Western Sydney Parklands Series - Binyang Matta Trail
Starting from the Richmond Road carpark, this 6.7 km circuit is the ‘big brother’ of the shorter Binyang Matta loop. The trail winds its way through an impressive mix of open grasslands, thriving wetlands, and dense forests, crossing the path of Eastern Creek twice as it showcases the raw diversity of the northern Western Sydney Parklands. Keep a sharp eye out for black-shouldered kites hovering over the fields, azure kingfishers diving near the water, and critically endangered swift parrots feeding in the canopy. It’s an incredibly fitting lineup of locals, given that Binyang Matta is the traditional Dharug name for "Place of Birds."
Western Sydney Parkland Series - Binyang Matta Trail
📍 SYDNEY AND SURROUNDS
Distance7.0 km
Duration01:42 hrs
Elev Gain+30 m
Elev Lost-29 m
Date
09 May 2026
Starting Point
Richmond Road
Difficulty
Easy
Pace / Gear
4.6 km/h — Light day pack
Highlights
Eastern Creek
🗺️ Interactive Route MapPinch or use wheel to zoom
Casting our hiking net a little further afield than the Inner West, we set our sights on the Western Sydney Parklands—a massive, 27 km string of open spaces following the general line of the M7 motorway and Eastern Creek. Sprawling over 5,280 hectares and dubbed Australia's largest urban park, this vital green corridor protects rare pockets of endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland. The Parklands are broken up into various diverse hubs, including the wetland loops of Bungarribee, the popular lakeside trails of Nurragingy Reserve, and the focus of today's hike, the scenic lookouts around the Woodfarm Reserve precinct.
The Parklands straddle Eastern Creek, acting as a critical environmental buffer zone. In addition to preserving a vital biodiversity corridor for native wildlife and screening noise from nearby industrial hubs, these expansive floodplains play a massive role in urban stormwater management. By capturing and absorbing intense rainwater runoff across the Western Sydney catchment, this giant green sponge naturally regulates water flow, protecting downstream residential suburbs from flash flooding.
Binyang Matta
We started out from the Richmond Road carpark in Quakers Hill, where the trail drops straight into a beautifully thick mix of open grasslands, dense melaleuca scrub, and towering eucalypts. Traditionally known in the Dharug language as Binyang Matta—meaning "Place of Birds"—the path immediately lived up to its name. The canopy was absolutely buzzing, with plenty of local birdlife flitting between the branches, including flashes of azure kingfishers and black-shouldered kites hunting over the grasslands.
Beginning the trail
Sniffing the way along Binyang Matta
Cumberland Plain grasslands
Signage on the trail
The path makes its way north, crossing Eastern Creek and skirting the northern side of a large equestrian stable before reaching Symonds Road. Here, the Binyang Matta Loop follows the road south back toward Richmond Road, closing the circuit and steering you right back into the main section of the parklands.
Crossing Eastern Creek
Eastern Creek
Eastern Creek
After crossing Richmond Road, the track runs south, hugging the residential boundary while keeping the dense timberline of Eastern Creek on the left. We passed the edge of the Joe McAleer Oval, following the path until it makes a sharp left and strikes out across the Eastern Creek floodplain via a scenic series of raised boardwalks. While short-lived, it's easily the most picturesque section of the walk, offering an intimate look at the area's thriving wetland ecosystem.
Re-entering the parklands from Richmond Road
The path at Glendenning
Binyang Matta Loop
Eastern Creek tributary
Eastern Creek floodplain
Leaving the boardwalks behind, we continued south following the winding course of the creek. The paved path tracks the water corridor closely and feels surprisingly removed from the surrounding suburbia. While houses, roads, and busy sports fields sit just beyond the timberline, once you're on the path, your focus naturally shifts entirely to the open grasslands and scattered gum trees. It's a beautifully flat, easy, and relaxed stretch of walking that lets you completely forget you're in the middle of a bustling metro area.
Suburban Link
Eventually, the path hits a major arterial, Power Street. To continue the loop, you have to endure a short, uninspiring tramp along the pavement to Knox Street before you can duck back into the peace of the reserve. The roads around here are busy and require a bit of patience, so make sure to use the pedestrian lights and take extra care when crossing.
Through the Trees
Slipping back into the trees, we tracked north along the eastern side of the creek, where the landscape gets noticeably more wooded. Tall eucalypts and thick pockets of native bush flank the path, instantly swallowing up the traffic noise from Power Street. Following the trails as they wind parallel to the water, we looped back past the lower wetlands, enjoying the deep canopy shade before finally making our way back to our starting point at Richmond Road.
Entering from Power Street
Eastern Creek floodplain
Binyang Matta Long Loop
Eastern Creek
Bridge over Eastern Creek
All the trails are well signed
A small 'lookout' among the trees
Closing Thoughts
After packing the dog back into the car, we were both pretty surprised by how much ground we’d actually covered. It’s easy to dismiss urban green spaces as just manicured strips of grass between housing estates, but this circuit managed to pack in a great mix of dense bush, vital wetlands, and plenty of local birdlife. While the short road-bash along Power Street breaks up the trail rhythm a bit, looping back through that thick, wooded eastern track completely makes up for it. It’s a fantastic, flat leg-stretcher right on the city's edge, and a perfect reminder that you don't always have to drive all the way out to the Blue Mountains to find a proper escape into nature.
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