Combining an exciting mix of leafy suburban streets with the grit of an Aussie bushwalk, the 4km course from North Parramatta to North Rocks Shopping Centre – via Lake Parramatta – is a satisfying challenge that isn’t too hard to conquer.

Beginning at the Iron Street shops at North Parramatta, the first part of the journey is a slightly uphill ten-minute walk to the lake reserve, as seen on the map below.

Taking the bush tracks around the eastern side of the lake, this next section of the walk is by far the most picturesque, but can be a little rough underfoot at times. The path becomes more rugged once you pass the northern end of the reserve as it winds its way through part of The King’s School grounds until eventually re-entering suburbia at Tallwood Drive, North Rocks.

There is an interesting marker at around the halfway point of the walk, and that is a unique spiral staircase belonging to one of the houses near North Rocks Road. The lengthy stairs wind their way down from the rear patio of the home to the creek bed at the base of a cliff, yet one could easily walk by without noticing it.

The last part of the bushwalk is an uphill hike through The King’s School property and onto Seville Reserve at North Rocks. I should point out that the route is not entirely clear here, and it’s best to use the map on your phone to guide you in the right direction, and locate where the path crosses the creek (see photo below). From here, it’s a simple matter of hiking up to where the trail ends at Tallwood Drive: – but watch out for the hidden cameras!

Alas, the Fun Police strike again: – but these rules won’t affect you if you are simply walking through. That being said, if I earned a dollar for every mountain bike that rocketed past me whilst enjoying this peaceful walk…

Anyway, once back among the suburban streets, the final stretch of the journey is a mostly flat walk along North Rocks Road, all the way to the shopping centre.

It all ends at North Rocks, and if you’ve kept up a decent pace – even allowing a few breaks to enjoy the scenery – the adventure should have taken just over an hour to complete.

Back at the starting point, there is plenty of available parking (not ticketed) around the streets near the Lake Reserve at North Parramatta, so it’s possible to perform a round trip to North Rocks and back within three hours. The return walk would be mostly downhill, and you can always grab a bite to eat or something to drink at the shopping centre while you are there.

Again, make sure you use the map on your phone to navigate through some of the trickier sections; remembering that there are many paths that will take you safely out of the bushland and back to suburbia if you happen to lose your way.