All posts by Wendy Cairns

A bright sunny morning but with a touch of winter chill saw 7 walkers gather at Mangrove Mountain to tackle a walk which, at 25 klms, is much longer than our usual walks. After driving as far down Dubbo Gully Rd as possible ( a locked gate preventing further progress), we set off downhill on good fire trail. After 2 klm, we took the left fork at the Y junction and crossed a long bridge over Mangrove Creek.

At the 4klm mark, we stopped to explore the historic cemetery, finding graves dating back to the 1850’s, including one for a former convict.

A short time later, another Y junction marked the started of the Dubbo Gully Loop. We took the left hand track, doing the loop clockwise. The trail loosely follows Mangrove Creek and has remnants of historic embankments and culverts visible at the side. We paused here for morning tea, above the creek.

After passing through a low, swampy area, the track started to climb gradually, but it was a sustained incline.

Just after the half way mark, we encountered the Ten Mile Hollow camp ground, equipped with a toilet, table and bench seats and fire pits. Turning right onto the Old Great North Rd, it was about 1 klm to reach Clares Bridge, constructed in 1830 and named for the overseer of construction. There is no decking on the bridge, but the support structures are impressive and made a good spot for lunch.

After lunch, there was a little more uphill and then started downhill, which was a little steeper than the long ascent. We stopped to admire a good view looking down on our earlier pathway. A lyrebird was spotted on the way, a nice surprise after hearing (but not seeing)several earlier in the day among a lot of other birdsong. We had also seen Purple Swamp-hens and a brown cuckoo dove.

Having completed the loop, we retraced our steps back to the cars, a very welcome sight for some of us. It had been a long walk, but with excellent weather and good spirits maintained, the walk was completed in good time. Drinks at the Mangrove Mountain Memorial Club were appreciated.

Well done all!

16 walkers met at Hawthorne light rail station for the start of our walk.  The Greenway is a mixed cycle and walkway in the inner west. For a Saturday morning it was not as busy as feared

As the walk along the Greenway is only short we had ample time to stop and admire the commissioned art installations, parks, industrial heritage, tunnels and bridges. 

Arriving at Cooks River we ran into a Coffee cart- long awaited by some. Morning tea was had in a picnic shelter and then we retraced our steps back to the Dulwich Hill light rail back to Hawthorne

Most of us elected to walk further north along the canal to the Bay Run where we had lunch

By the time we returned to Hawthorne we had clocked up about 11kms

Chris.

After the high temperatures and humidity of the week, the overcast day and cooler temperatures were welcomed by the 11 walkers who set out to discover this new walk for the club in the Royal National Park.

After meeting at the end of the Forest Path on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive and car shuffling to the Fig Tree Flat picnic area, we learned that Lady Carrington Drive was built in the 1860’s, and then set off along the road. The road is broad and flat, though stoney underfoot. We soon encountered Gibraltar Rock, a sandstone formation which overhands a section of original cobblestone road surface, and later came to Jersey Springs where 2 water troughs were installed to water horses on the drive. The troughs are still filled by the same springs as when they were built.

Without an obvious place for morning tea, we stopped on the road and managed to avoid being skittled by bike riders.

Along the next section of road, a pair of lyrebirds were observed just above us on the sandstone cliffs. Continuing on, we turned on to the track to Palona Cave, a 1 klm undulating bush track to reach the limestone cave and Palona Brook Falls just beyond. After spending a little time exploring the cave and admiring the falls, we returned to the main road and back-tracked a little to the Palona Brook Picnic area for lunch. There was a magnificent Turpentine tree nearby.

After lunch we continued along Lady Carrington Drive . Upon reaching the intersection with The Forest Path, we turned right and followed the track unto a wonderland dominated by Cabbage Leaf Palms and ferns. The track follows a long curve in the river, but is mostly high above the water. Arriving back at the cars, we undid the car shuffle and repaired to the Audley Dance Hall for refreshments.

A few leeches were encountered, but otherwise all finished the day in good shape. It was a thoroughly worthwhile day.

Fortunately, the day was overcast and thus a pleasant temperature for walking as 15 walkers took on this lengthy and often quite exposed walk. By the time we completed the 17 kms of mostly hard surface walking, our feet were very pleased to have the weight taken off them.

We saw some sight along the way- the Wentworth mausoleum in Vaucluse, various memorials, the Macquarie Lightstation, Waverley Cemetery, lots of housing (exotic and otherwise) and many wonderful city, beach, sea, and cliff vistas. A new section of the coastal walk was well received, but the path south of Bondi was extremely busy.

After undoing the car shuffle, drinks were enjoyed at the delightful Nielsen Cafe, Vaucluse.

With temperatures predicted to reach 40 degrees, it was decided to replace our planned walk with a shorter morning expedition from Rose Bay to Watsons Bay and finish with a dip in the harbour.

A group of 4 walkers met at the Rose Bay Ferry Wharf and under high cloud and pleasant temperatures set off, soon reaching Queens Walk and the Hermitage Foreshore. The paths were busy with runners and the beaches popular with many people already in the water. We stopped at Nielsen Park for morning tea. The large seawall on Shark Beach was well populated.

The cloud cover was still keeping the temperature reasonable as we headed out to Vaucluse Point and then around the streets full of swanky homes. The bridge over Parsley Bay is always a delight to cross, but there were surprisingly few people in the water there.

Onwards we went until we reached Watsons Bay. It was still quite early, but the swimming enclosure next to the Vaucluse Yacht Club has been improved with walkways and pontoons and looked very inviting. We took our time with a refreshingly cool swim and then picnicked in the shade of the large trees near the Watsons Bay Hotel. Fish and chips, coffee and ice creams were variously enjoyed before the ferry trip back to Rose Bay.

It had been so pleasant , we thought the BOM had got the forecast wrong, but when we got home, it was 40 degrees, so apologies to BOM. This walk was an excellent way to keep cool.

Dawn led  3 walkers on a 7 klm ramble through Upper Lane Cove NP, City View Lookout, Thornleigh oval, Coops Creek Circuit, and on to Cypress Street for lunch. The photos are of wildlife spotted along the way.

The second group of 8 walkers set out on an 11k trek along the Twin Creeks Circuit. However, the navigation sent astray. Dave W saved the day, finding the track that goes down to the Lane Cove River, then up to City View Lookout, and the Thornleigh Oval. At this point, the group was tired from the bush bash involved in finding the track and ALL agreed to cut the walk short & head directly to our Gourmet Lunch. Cold Drinks on arrival were just what was needed.

After and excellent lunch Peter kindly gave us a lift back to our cars.

Enjoyed the great company,

Greg & Dawn.