Central Coast Bushwalk

Ritcher's Cave Long Walk (8.2km)

An 8.2km half day bushwalk through rainforest to a cave system with scrambling and bushbashing on the Central Coast.

At a glance

Distance: 8.2km
Ascent: 350m

This is a long walk on firetrails to find the cave, if you want to find the cave's with a shorter walk, get directions for Ritcher's Cave Short Walk.

This has plenty of lovely rainforest and elevation gain so its great for getting fit. Finding the caves themselves can be a bit challenging so we advise if you are going to find the caves let someone know where you are going and when you are expected back. Allow a half day for this walk.

It is a lot of fun scrambling over the rocks at the base of the cliff, be very careful of your fitting as this is not a well travelled walk and there are large sections of honeycombed rock that have fallen and may be thinner than you think. The walk to the caves themselves is less of a bushwalk and more of a bushbash. You need to follow the gps map above.

What Should you bring on the rither's cave Walk?

Brind a daypack with 3-4l of water, snacks, lunch, a first aid kit and also 3m length of climbing tape. There is a lot of hill in this walk and a lot of firetrail so we suggest 3-4L of water or more on a hot day.

Walk directions

Start on Yarramalong Road, this looks and feels like you are parking on private property, park near the fence: -33.267469898574355, 151.33615493774414 Google Maps Link
You have arrived at the campsite, head to the back of the campsite to the east until you see the path, slightly south east: -33.27509, 151.31211 Google Maps Link
Continue along the track until you get to a large rock platform, the path down to the caves is just before this in the empty riverbed/ ravine, that looks too steep to be a path, some bum shuffling is called for. Once down continue along the cliff line, just below the 250m contour, there is a bit of climbing involved occasionally: -33.27565, 151.3145 Google Maps Link
Head back up another ravine after the caves end to the road: -33.27629, 151.31168 Google Maps Link
Turn right onto the road and head back to the start: -33.27579, 151.31147 Google Maps Link

hiker with a backpack scrambling beneath a honeycombed sandstone overhang, gripping a tree root

topographic map with a red trail line and five numbered waypoints for the Ritcher's Cave walk

narrow bush track cutting through dense leafy undergrowth near the campsite — This is the campsite. The path is behind and slightly to the right of here.

leaf strewn passage between two large moss covered sandstone boulders with a small alcove — Path behind campsite

cloudy sky over a mossy sandstone rock platform lookout above the forest canopy — Path down the ravine

narrow forested gap between mossy boulders with a tall tree trunk and ferns below — If you reach this rock platform you have gone a bit to far, the path down if is the very steep ravine just before this.

dirt fire trail winding through tall eucalypt forest towards Ritcher's Cave

open eucalypt clearing scattered with fallen branches and leaf litter

pale gilled mushroom growing low among grass on the forest floor — This is part of the very steep path down.

wide gravel fire trail lined with tall eucalypts and dappled sunlight

camouflaged lizard peering out from a dark rock crevice among fallen leaves

gravel fire trail with a stone lined culvert repair crossing a drainage dip

sandstone boulder engraved with 'these caves were found by J E Richter' and a date

swirling honeycombed sandstone overhang with ochre and grey rock banding

hiker with a backpack climbing over moss covered boulders on a steep section

hiker in shorts and gaiters smiling at the mouth of a sandstone cave

wide view of a deeply honeycombed sandstone overhang framed by bushland

red and cream capped fungus with pale gills pushing through leaf litter

close up of moss and lichen patchwork covering a sandstone boulder

eucalypt trunk with a hollow split base rising from the leaf littered forest floor

hiker walking below a tall moss covered rock wall beside tree ferns

expansive honeycombed rock overhang seen from the track on the return past the caves — This is the path back up at the end after the caves

staghorn fern fronds fanning from a nest of fertile fronds high on a mossy rock face

eucalypt trunk growing wedged between two lichen covered boulders

bright yellow scaly capped mushroom emerging from woody debris

dense green moss carpeting a rock ledge beside the track

hiker climbing the base of a mossy rock wall beneath a honeycombed overhang

looking up a tall eucalypt trunk framed between two sandstone boulders

mossy narrow gap between a boulder and a tree trunk on the track

hiker standing beside a lichen covered sandstone overhang, smiling at the camera

staghorn fern growing on a fallen mossy log among tree ferns beside the track

fallen branch bridging a narrow crevice between two lichen crusted boulders

gravel forest road descending past a bank of lush tree ferns

honeycombed sandstone overhang above smooth grey boulders leading to a forest gap

dense honeycomb weathering fills a wide sandstone overhang above the trail

staghorn fern draped over a fallen log with tree ferns and moss all around

narrow rock crevice with a mossy branch wedged beneath overhanging sandstone

wide gravel fire trail bordered by tree ferns curving through the forest

honeycombed sandstone overhang above a large pale boulder with forest beyond

intricate honeycomb weathering carved deep into a sandstone rock shelf

swirling banded sandstone ledge above jumbled grey boulders in a rock shelter

staghorn fern clinging to a lichen patched boulder beside a gum tree trunk

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The book

11 walks with campsites in the book

A Cornucopia of Central Coast Walks lists 11 walks with campsites, from Little Beach in Bouddi to Upper Mangrove to Wisemans Ferry. It also has my guide to planning a multi day hike and the list I pack for a night out.

See the book

A picture book

Teach the kids to use a bush toilet

Camping with little ones means a bush toilet. The Bush Wee is my read aloud picture book for children aged 2 to 7, and it teaches the real skills: which soft leaves make good toilet paper, which stinging leaves to stay away from, and why your bum should point downwind and downhill.

See the picture book

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This walk is on Darkinung country. Good Architect acknowledges the Darkinung people as the Traditional Custodians of this land and we pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging. Darkinjung Land Council.