North Rocks - Lake Parramatta

As we gathered in Seville Reserve, the conversation immediately turned to the weather - what had been the previous day (scorching would be one word which came to mind) and the very pleasant, almost cool, temperature which had greeted us when we awoke.

This was the last scheduled walk for the year.

For the group it was a “first” - well known to some who live locally, but for many of us it was to be a new experience. We had used different routes and modes of transport - all of which worked well - to travel to the start.

Our route was through the Reserve and then onto a lovely bush track - although it was not obvious to us we were almost on the boundary of the Kings School.

The bush through which we walked was simply lovely. There were early displays of flannel flowers and we could hear lots of birds. The map tells us that we were walking past Hunts Creek which runs into the Lake proper. What a surprise that turned out to be! Di’s photo ( with water lilies in the centre) shows us the walk at this point.

The size and beauty of the Lake was quite amazing. We had had our morning tea along the way, but we chose to have another break at the main visitor centre - good picnic facilities, a cafe, and amenities block.

We had seen many lovely trees on the way but were particularly taken by the beauty of the Cape Chestnut - there was an outstanding specimen close to the cafe.

We continued - passing the dam - which led us to consider the history of the area.

Briefly - the local aboriginal tribes were known as Burramatagal from which Parramatta took its name.

The need for clean water in the 1800’s led to the construction of the dam - using local sandstone.

It was completed in 1856 at a cost of seventeen thousand pounds. The surface area of the lake is 10 hectares and it holds 485 000 cubic metres of water ( this is roughly the equivalent of 9 700 backyard swimming pools.)

Over the years, the water in the Lake, plus the amenities, were not always of the standard of today. The Council has remedied this and it is now a very popular recreational spot.

Our lunch break was taken lakeside, with very pleasant views.

We continued to “circle “ the Lake and made our way back to Seville Reserve.

By this time, the weather was looking a little threatening and in fact some of us travelled part of the way home in heavy local rain.

Our thanks go to the leaders - firstly for suggesting the walk and then making it such an enjoyable experience. We all enjoyed it immensely.

Cook's River Walk : Tempe to Flemington

The title shown refers to our planned walk. However, the weather predicition - VERY hot - led us to think, even before setting out, that we may not choose to go ” all the way”. This proved to be correct.

with apologies to Noel Coward,,,,,,,,,,We all know “only mad dogs and Aussie women go out in the midday sun” -

But...back to the start. We met in the city and travelled by train to Tempe.

After alighting, we were almost immediately beside the river in Gough Whitlam Park and we could see Mackey Park on the other bank.

Morning tea was river side and we walked on through more parklands - we could see Marrickville Golf Course and then Ewen Park. We passed a lovely sandstone building which was formerly part of the CSR Sugar complex. It appears to have been developed into apartments After we crossed Canterbury Road, we left behind the Municipality of Marrickville and we were then in the Canterbury precinct. We saw the perimeter fence of Canterbury Park Racecourse, and then later chose to have our lunch stop at yet another riverside park. Looking at a map of the area, it is pleasing to see just how much “green” is visible.

Anyone who knew the Cook’s River from earlier days, could not help but be impressed when seeing it today. The improvement in the water quality together with the abundant parklands and walking/bike tracks is very pleasing. Di’s lovely photo shows that the birds also appreciate the changes.

There are many rebuilding and renovation projects for domestic housing occurring. We passed some lovely gardens and stopped to look at a few.

Along the way, we were passed by quite a few cyclists, and saw some other walkers and also a skateboarder - all making good use of the very pleasant pathways.

After arriving at George’s River Road, and because of the high temperature, some of the group decided to board a bus to take them to the Burwood Railway Station. Others continued on foot, but also made their destination, Burwood. This part was also very interesting - after we crossed Liverpool Road (the Hume Highway ) we were then in Burwood Road, on the eastern boundary of what is known in local real estate parlance as the Golden Mile. ( The other boundaries are The Boulevarde, Strathfield ; Liverpool Road and the railway line.) In this street we saw some lovely old homes - some in pristine condition, others perhaps needing some work . We passed St Paul's Anglican Church - this is a popular venue for choral presentations - presumably the acoustics are of a high standard.

