The best waterfall hikes and walks in Lane Cove National Park

This northern section of St. John's Trail runs along the Blackbutt Creek Track, with a trackhead along Vale Street. It is a Packed gravel path running along the Amaroo Gully and Blackbutt Creek, which ends south of the Gordon Golf Club. There is no parking along Vale Street so it is best to approach this trail from another point if you are driving.

Ray's Falls (also known as St. John's Falls) is a beautiful little waterfall that drops 6 metres from a tired ledge along Falls Creek. Getting a good view of the falls is heavily dependent on season. If there has been enough rain, they are full, but in some seasons the falls are non-existent due to the creek drying up.

This short, wooded pathway is located south of the Gordon Golf Club and is one of the main access points to Ray's Falls. There is parking along Spencer Road to the east and St. John's Avenue to the west where you can access this path, but please keep in mind that these are both residential areas so parking may be limited.

A short side track off the Step Track brings you out to this rocky lookout above the Lane Cove valley. The view is more about layers of bushland than a big open panorama, with eucalypts filling the slopes below and the valley dropping away through the trees. It’s only a quick detour from the main track, so it’s well worth following the Scenic Views sign when you reach the junction.

Browns Waterhole is a wide, shallow section of the Lane Cove River, sitting just below a concrete weir that carries a shared cycle and footpath across the water. A picnic table and small clearing on the western side make for a great spot to pause and take in the view. After rain, the causeway across the waterhole can get slippery or even impassable, so it’s best saved for a dry spell.

Terrys Creek Walking Track follows its namesake creek through a peaceful corridor of remnant bushland between Epping and Eastwood, part of Lane Cove National Park. The path winds past a small waterfall, ducks beneath the M2 motorway, and continues on to Browns Waterhole, with a mix of natural bush trail, metal walkways, and wooden steps along the way. The terrain can be uneven with roots and rocks in places, and the track can turn boggy or even flood after heavy rain, so it's best to tackle it in dry weather.

Devlins Creek Trail follows the creek corridor through shaded bushland, linking narrower single-track sections with rocky creek crossings and sandstone terrain. Compared to the wider fire trails higher in the park, this route feels more enclosed, with dense vegetation and a rougher surface underfoot. Tree roots, rocks, and smaller creek crossings slow the pace in sections, especially after rain when parts of the track can become muddy or slippery. The trail also forms part of the wider Great North Walk network through Lane Cove National Park.

Devlins Creek is a sandstone creek system flowing through the upper sections of Lane Cove National Park before joining Terrys Creek to form the Lane Cove River. Along the trail, the creek passes through shaded bushland with rocky banks, shallow crossings, and small waterholes tucked beneath the forest canopy. Water flow varies depending on rainfall, with calmer pools in drier periods and stronger movement after rain. The creek is named after James Devlin, a nineteenth century landowner connected to the area.