How to get to Walkabout Wildlife Park
Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary, 1 Darkinjung Road, Calga NSW 2250
Street Address
Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park
1 Darkinjung Road, Calga NSW 2250
Problems with using your GPS
Sometimes your GPS will tell you to turn right into Calga Village and drive towards Mt White (away from Walkabout Park) then park your car and get out and walk along a bush track to Walkabout Park. DON’T follow these directions. You don’t have to walk through the bush to get to us. You can drive right up to our front gate.
It’s easy, just KEEP LEFT
From the moment you leave the motorway, only turn left. Turn left off the motorway, left at the T-junction, left into Darkinjung Road, left into the Walkabout Park carpark.
Google Maps
NOTE WALKABOUT PARK IS NOT THE SAME PLACE AS THE REPTILE PARK IN SOMERSBY.
Walkabout Park is 12km south of the Reptile Park, 15 minutes closer to Sydney, just off the M1 Motorway at Calga.
Click here to use Google Maps to find Walkabout Park
TIPS FOR USING GOOGLE MAPS
- Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park is labelled on the map.
- Type in your address and click on “Get Directions” for detailed driving instructions including distances and times.
- On the map, click on the plus (+) sign to zoom in and the minus (-) sign to zoom out. Or just double click with your left mouse button to zoom in, and double click with your right mouse button to zoom out.
- Click on the map and, while holding down your right mouse key, drag the map around so that you can see all the surrounding areas.
Car - Quick Directions
ALWAYS GO LEFT – DON’T FOLLOW YOUR GPS IF IT TELLS YOU TO TAKE A RIGHT TURN
Walkabout Park is just a few hundred meters off the M1 Pacific Motorway.
It is just off the Calga Interchange (DON’T head north to the Somersby Peats Ridge Interchange).
The Calga Interchange is between the Gosford and Mount White exits.
Exit LEFT off the M1 Pacific Motorway at the “Calga Interchange”.
Go LEFT whenever the road forks or bends.
As soon as the road straightens out, look for our sign on your LEFT.
Car - Tips not to get lost
NAVIGATION TIPS
M1 Pacific Motorway vs Pacific Highway
Sometimes people confuse the Pacific Motorway and the Pacific Highway. The Pacific Motorway is the fast intercity route. The Pacific Highway, on the otherhand, is the slow but beautiful scenic touring route. The directions we give here are for the M1 Motorway (NOT for the Highway).
Your GPS may take you to the wrong place
Sometimes your GPS will tell you to turn right into Calga Village and drive towards Mt White (away from Walkabout Park) then park your car and get out and walk along a bush track to Walkabout Park. DON’T follow these directions. You don’t have to walk through the bush to get to us. You can drive right up to our front gate. If you’re unsure, follow the rule “keep left” from the moment you leave the M1. Never take a right turn. Only turn left.
TWO Peats Ridge Road exits off the M1
The better known Peats Ridge exit is north of Gosford called the “Somersby Interchange”. There is another lesser known exit south of Gosford (between Gosford and Mt White) called the “Calga Interchange”. The Calga Interchange is your quickest way to get to Walkabout Park. If you use the Somersby Interchange you will find yourself on an approximately 30km long tourist drive which is very pleasant, but long and winding and sometimes confusing.
NOT the Reptile Park / NOT Somersby
Do NOT follow the Reptile Park signs. Do not drive towards the yellow dinosaur or Old Sydney Town. Walkabout Park is in a different place.
DO take the Calga Interchange exit of the M1 Pacific Motorway.
If you are driving north along the M1, the Calga Interchange is very straightforward. We are only about 200 meters off the Motorway so don’t miss our sign. If you get to the Calga Sand Quarry or to Glenworth Valley you have gone too far.
If you are driving south along the M1 (ie driving towards Sydney) the interchange can be confusing. It winds round and round like a pretzel for about 1km. Don’t worry. Keep driving, DON’T turn right into Calga Village, always turn LEFT only, and the road will straighten out onto Peats Ridge Road … our sign is only about 150 meters further on on your left.
Car - Simplified driving map
Car - Gosford (15 mins), Kariong (10 mins), Newcastle (55 mins)
WALKABOUT PARK IS SITUATED SOUTH OF GOSFORD
When coming from Gosford up Kariong Hill, do NOT follow the Reptile Park signs, do NOT turn north towards Somersby, DO follow the Sydney signs and get onto the M1 Motorway travelling SOUTH.