Although the weather had governed the distance we covered in our walk, we still enjoyed our day. For our efforts, we chose a reward in the form of coffee, taken in the main shopping strip. We returned to our homes by various train routes.

Rose Bay - Watson's Bay & South Head

After meeting at the Quay, we travelled by bus to Rose Bay, alighting at a stop on what is

known as Heartbreak Hill ( referring to a difficult part of the City to Surf route.) At this particular point, the view is quite magnificent - it takes in the harbour with the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in the background. A tourist coach was just ahead of our bus , and we saw passengers alight for their photo stop - Denise took one as well.

The footpath (on aptly named Bayview Hill Road), alongside one of our well known girls’ schools, took us to the harbourside. The track wound around the Hermitage Foreshore Reserve, Queens Beach, Hermit Point and Bay, and Milk Beach. We were able to see nearby Shark Island and in the distance, Bradleys Head. Di's photo shows one of the small, almost private, beaches along the way.

We reached the reserve near Strickland House for our morning tea break.

Strickland House - an imposing building, was built in 1854-6. Its extensive grounds and gardens are open to the public during daylight hours.

It was originally called Carrara and during the ensuing years has been a grand formal residence, a health care facility and an old people’s home.

Today, it stands empty.

We walked on, with Steel Point on our harbourside, and extensive Nielsen Park on our right. This is a very popular spot during the summer, as it has a very large netted swimming area and excellent picnic facilities. After leaving the Park, we did a short spell of street walking - well-known Wentworth Road and surrounds providing us with the opportunity to view some lovely residences. We took a path down to Parsley Bay which again provides a very large netted swimming area. After passing Village Point we reached Watson’s Bay. The large Robertson Park has seating which we used for our lunch break. it was a busy spot - we saw two separate school groups enjoying the beautiful weather - playing on the edge of the water and generally enjoying themselves.

After lunch, some of the group continued alongside the harbour, passing renowed Doyle’s restaurant. After rounding Laings Point, we passed Camp Cove - (eyes straight ahead please, ladies ) with some nudists enjoying their specially designated beach.

Reaching South Head we were able to view the ocean, and across to North Head, Manly and also Middle Harbour. The weather was such that the outlook was close to perfect. We continued past the Hornby Lighthouse and then returned to Watson's Bay using the same path as our forward trip. We chose to use the ferry to return to Circular Quay - this trip gives one the opportunity to view many beautiful harbourside suburbs.

This is a very beautiful walk - not strenuous - and for those reasons, one which features each year on our programme.

La Perouse - Malabar

We began our walk at La Perouse which is on the northern headland (Cape Banks) of Botany Bay - having travelled by bus from the city.

La Perouse is named after Jean-Francoise de Galaup, comte de La Perouse ( maybe Frank for short?). La Perouse had sailed into Botany Bay in January 1788 - just 6 days after Capt. Arthur Phillip. Phillip moved the 1st fleet around into Port Jackson after finding Botany Bay unsuitable for settlement. So that short period is all that was between white settlement by the English and not by the French.

Before setting off we looked across to the southern headland ( Cape Solander) and we could see Kurnell - the spot where Captain James Cook landed in 1770. His "discovery" led to the white settlement eight years later.

We followed the shoreline - passing Congwong Bay, with the Botany Bay National Park on our land side. We chose a morning tea spot with great views to the north, south and east.

Shortly after that we were on the perimeter of the NSW Golf Course ( not terribly busy on Mondays). The walking was quite easy - a mixture of tracks through scrubby vegetation and paths which were part of the golf course.

Di’s great photo shows the rocky shore - looking southwards.

Our lunch spot was reached by crossing a small bridge and we were able to sit in a sandstone cave, which again had very pleasant views. We remembered that on a previous walk in that area, we were almost blown off the cliff face and yet another time, when it had been an extremely hot day. We felt that we had been very lucky with the weather for this walk.

After lunch we passed through St Michaels Golf Course which adjoins the Coast Golf and Recreation club course. Then comes the Randwick Golf Course - the whole area is paradise for lovers of the little white ball.

