Exploring Goochs Crater feels a bit Indiana Jones-esque. There are no signposts or set paths and plenty of adventure to be had around every corner. With a huge number of pagodas to climb and caves to check out, it’s a gorgeous bushwalk with an added sense of excitement.
It’s not actually a volcanic crater but a natural depression surrounded by stone pagodas making for a really dramatic setting.
The walk is generally quite easy, although there is a little bush bashing involved if you want to make your way right round the crater.
Here’s exactly what to expect from a visit to Goochs Crater.
Goochs Crater
Where to start the trail
Normally we like to put the nitty gritty details like this at the end of the post but as the road to get to the trail head is not great we thought we’d add it straight away. Click here to find the specific location on Google Maps.
You do need a car with reasonable clearance to get there because there are a couple of spots with quite thick sand (very, very short sections but still) and also quite a few rocks on the road. Edit for 2024: the road is currently in a much worse state than when we drove it last, with some large gullies and giant puddles which are very deep. After rain sections become slick with clay like mud.
No part of the last 9km when you turn off Chifley Road (B59) is sealed, but it’s the final 4km (once you turn right off the Old Bells Line of Road) that is in bad condition. This section is narrow, has ruts, large sections of rocks and could get boggy and more difficult after heavy rain.
We have a 4WD, but as we aren’t confident with rocky hills, we actually parked just over 2km before the official start of the track. This was fine in the end because the walk was very easy and it didn’t take long at all.
Those with more confidence could go to a parking area 800m before the trailhead, or it looked like some cars go even further - but there isn’t much room to park or turn so it’s up to you. I would probably opt for the parking area 800m before the trail to be totally safe, but we did see car tracks further along - if you met another car you definitely couldn’t turn though!
The Goochs Crater Walk
Normally we give definitive stats for our walks but with Goochs Crater, it will likely be different for everyone. The stats below are just to give you an example of roughly what you might walk if you walk round the full crater and explore a few other spots along the way.
It’s the kind of place where I can imagine you find new things every time you visit.
The stats
Distance: 3.5km (from the official trailhead) we walked 7.5km with that extra road section
Elevation: 210m
Difficulty: Easy, but no set path and some rough track
Starting the trail
If you start at the car park which is 800m from the trailhead you’ll gradually make your way gently downhill on a fire trail.
Past the tiny parking area you continue descending, but this time over a few clusters of rocks. There is no signposting but you can’t really go wrong.
After around 600m the bush starts to open up and you begin to get your first views of pagodas in the distance. Unfortunately you can also see the coal mine on your right but not for very long.
The path soon flattens and after another 300m you reach your first pagodas. This is when it starts to get interesting.
Climbing pagodas with epic views
The path brings you to three pagodas. All are easily climbable and offer different views over the gorgeous landscape. My favourite views in the entire area were from the pagodas, so it’s definitely worth climbing a few.
You can look right down onto the crater, as well as in the opposite direction over a series of rugged stone pagodas. It’s all very dramatic.
I am not sure how many paths lead down into the crater itself, but the most obvious one is just a few steps beyond the pagoda to your left.
If you are going to head down that way I’d recommend first carrying on a little way beyond to the next set of pagodas which also offer great views.
Descending into the crater
If you use the sandy path just beyond that first set of pagodas, getting on to the crater floor is quite easy. It’s not overly steep or slippery, and it doesn’t take long to get down at all.
It’s also a good route for avoiding trampling the vegetation as other sections can be quite overgrown.
Once down, you can then traverse the left side of the crater all the way to end. The middle of the crater is basically a big swamp and can even turn into a lake after heavy rain.
The path is beaten down and obvious all the way to the end of the crater, which is a couple of hundred metres long. From here the route is completely up to you.
Exploring around the crater floor
After the well trodden paths to this point it now becomes a bit more rough and overgrown. There are a few trees down and some patches of bog, but nothing that’s not easy to get around.
There are plenty of rocks to climb over and overhangs to explore.
After 100m we came to what feels like a little canyon and climbed over the rocks through it and into a dense patch of ferns.
Watch out here because the ferns cover much of the ground and there are a number of fallen logs which are a trip waiting to happen.
Other than the sneaky logs, it’s overgrown, but still easy to pass and it all feels quite wild. You’re surrounded by the giant cliff walls and there likely won’t be another person in sight - we didn’t see anyone all day!
Past the ferns we came to a small stream and crossed over to take a closer look at some more of the overhangs before backtracking to follow the sandy wash back up and out of the crater.
The sandy path took us right back up to the first set of pagodas in just 400m. It’s steepish but not difficult.
The walk back to the car park
The walk back to the car park is gradually uphill for most of the way. If you parked at the nearest point by the trailhead it’s roughly 900m. It will be 1.7km if you parked at the larger parking area. For us it was 2.9km. Wherever you’ve parked it doesn’t take long because the path is obvious and it’s easy terrain.
If you have more time in the area, we’d recommend going to check out nearby Dargan Arch. It’s roughly a 30 minute drive away and another great spot. It’s not signposted but we put all the details including the trailhead coordinates in this post.
Safety
There is no phone signal at Gooch’s Crater, so we recommend bringing a PLB in case of an emergency. We carry a GME and you can check this one out and many more on Amazon.
Getting to Goochs Crater
Goochs Crater is located in the Gardens of Stone Conservation Area in Newnes. As mentioned earlier, the road is not in the best state and does require high clearance, but no technical skills. However, if there has been a lot of rain then it could get boggy and that would make it harder to drive.
It’s 140km from Sydney, but takes longer than the 2 hour 20 minutes that Google Maps suggests due to that road.
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