Brisbane Water National Park (NSW): $8 Per Vehicle Entry, Picnic Area Gates Shut at 8pm or 6pm, and Where to Park for Somersby Falls and Girrakool

Brisbane Water National Park charges $8 per vehicle per day, and two of its picnic areas lock their gates in the evening: Girrakool and Somersby Falls close at 8pm during daylight saving time and at 6pm the rest of the year. The park is on the Central Coast near Gosford, and the other areas are open at all times unless poor weather or fire danger closes them. The details below come from the NSW National Parks pages for the park, its picnic areas and its walks.

How much does it cost, and how do I pay?

The visitor info page gives the park entry fee as $8 per vehicle per day. It says the park has pay machines that accept cards, or you can pay through the Park’nPay app. The Somersby Falls, Girrakool, Staples lookout and Bulgandry pages each say park entry fees apply. The page also says you need a permit to hold a wedding or do commercial photography in the park.

The same page lists the passes for regular visitors, with prices as of 8 November 2026:

Pass	Where it works	1 year	2 years
All Parks Pass	All parks in NSW, including Kosciuszko	$190	$335
Multi Parks Pass	All parks in NSW except Kosciuszko	$65	$115
Country Parks Pass	Parks in country NSW except Kosciuszko	$45	$75
Single Country Park Pass	One park in country NSW except Kosciuszko	$22	$40

What time do the gates close?

The park page says two picnic areas, Girrakool and Somersby Falls, are closed in the evening and are open 7am to 8pm during daylight saving time and 7am to 6pm at other times. The Girrakool page adds that its carpark is locked at closing time and reopens at 7am daily. Other areas of the park are open at all times, although they may close in poor weather or fire danger.

The Great North Walk page repeats the closing-time warning for anyone starting or ending a walk at the Girrakool picnic area.

How do I drive there?

The visitor info page lists four park entry points: Girrakool Road access, Patonga, Reservoir Road at Somersby, and the Somersby Falls access. It describes sealed roads and 2WD access. Its directions are short: take the Central Coast Highway exit off the F3, then Wisemans Ferry Road for Somersby Falls and Girrakool, or Woy Woy Road for Patonga. It lists accessible parking at the Girrakool picnic area, the Somersby Falls picnic area and the Somersby Falls walking track.

The page points to the NSW transport info website and to the Palm Beach and Hawkesbury River Cruises website for public transport, but it gives no route numbers or times. The first of those is the Transport for NSW trip planner.

What is at Somersby Falls?

Place	Details from the official pages
Somersby Falls picnic area	Wheelchair accessible; free barbecues and picnic tables; toilets; 7am to 8pm in daylight saving time, 7am to 6pm otherwise; bring drinking water
Somersby Falls walking track	0.8km return, 30 to 36 minutes, Grade 3; no wheelchair access; lookout stops over three levels of waterfalls

The picnic area page calls the track steep and slippery in places and says to watch children. It says the picnic area suits families, school groups and visitors with limited mobility, and that weekdays outside school holidays are quieter. The track page says the falls are especially striking after heavy rain.

What is at Girrakool?

The Girrakool picnic area has free barbecues, picnic tables and a large grassy area next to the carpark, plus a bushland picnic area at the far end. Its page says there is plenty of parking and that you may share the space with a wallaby or two. Toilets, drinking water and barbecues are listed on the visitor info page.

The Girrakool loop track starts and finishes at the picnic area. It is a 2km loop, 30 minutes to 1 hour, Grade 3. The page says it passes an Aboriginal rock engraving site at the start, where you should take care not to walk over the engravings, then winds past forest, waterfalls and the creek, with Illoura lookout and Andamira lookout on the way. It lists drinking water, a hat, sunscreen and sturdy shoes as what to bring.

How should I visit the Bulgandry engravings?

The Bulgandry Art Site Aboriginal Place is near Kariong. The page says most of the engravings are more than 200 years old, some perhaps ten times older. It lists a large engraving of a man with a headdress, wallabies, fish, a dolphin and what is thought to be a canoe and a bird. The page asks visitors not to walk on or touch the engravings, not to walk across the rock shelf and not to interfere with cultural sites. The visitor info page lists parking at the site.

Where can I walk for longer?

Walk	Distance	Time suggested	Grade
Patonga to Pearl Beach	3km one way	1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours	Grade 5
Great North Walk in the park	38km one way	1 to 3 days	Grade 5

The Patonga to Pearl Beach track follows the Great North Walk and passes Warrah lookout, with views of the Hawkesbury River and the Pacific Ocean. The Great North Walk page says the park section ranges from 4.2km up to 34km one way, that the full walk is 250km, and that it was built in 1988. It lists a first aid kit, a personal locator beacon, a topographic map, a compass and a portable phone charger among the items to bring, and suggests a trip intention form so someone knows your plans.

Is there a lookout I can stop at from the car?

The Staples lookout is built on the side of Woy Woy Road and looks across Brisbane Water and Woy Woy Bay. The page says you can see southwest to Mount Wondabyne, the highest point in the park, and that there are picnic tables. The visitor info page lists parking at the lookout. The page rates accessibility as easy and says park entry fees apply.

What are the rules?

• Pets are not permitted, apart from certified assistance animals.
• Camp fires and solid fuel burners are not allowed.
• NSW national parks are no smoking areas.
• Please do not feed the local animals at the Somersby Falls picnic area.

Who do I contact?

The National Parks Contact Centre is on 1300 072 757, 7am to 7pm daily. The Girrakool office on (02) 4320 4200 takes enquiries Monday to Friday, with hours that vary, at 59 Girrakool Road, Somersby. For another park nearby, see our Bouddi National Park entry and parking guide, and for parking in town, the Gosford Park&Ride guide.

Sources

• NSW National Parks — Brisbane Water National Park (checked 8 November 2026)
• NSW National Parks — Brisbane Water visitor info (checked 8 November 2026)
• NSW National Parks — Brisbane Water local alerts (checked 8 November 2026)
• NSW National Parks pages for Somersby Falls picnic area and walking track, Girrakool picnic area and loop track, Bulgandry Art Site, Staples lookout, Patonga to Pearl Beach and the Great North Walk (linked above, checked 8 November 2026)

Featured image: Somersby Falls just after a flood, March 2017 (photo: Poidabro / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Transport for NSW or Palm Beach and Hawkesbury River Cruises. Fees, hours and rules can change; check the official pages above before you travel.