We reached the small beach which used to be used by the staff of the Prince Henry Hospital (colloquially known as the Coast Hospital) before its demolition. A flight of steps took us up to the roadside - having passed a very large series of housing developments - many with water views.

We returned to the city, again using bus transport, after a very pleasant day

Coogee to Bondi

After some very heavy rainfall the previous day and night, it was felt, at first, that we may have to cancel our walk. However, a smaller than usual group decided to “give it a go”.

We met at the Quay and then travelled by bus to Coogee Beach We thought that it would be wiser to change our planned walk ( going south to Maroubra) but instead head off in a northerly direction and thus have the prevailing wind more or less on our backs, rather than walking into it.

We were very lucky - the rain held off. However, the winds were so strong that we felt at times, that we were weightless. The seas were quite wild and attracted no surfers. We saw some intrepid swimmers in the rock pools which we passed.

This was the first time we had used the recently completed coastal walk facilities - the new railings and seating, together with excellent pathways are very good. We passed a few brave souls out for their constitutionals - not anything like the number whom we would normally see on this very beautiful, popular walk.

Our route took us past the memorial sculpture at Dolphins Point ( dedicated to the Bali bombing victims ) and then around Gordons Bay, Clovelly, Bronte, and Tamarama before reaching Bondi. From Tamarama, and then until we reached Bondi. we saw artists preparing to mount their displays for Sculpture by the Sea, due to commence on Thursday 29th October.

We ate lunch in the sheds on the grass at Bondi - it was a little uncomfortable because of the strong wind, but we managed to enjoy our break there.

We journeyed back to the city by bus, having thoroughly enjoyed our walk in the wild weather.

(No member of the group carried a camera on this walk, so the photo shown was "borrowed" from the Internet - this is how we saw Bondi - wild and woolly! )

Circular Quay to Centennial Park.

This walk which goes from the Quay, through the inner eastern suburbs to Centennial Park,is filled with surprises – even for Sydneysiders!

We used a lift which took us from quayside to the walkway of the Cahill Expressway, from which there are wonderful views across the harbour to the Bridge. (This walkway was the first of the abovementioned surprises for some members of the group).

Then another..............with Macquarie Street behind us, we arrived in the Royal Botanic Gardens and came to a collection of pieces of sandstone set out on lawn. They were not identified at that spot, but research has filled in the details The “sculpture” is called “Memory is Creation Without End”. It was installed in 2000 as part of the City of Sydney’s Sculpture Walk Programme, and was created by Kimio Tsuchiya. He used relics of demolished buildings, symbolizing the circular connection of past, present and future.

N.B. Next year it is hoped, say the authorities , that it will be possible to join guided tours of all the sculptures which are spread throughout the many hectares under their control.

We continued walking through the Gardens – at one spot coming across the bat colony ( Denise’s photo shows just one of the trees which is home to them). Although it would be possible to spend all day in the Gardens, we moved along to Woolloomooloo and chose to sit quite close to the Finger Wharf to have our morning tea. We were very near Harry’s Café de Wheels and although not choosing to partake of his “ goodies”, we were able to admire the many photos which showed some celebrities enjoying his wares.

We continued walking through Potts Point and because of the diligence of our guides, found our way to Elizabeth Bay – passing Elizabeth Bay House and having a quick look at the small, but lovely, Arthur McEltone reserve – the main feature of which is the beautiful fish pond.

We passed through the Rushcutters Bay Reserve and then crossed New South Head Road .This took us alongside the large Trumper Park – this provides an oval, tennis courts and bowling green.

We walked through some streets in Paddington and arrived at the Oxford Street gates of Centennial Park.

Centennial Park – 189 hectares – opened in January 1888 to mark the centenary of the colony. The Park (see our small photo) features include formal gardens, ponds, avenues, statues and historic buildings. Because it was school holidays, there was a lot of activity. We had our lunch and then continued further into the Park, viewing the rose gardens and other beautiful displays. As with the Botanic Gardens, a whole day could be spent exploring this beautiful place , which is situated just a few kilometres from the centre of our city.

