Galston Gorge Road is one of Australia's top drives
Galston Gorge Road is a very exciting drive through the Galston Gorge, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The road features a series of very tight hairpins. It is prohibited to drive any vehicle longer than 7.5m, and even then, some need to back up to make the bends.
Where is the Galston Gorge Road?
The road is located to the north of Sydney, on the southeastern part of the country, within the picturesque Berowra Valley Regional Park.
How long is Galston Gorge Road?
The road is totally paved. It’s 14.5km (9 miles) long, running east-west from Asquith (an outer suburb of Northern Sydney) to Dural.
When was Galston Gorge Road built?
Construction of the road was completed by 1895 with seven tight “hairpin” corners. In 1913 the road became a State road and was finally sealed in 1939, which prevented the constant surface washaways that used to occur.
Is Galston Gorge Road challenging?
The road is not easy and has a fairly notorious reputation. It has many blind turns, and you need to beware of cyclists, especially on weekends. The road contains a narrow stretch with a one-way wooden bridge across Tunks Creek (a tributary of Berowra Creek) and a series of very tight hairpins. Here traffic must wait for cars already on the bridge before crossing. Heavy vehicles and buses that are 7.5 metres in length or more are prohibited from entering Galston Gorge and considered overlength. 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 runoff can cause a car to slip into the guardrail.
How many hairpins are on the Galston Gorge Road?
There are five hairpin turns in the gorge, the first and last of them are the most gentle, however, the three in between are tight. Vehicles with turning circles of 11m or less can make the turn without the need to swing onto the other side of the road. Those drivers that require using the other side of the road need to do this before the bend when there is no oncoming traffic or wait at the cusp of the bend until there is room for them to do so. Other than the hairpin turns, it is imperative that all vehicles remain within the drawn lines of their lane to prevent head-on accidents. Drivers can’t assume they can use both lanes without first confirming safe passage. Inexperienced gorge drivers sometimes do neither of these and can become stuck between oncoming traffic and following vehicles, leading to a traffic jam until someone can reverse. New camera technology has been switched on in an effort to improve heavy vehicle safety at Galston Gorge. The cameras have been installed near Montview Parade at Hornsby Heights and Carlderwood Road at Galston, to measure the length of heavy vehicles.
How long does it take to drive Galston Gorge Road?
To drive the road without stopping will take most people between 20 and 30 minutes. It’s more enjoyable to start from the Galston side rather than the Hornsby side - unless you enjoy having your foot on the brakes and navigating tight hairpins while going downhill for 5 minutes.