When coming from futher north than Gosford and driving towards Sydney, do NOT take the Somersby Peats Ridge exit, and do NOT exit the Motorway when you see the Reptile Park signs.
Stay on the M1 and drive right past (don’t take) the Gosford and Australian Reptile Park turn-off.
Travel another 4 minutes south towards Sydney until you get to the Calga Interchange.
From the M1 Pacific Motorway
- Drive south towards Sydney
- Cross the Mooney River Bridge
- Watch for the big brown tourist sign saying Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park
- Take the first exit, the Calga Interchange (this is the southern of two exits sign-posted “Peats Ridge”)
- Wind your way around the interchange for about 1 km following the signs saying Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park
- Do NOT turn right into Calga Village even if your GPS tells you to do this
- At the T-junction turn left to join the southernmost end of Peats Ridge Road
- 200m along on the left on Peats Ridge Road is a sign saying Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park
- Turn left into Darkinjung Road
- Turn left into our drive and drive in through the gate with the animals painted on it
Car - Hornsby (25mins), Sydney Harbour Bridge (55mins)
ON THE NORTHERN OUTSKIRTS OF SYDNEY
Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park is ‘less than an hour’s drive from almost anywhere’, in the middle of the triangle between the Sydney CBD in the South, Newcastle in the North and the Blue Mountains in the West.
Walkabout Park is just off the M1 Pacific Motorway between Hornsby and Gosford, on Peats Ridge Road.
VERY IMPORTANT:
- There are two Peats Ridge Road exits off the M1 Pacific Motorway
- Do NOT take the northern Peats Ridge exit called the “Somersby Interchange”
Walkabout Park is at the southernmost end of Peats Ridge Rd.
Follow the Newcastle signs along the Pacific Highway and onto the M1 Pacific Motorway at Wahroonga
- Drive north towards Newcastle
- Cross the Hawkesbury River
- Don’t take first exit to Mooney Mooney on the Hawkesbury River
- WATCH OUT FOR THE SPEED CAMERAS
- Don’t take second exit to Mt White
- Drive past the heavy vehicle checking station
- Then watch for the brown Aust Walkabout Wildlife Park sign
- DO take the third exit, the Calga Interchange and Tourist Drive 33
- Keep left as the interchange straightens out into Peats Ridge Road
- 200m along on the left on Peats Ridge Road is a sign saying Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park
- Turn left into Darkinjung Road
- Turn left into our drive and drive in through the gate with the animals painted on it
Public Transport - Train to Gosford PLUS Taxi to Calga
Taking Public Transport
TRAIN + TAXI
There are no buses to Walkabout Park.
Take the train to Gosford Station. The time from Central Station to Gosford Station is 90 minutes to 2 hours, as the train meanders through the mountains and across the Hawkesbury River past the oyster farms.
Catch a taxi from Gosford Station to Walkabout Park. Give the driver the “driving directions” and “tips to not get lost” (see “Getting to Walkabout Park by car” above).
Be aware the taxi may charge for a return trip because they may have to drive back to Gosford without a passenger. This makes the taxi trip quite expensive – more than $50 each way.
Helicopter - Sydney Heli Tours
Wildlife Heli-Safari
EXPERIENCE THE WONDERS OF AUSTRALIA AS YOU FLY OVER THE HARBOUR BRIDGE AND THEN TRACK NORTH PAST MANLY BEACH AND ALONG THE COAST.
You then will see Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park from the air – so come on down for a private guided walkabout wildlife safari.
You can pat the friendly kangaroos and enjoy our unique wildlife up close as you walk along the bush tracks.
Tell your pilot if you are interested in bush tucker and bush medicine and they will arrange for the ranger to include this in your wildlife walkabout.
After the wildlife tour the helicopter flight departs with a scenic fly-over of the Hawkesbury River and Berowra.
This tour is offered by Sydney Heli Tours. Follow this link to their website:
Flyparks
IF YOU LIVE IN AUSTRALIA OR NEW ZEALAND AND WILL BE MAKING YOUR JOURNEY TO CALGA VIA PLANE, TAKE A LOOK AT FLYPARKS.COM.AU
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