, many of them paved and suitable for prams.
Toilets and a shop are located near the visitor center, with a few options to refill water bottles spread throughout the most popular parts of the gardens (but none from memory on the Mueller Track, so bring enough bottles with you). Also in the gardens are multiple playgrounds and BBQs, some of them which can be booked in advance for functions.
Mueller Track – Other Adventures Nearby
While you are in the St Ives area there are several other walks to check out. 5-10mins down the road will get you to the start of the track to Dundundra Falls, accessed via the Larool Trail, a track which can be easily completed within an hour or two. Another 10 minutes in the car towards Monavale would take you to the suburb of Ingleside, where you can find the Chiltern Trail, a feeder into the gorgeous Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. If you are heading west then the Blackbutt Creek Track in the Pymble / Gordon / Killara area is worth a look.
Mueller Track – Getting There
For public transport to the Wildflower Gardens there are buses which will take you a bus stop on Mona Vale Road near the corner of Richmond Avenue, from here it is a short walk to the park gates. When in a car you simply drive into the gardens and park right next to the visitor center, which is free parking, it couldn’t be easier.
View our big list of walks, to check out our other adventure options.
Gear used:
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- Awesome value camera mount kits: https://amzn.to/2LFJF34