The weather on the day was quite pleasant for walking – not quite reaching the mid-twenties, as had been predicted. We used buses to return to various locations in the city from where we continued to our homes.

Woy Woy - Umina ( Central Coast)

To commence our walk, we travelled by train to Woy Woy .

This township is 82km from Sydney and the first train line was built in 1888 ( before this the only access was by water) However when the line was electrified - ending further north at Gosford , in 1960 - what had been a popular holiday and retirement destination then became more accessible for commuters working in Sydney.

The name Woy Woy is understood to mean “ The Big Lagoon “- which refers to the deep tidal channel adjacent to the town centre. The Woy Woy Inlet is one of the few flat areas of the Central Coast.

Our walk took us along the waterfront of this inlet - we could see across to St. Hubert’s Island and in the distance across the bridge to Daley’s Point. Car travellers can use this bridge to access Hardy’s Bay, Bouddi National Park, Kincumber and their surrounds.

Because our walk was entirely flat, we were able to observe the real estate, including some lovely gardens. The weather was very pleasant and we passed lots of locals, some with their dogs, enjoying their constitutional .

We took the opportunity to walk on the sand at various points.

Both our morning tea and lunch stops were taken at spots which allowed us to enjoy the lovely water views. We could see Lion Island to the south ( Di’s photo was taken looking in that direction) and Box Head to the east.

After lunch at Umina, we returned to Ettalong on foot, and then used a local bus to reach Woy Woy town centre. There are some interesting shops in the older parts of the town centre ( some of which required our attention!) and we visited our favorite coffee shop.

A return train trip rounded out a lovely day.

Terry Hills - The Short and LongTracks

This, for us, in an annual walk. We choose this time of the year because it is the season for waratahs. However, in that respect, it was slightly disappointing.

The walk is, for the most part, easy going - just a few parts on the fire trail are stony and require a little care. However, the flowers and the views are lovely and more than compensate for that.

In the early part of the walk , and again towards the end, we saw some waratahs ( telopea speciosissima) - our state floral emblem - they were there in all their glory - just small in number. The Aboriginal legend which describes the “first” waratah is really moving - the love story of a beautiful maiden named Crooby.

The other flowers we saw were brilliant in colour and prolific.

They included Grevillea speciosa ( Burnam Burnam - our source of information - “WILDthings Around Sydney” ) tells us that they are widespread in the Hornsby plateau and Ku-ring-gai National Park) - this also applies to the Eriostemon australasius ( wax flower) and several species of boronia ( we saw lots of native roses - boronia serrulata).

We were lucky to have some of our bird watchers with us - they were able to identify the Eastern Spinebill; Fan-tailed Cuckoo; Superb Fairy Wren; Pied Currawong; Australian Magpie; House Sparrow - thank you for your knowledge - it is much appreciated.

Our morning tea spot saw us looking down towards Apple Tree Bay and then at lunch time, Looking Glass Bay ( shown in Di’s photo) - which is part of Cowan Creek which leads, eventually, to the coast at Palm Beach.

This is a very pleasant walk and will no doubt continue to be on our programme.

Muogamarra Native Reserve

Our walk today took us to this wonderful reserve. It is only open to the public on 6 weekends per year ( all in the Spring ) but by special arrangement we were able to have a “private” visit - accompanied by two volunteer guides.

For the rest of the year, the reserve is used by groups for scientific and educational research.

We need to thank J.D.Tipper who leased 600 acres to protect the flora, fauna and aboriginal sites. Over time he expanded his lease to 2050 acres and he handed this over to the authorities in 1954 and Muogamarra, as we know it now, was founded.

In 2002 there were severe bushfires iin the area, but the reserve has made a remarkable recovery since that time.

The entrance to the reserve is about 3 km. north of Cowan on the old Pacific Highway.

We were met by our guides at the locked gate, and then drove 3 1/2 kms. to the start of the walk. At this point there is abundant parking, a roofed picnic shed and toilets.

Our guides gave us some general safety information, and advised us of the regulations regarding Aboriginal sites etc.

We set off on our pre-arranged route and it was obvious before we had travelled many metres that we were in for a treat. This was not only because of the abundance of flowers to be seen but we realized that we were going to learn a lot from our guides - the names and general information of flowers and plants, and also the history and geography of the area.

