Little Digger Track

Little Digger Track follows Moores Creek from Amarna Parade in East Roseville through sandstone overhangs, fern gullies and a small waterfall on its way toward the Two Creeks Track. It is short, roughly 2 kilometres return with about 40 minutes of walking, but it feels a long way from suburban Sydney: cool shaded bush, a known cave along the route, and traces of WWI-era history that give the track its name.

The walk

Grade it easy to moderate. The descent into the Moores Creek gully brings steep, rustic stairs and stretches of uneven, rocky and sometimes muddy ground, so this is a walk for a confident dog and a steady-legged owner rather than a pram or a wobbly puppy. The narrow sections make blind corners common, so keep your dog close on a short lead when you hear other walkers approaching.

Leash status

Dogs must stay on lead for the entire track. It is Ku-ring-gai Council bushland, where leads protect the ringtail possums, water dragons and birdlife that live in the gully. One thing to watch if you like linking walks: the trail eventually connects toward Garigal National Park, where dogs are not permitted at all, so know where your walk ends and turn back at the boundary rather than wandering into a fine.

Water and hazards

There are no water stations or bins on the trail, so bring enough water for both of you and carry your rubbish and waste bags back out. The bigger issue is rain: the track turns slippery and can be genuinely dangerous around the waterfall section after wet weather, so check the forecast and skip it altogether after heavy rain. In the dry it is one of the more rewarding short bushwalks on the North Shore.

Getting there and parking

The trailhead sits on Amarna Parade in East Roseville, opposite Roseville Golf Course. Street parking nearby tightens up on weekends, so aim for an early start. Roseville station is the nearest train stop but it is a 20 to 25 minute walk to the trailhead, which makes this a drive-to track for most people.

When to go

Weekday mornings and early weekend starts, before 9am, are the quietest windows. After rain, wait a day or two for the sandstone to dry out. In summer the gully shade makes this a tolerable midday option when the open reserves are baking.

Close by with the dogs

For an off-lead leg-stretch before or after the on-lead bushwalk, the Roseville Park Off-Leash Area is close by, and the Unleashed Dog Exercise Area at Chatswood is another option. Coffee is easy at Cafe Feoh and The Quadrant in Lindfield, both of which do outdoor seating where a tired dog is welcome.

More routes are on the New South Wales dog trails guide and the Roseville destination page.