Botany to Cascades Loop Walk

Quick facts

Getting there

This loop starts and ends at The Hub on Ti Rakau Drive, Botany Town Centre. There is plenty of parking around the town centre, and it is an easy walk to reach from anywhere in Botany or Dannemora. The route heads out through the reserve walkways before looping back via Cascades Road, so you end up back close to where you parked.

The walk

This loop mixes reserve walkways with quiet suburban streets, so it is an easy one to follow without needing to watch a map constantly. It is a nice way to link Botany Town Centre with the Cascades area without doubling back on yourself.

Keep an eye out along the way for a travelling book, part of the BookCrossing network, left for someone to pick up, read and pass on again. It is the sort of small surprise that makes this walk more interesting than the suburban setting might suggest.

Partway round, the route passes Hawthorn Dene Historic Country Cafe, an old farm cottage tucked in among modern suburban housing. The grounds include a tree planted in 1890, and the cafe has a rural, character filled feel that stands out against the surrounding streets. Hawthorn Dene is open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays, so plan a cafe stop accordingly.

There is also a wood carving along the route that most people driving through the area would never know was there. Small details like this are worth slowing down for.

What you’ll see

Expect bridges over streams, reserve waterways, historic sites, and a good mix of bush edged track and suburban footpath. The Cascades area streams and small waterfalls are best seen after rain, they can be reduced to a trickle in dry summer conditions, so time your visit after wet weather if you want them at their best.

Who it’s for

This walk suits families with buggies, casual walkers, dog walkers and cyclists. The mostly level paths and suburban sections make it manageable for most ages and fitness levels, and there is enough variety with the cafe stop and small surprises to keep kids interested along the way.

When to go

Any time of year works for this loop since it is mostly flat and sheltered by suburban streets and reserve walkways. If you want to see the Cascades area streams and waterfalls looking their best, aim for a walk after rain rather than in the middle of a dry summer stretch, when they can slow to a trickle.

Important stuff

• Dogs are welcome, with off leash exercise areas within the reserves and parks on this route. Check the current park rules for any on lead sections around the town centre streets.
• The route is buggy and wheelchair friendly, with mostly level paths throughout.
• Hawthorn Dene Historic Country Cafe is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed Mondays, worth knowing if you are planning your stop around it.
• Much of the loop runs through suburban streets as well as reserves, so take normal road crossing care with kids and dogs.

Other walks nearby

• Botany Dannemora Circuits
• Cascades Walkway, the walkway this loop connects into along Cascades Road
• Mangemangeroa Reserve Track, a coastal bush track a short drive from Botany

Back to Botany walks.