This spring season has produced a wonderful display - we were so lucky.

We passed a large area of tessellated rock and our guide gave an explanation as to how it may have been formed.

Our morning tea spot was reached after a short climb up to the Lloyd Trig - this presented us with panoramic views over the Hawkesbury River. It was a cloudy day, and the outlook was not as clear as it sometimes can be. Our guide pointed out the direction of the Blue Mountains, which can be seen on a brighter day.

We descended from the trig and continued along a stony fire trail - masses of flowers and trees all along the way. Then there was a short sharp climb to our lunch spot - again wonderful views of the river and its surrounds. Our guide pointed out the sites which could be seen. Di’s photo shows the road traffic bridge below. (The flowers shown are Kunzea capitata ( bachelor's buttons) and Eriostemon (pink wax flower.)

We heard lots of birds, some of which were able to be identified by sound, and we saw one snake. Many photos of the flowers were taken.

The return walk involved a bit of a climb up the fire trail and then we made a short detour to return to the parking lot by a slightly different route.

We were able to show our appreciation to our guides, Greg and Peter, by inviting them to join us for afternoon coffee at the well-known spot, The PIe in the Sky, which is almost directly opposite the reserve entrance. This rounded out a very pleasant day.

Wondabyne -Pindar Cave

Our walk began after we left the train at Wondabyne (the one station between Hawkesbury River and Woy Woy) - some of the group had not been there before and were quite amazed to see the tiny station - less than one carriage length.

The track from the station took us onto the Great North Walk . The steep climb ( approx. 100m in length ) only takes a short while, fortunately, and then we followed the main track, which at that point, is a fire trail.

After approximately a kilometre, we took the unmarked turn onto the Pindar Cave path. There is a large rocky outcrop at that point. We stopped for morning tea , and then walked about 500m on another fire trail, before reaching the bush path. This was very pleasant walking - mostly on sandy tracks. Di’s photo shows a view of the Hawkesbury River taken from the high point of the ridge. (It was quite a dull day - ideal for walking.)

The highlight of the trip was seeing the wildflowers. Those of us who had previously been on the walk felt that we had not ever seen a better display in this area. The flowers were beautiful - prolific and colourful. It was hard to choose a couple of favourites to “post” on this site ( those shown are native iris - Patersonia servica and native rose - Boronia serrulata. )

The bird watchers heard many calls and without stopping to study them carefully, were able to identify some However, the flowers were the main attraction of the day.

We passed a very pleasant waterhole - in the summertime this would be very appealing to those who would enjoy a quick dip.

We reached the Pindar Cave for our lunch break.

This is a very impressive sandstone overhang - capable of sheltering perhaps 50 people.

We were the only visitors on this day, but fireplaces could be seen, confirming that the site is used for camping.

Legend has it that the cave is named after two German brothers who had worked an ochre mine nearby. However, research couldn’t verify that story.

Our return trip followed the same track - the flowers again “distracting” us from even thinking of any physical effort on our part. There were a few boulders which required a bit of a scramble but they were quite easily managed.

Descending to the station was SO much easier then our climb in the morning.

A pleasant train trip home rounded out a lovely day. The rain had held off - just a few spots in the morning. We were extremely lucky in this respect, because most of the Sydney area had some heavy showers later in the day - around our dinner time.

Kuring-gai National Park - Towlers Bay Walk.

This park (established in 1894) is where the Hawkesbury River meets the ocean and was the home of the Guringai people. History tells us that in 1790 a smallpox epidemic almost wiped out this tribe.

We met at the McCarrs Creek car park and then drove about 5 km to the trackhead.

This walk explores one of the ridges in the Kuring-gai National Park and leads down a steep hill to Towlers Bay.

