The Brisbane Water Bush Bash route was put together back in the mid-1990s by local elite runner, Greg Love, as a way of circumnavigating Brisbane Water, a large body of water on the populated NSW Central Coast, by following ridge lines and trails as much as possible. For a few years there was an informal race along the route (see https://sydneystriders.org.au/striders/content/Results/1996/1996brisbanewater.html) but, after the demise of the race in the early 2000s, the route has remained popular with trail runners. Many complete laps each year and the Terrigal Trotters running club regularly organizes social trail runs over the course.
Traditionally, the run starts and finishes on the Gosford waterfront, currently at the barbecue in the picnic area adjacent to the junction of Shortland Street and Gertrude Place. The course includes paved bike paths along the attractive Brisbane Water foreshore, some roads, the striking Rip Bridge, and trails through the beautiful eucalypt forests and sandstone outcrops of Brisbane Water and Bouddi National Parks, Kincumba Mountain Reserve and Rumbalara Reserve giving occasional spectacular views. As new trails have become available and landowners have closed others, the course has changed a little over the years, but remains largely the same as the original and is unlikely to change in the future.