In the first section. we walked on a fire trail, which was bordered by masses of wild flowers and grass trees We saw many wattles and the native roses were out in all their glory. Our first stop ( for morning tea) was at the Morning Bay lookout - this affords walkers wonderful views across PIttwater. (Our photo only shows a small section of the panoramic view.) We continued walking - a reasonably steep descent, but fairly easy going. We took a side track to inspect the local Youth Hostel. Those who had not been there before were very impressed - so much so, that there was a suggestion that the group might consider having an overnight stay up there some time. We continued close to the foreshore, but at this point, our plans were altered as the weather changed quite suddenly - what had been a lovely blue sky turned into a rather threatening one.

Had we continued further south to reach Lovetts Bay, we would then have been able to view the exterior of “Tarrangara” - the sometime home of our beloved poetess - Dorothea McKellar (“I love a sunburnt country....”).

We climbed back up the track and had our lunch at what had also been our morning tea spot. Without the sunshine, the view was still quite stunning, but so very different.

Fortunately for us, we were able to return to our cars, and get part way home before the strong winds and rain arrived.

Popran National Park

The park is 65 km north of Sydney and we reached the starting point of this beautiful walk by driving on the F3, and then through Peats Ridge and on through Central Mangrove.

The park’s original inhabitants were from the Dharug and Guringal tribes of the Aboriginal people.

From the very early days of settlement, until 1980, limited logging of red cedar and large hardwoods took place.

The area was declared a national park in 1994.

The park’s geology is predominately sandstone, and at this time of the year there are masses of flowers. Although we have visited the park quite a few times previously, we all commented that it was the first time when we could recall seeing waratahs in bloom. The flowers appeared to be slightly smaller than those we see in other places.

A short walk from our parked cars took us to the official start of the tracks in this section of the park. There was a large information board from which we were able to check our proposed walk.

Our morning tea stop , at the top of Mount Olive ( 309m above sea level) was reached by an easy ascent. From there we had wide views of the surrounds, including the Glenworth Valley. Then onto a fire trail - slightly tricky in parts, simply because of loose stones in some places, meaning that we needed to watch our steps carefully. We were then onto a single file track which took us to Hominy Creek ( this flows into Mangrove Creek, and ultimately the Hawkesbury River. ) How beautiful ! Fed by a small waterfall, this wonderful pool ( shown in Di’s photo) was clear and very inviting. So much so, that three members of the group decided to “test the waters!” The majority of the group was happy to accept their report about the temperature!

After lunch we set out to complete the circuit. The terrain was different to that in the first section - more open and grassy ( as opposed to bushy) and then we walked through Donovan’s Forest on a fire trail again. There were a few “ups” but they were all quite manageable.

On arriving back at our entry point, we re-checked the information board. As we had some in the group who had not done the walk previously, it was interesting for them to see how our day’s effort fitted into the bigger picture.

On the day, the weather was glorious and helped to make this a very pleasant visit to this lovely park.

Artarmon -Milson's Pt. via Berry Is. and Ball's Head

This is always a very popular walk with our members - possibly because it makes us very grateful for the opportunity to walk so close to everything, but yet to be, in another way, so far removed from the busy hubbub of Sydney.

Most of the group met at Artarmon, and even from that point, we were able to walk through the bush before crossing the oval.Then some street walking took us to St Leonards, where we met up with others . We walked through the park and crossed River Road. At this point we entered the bush - Smoothys Park , followed by Gore Cove Park, which naturally, follows the Cove of the same name.

Our morning tea stop was taken at Berry Island Reserve. The next part of the walk passed HMAS Waterhen ( an establishment, not a ship.) At this point we were adjacent to Balls Head Bay. We had our lunch at the most southern point of the reserve - this has Berrys Bay on its eastern boundary and also has the most amazing views across the harbour - we could clearly see Balmain, Pyrmont, the Harbour Bridge, and then the Opera House in the distance. After lunch we followed the shoreline - right around McMahons Point and then onto Lavender Bay.

We were intent on visiting Wendy Whitely’s Secret Garden ( as it is known) - having walked almost right next to it (on a number of previous occasions ) but hadn't known its exact location.

Di’s lovely photo gives you a glimpse of the garden. The story behind it is - after Brett (Whiteley) died in 1992, Wendy started to clean up a large patch of derelict land, overlooked by her home and owned by the NSW Rail Authority. Before she commenced, it was choked with weeds, including lantana, and had loads of junk in it.

She has worked in it constantly since that time. There are benches placed randomly in quiet spots, and spectacular views to the Sydney Harbour Bridge can be enjoyed.

Although the name may give a different impression, the “secret” garden is open to all.

We had a little more street walking before arriving at Milson’s Point. This ended a lovely walk on a sunny winter’s day in Sydney.

Garigal National Park

This park is in the northern suburbs of Sydney. It has two main sections separated by the Forest Way in Belrose.

We were in the southern section ( formerly known as the Davidson State Recreation Area.) This section mainly covers the areas directly around the waterways - all the creeks feed into Middle Harbour.

We met at Stone Parade, Davidson and set off down the fire trail, which is reasonably steep in places. The surrounding bush is thick and very beautiful. Flowering wattles and boronias again dominated.

We reached the Cascades for our morning tea stop. Di’s photo was taken just as we approached them. We saw ducks in the deeper parts of the creek - apparently this used to be a very popular swimming hole for the local children, but is now not considered to be suitable owing to pollution.

Although our plan was to walk towards Davidson Park, it was suggested that perhaps we could do a “reccy” in the opposite direction. Following old ( perhaps out of date?) maps provided by the Park office, we set off on the fire trail. It would appear that a turn-off track was missed and we followed the Quarry Track - which, strangely enough!, took us to the quarry ( the far side of which is on Mona Vale Road). We turned around and walked back down to the Cascades for our lunch.

During our stay there, a group of walkers had a brief stop for nourishment. One of our group spoke with them. She discovered that they were training for the up- coming Oxfam Charity Walk. They had already covered a long distance in the morning and still planned a long afternoon section.

We completed our walk by returning on the fire trail to the cars .

Although we had not achieved what we set out to do, a very pleasant day was spent in the beautiful winter sunshine, with good friends, and in magnificent surroundings.

Historical note: About halfway between the Cascades and Davidson Park ( Roseville Bridge) is an area named Bungaroo, This was the camp site of Governor Arthur Phillip and his party on the first European contact with this area in April 1788. The explorers walked overland from Manly to Middle Harbour Creek. From there they walked to the west as far as Turramurra and then retraced their steps to Middle Harbour Creek.

Cowan - Jerusalem Bay - Taffy's Rock and return

Long! Challenging! Beautiful! Rewarding!

All of the above describe our walk.

However - let’s take a step back.

We made an early start from Cowan Station and began our descent to Jerusalem Bay (this is part of the Great North Walk ).

There has been some improvement to the track in this part - man-made steps have replaced some of the natural stone ones. Steady rain overnight had made some parts a little slippery, but they were quite able to be managed.

Annette’s photo captures the peacefulness of the Bay.

We climbed( around 180 m) to our morning tea spot on Govett Ridge.

Not far along the track, we left the Great North Walk and took an unmarked path to head to Taffy’s Rock. For some time this was reasonably level - there were lovely boronia and wattle bushes all along the way. The “challenges” were simply that our path took us down, up and over quite a few huge sandstone rocks. These required a little bit of scrambling, but we made it!

Along the way we looked on one side across to the Hawkesbury River and on the other to Cottage Point - this is where Coal and Candle Creek meets Cowan Creek. There were many yachts moored at the marina.

Taffy’s Rock - was it worth the effort? Most definitely - the views were simply magnificent. We looked across to Lion Island with the Central Coast beyond. Because it was a perfect day weatherwise, everything sparkled in the sunshine. Although not a lot is known about “Taffy”, we understand that she was an inveterate bushwalker, who apparently visited the spot many times.

Our lunch break was shorter than usual as we were facing a lengthy return walk.

This went well - arriving back at our cars, however, was nice!

A change of footwear, a drink, a sugar hit, and off home.

We owe a special vote of thanks to our leader - her local knowledge, enthusiasm and encouragement made it all possible.

Waterfall - Heathcote

Our walk today ( in beautiful weather) took us to the Royal National Park.

The Park is very big - 15080 hectares, and it is the oldest established national park in Australia, and in fact, the second in the world ( Yellowstone Park in USA was the first.)

The Park is 32km south of Sydney and is bordered by the ocean in the east and the south coast rail line on the west. The northern boundary is Port Hacking and the Park stretches south to Otford.

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There are over 150 kms of walking tracks within the Park. We chose the Uloola and Karloo tracks, starting from Waterfall station. The walking, in the main, was quite easy. The many wattle trees along the fire trail sections were in full bloom. Our lunch spot was at the top of the Uloola Falls and then quite shortly after our break, we could see the city and Bondi Junction skylines. Our path then took us down to the Karloo Ponds. (Denise’s photo shows this beautiful spot.) We crossed without mishap, and on the upward stretch were aware of many birds - able to be heard, but not to be seen, or positively identified. The remainder of the walk was along the Goondera Ridge which led us to Heathcote Station.

Unusually, we met up with some fellow visitors to the Park. We hope that the young American enjoyed his two day walk - this entailed one night’s camping out, for which he was very well prepared. The youngsters playing at the Karloo Ponds ( being supervised by their Mums) were taking advantage of the lovely weather in their school holidays. We also sighted other walkers.

The return trip to the city by train was very pleasant and rounded out a great day.

Girrakool ( Central Coast )

We met at the Girrakool picnic area, which is delightful and has good facilities. It is not accessible by public transport, but is relatively close to the Pacific Highway. There is a choice of walks – some of the group chose to do a round trip, returning to their parked cars, whilst others set out with the intent to walk through to Wondabyne and then return to Sydney via the train. That was only possible because of the generous action of some spouses who drove those ladies to the start.

We set off , walking south through the Brisbane Water National Park.

The track crosses some long rock flats and climbs to the top of Scopas Peak – from here there are views right across the Park. The ascents are not too strenuous and all the walkers coped well ( there were a few rumbles about the “ups” being more “up” than was remembered! ) Officially, we climbed 437 metres. There were a few flowers in bloom and the bush is quite lush on this walk. Nearing Wondabyne, the track is a fire trail – a little rough, but quite manageable. Then we made the steep descent to the station. This part is well maintained and is in much better condition than it was a few years ago. The total length of the walk is 9.2 kms. Wondabyne station is unique ( or certainly in this area) - it has a one-carriage long platform ( see Annette’s photo) and only a few trains are scheduled to stop there.

On the day, the weather was very pleasant and this helped to make the day most enjoyable.

Our photos show Girrakool Falls ( these are quite close to the picnic area) and Wondabyne station– the end of our walk.

The Northern Beaches - Mona Vale, Turimetta, Narrabeeen

The weather gods were on our side again! It was beautiful day – clear blue skies, and lovely sunshine. We had had some unpleasant weather in Sydney in the previous week, so that was a very pleasing surprise.

Our meeting place was about 600m from Mona Vale beach, and we quickly reached the start of the coastal section of the walk. . The beach here has good facilities, including a rock pool, picnic area and playground equipment. Mona Vale is renowned for its good surf.

We walked south, partly on the edge of the golf course, and came to the small Warriewood Beach . We climbed up from there and arrived at Turimetta Head – a delightful spot for morning tea. Looking at the view to the north was amazing – we could see back to Warriewood and Mona Vale, then further north was Newport and in the distance, Avalon.

The next section was up on the cliffs and we soon had Turimetta Beach in view. It is only small – just 350m long, and is backed by high shale cliffs. There are no facilities and the beach is not patrolled. It is known for both good swimming and body surfing - and even on this winter’s day some intrepid surfers, in their wet suits, were enjoying the moment. Annette’s photo,(at the top) looking southwards, captures the scene.

The track then took us on to Narrabeen - the walking was easy, and as often is the way, we met very few others. Before we went down to the camping area, Denise’s photo (on the r.h. side) shows the outstanding view. Then for a short distance, the path was alongside the busy road, skirting Narrabeen Lake.

Our leaders had chosen a pleasant lunch spot in the very large Jamieson Park. Later we made our way to the Narrabeen shops, from we dispersed, in various directions, and by differing means, to make our way home.

P.S. one small disappointment on the day - no whales were sighted - but perhaps we will be lucky another time.