Friday to Monday - 06 to 09 Nov 20. Abercrombie National Park 4WD weekend.

After some good recent rain, the country around Oberon and Black Springs was looking just fantastic. The Retreat River had risen and was flowing at a much stronger rate than usual.  There was further rain on Thursday, making the river crossing a challenge even for the high-clearance 4WDs. However, by Friday the sun was out and then over the next few days the river dropped back to near normal levels providing a relatively easy exit crossing.

We always come prepared to help with jobs that are better suited to a group, and this year we were able to help Jacqui cut up several fallen trees and store the timber ready for next winter. We also cleared a large rock which had somehow ended up in the middle of the river crossing.

It wasn’t all hard work of course: we managed a few walks along the river and enjoyed our nightly campfire happy hours in the tranquility of the valley.

Many thanks to Jacqui for your hospitality.

Saturday 17 Oct 2020. Glenbrook’s Historic Railway Cuttings.

Andy Cairns’ walk for 2020 was a circuit in Glenbrook taking in several lookouts and long sections of the historic Lapstone Zigzag railway. This heritage listed piece of NSW railway history was constructed in the 1860s to overcome the steep grades on the eastern side of the Blue Mountains .

We started (and finished) at Bluff Lookout carpark in Glenbrook.  Our first stop was Chalmers Lookout for views into the Blue Labyrinth, then to the Great Western Highway admiring the old and new homes with views into the valley. We crossed under the highway and passed the Glenbrook RAAF Headquarters.

Now was the time to leave suburbia and follow the Lapstone Zigzag walking track up to the old Lucasville Railway Platform for a well-earned drink stop. Then up to Siding Lookout before heading down the cutting to cross under the Highway again. We followed the track up past the old Glenbrook Tunnel (660m long). We walked through Darks Common and up to an unnamed lookout above the main western railway line where we had lunch watching the commuter trains enter the Glenbrook Gorge Tunnel.

After the walk we stopped for a coffee in the gardens of the 2773 Café in Glenbrook.

Many thanks to Marion and Andy for their organisation and leadership. It was a great pity that (due to Covid-19) we had to place a 20 member limit on the attendees as it’s certain there were many more members who wanted to be with us.

Here is a GPS trace of the path we took at Glenbrook.

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Sunday to Sunday - 30 Aug to 06 Sep. Nordic Week, Charlotte Pass.

In fabulous snow and kind weather conditions, twenty-one XC skiers attended Nordic Week at Charlotte Pass this year. We ended up with several groups with a range of backcountry skiing experience.

Our day tours included:

Snowy River North Arm – A trip along the summit road, then down to the headwaters of the Snowy River. We had lunch was under a cornice overlooking the Snowy River.

Wrights Creek Saddle – We started on the Nordic Trail then up into Wrights Creek, finding a sheltered spot for lunch just past the saddle. The wind picked up after lunch so we abandoned any thought of a round trip via the restaurant and returned via Wrights creek.

Wrights Creek – We explored the treed slopes behind the lodge, working our way around into Wrights Creek. There are great views towards Sugarloaf and a nice ski down to the pole line.

Sugarloaf Loop – We had an easy day with a ski down the valley, up to the weather station on Sugarloaf and home via the lee of Guthrie.

Guthrie Trig – We crossed the valley and climbed up to the Guthrie Trig for the 360-degree view then dropped down for lunch overlooking Johnnie’s Plain, after lunch we enjoyed some snow play in the beautiful conditions.

Spencers Creek – A pleasant wind-free tour ended our Nordic week.  We skied amongst the snow gums and paused for lunch looking down the valley towards Guthega Dam.

It was interesting to see that National Parks (we think) had groomed some of the backcountry trails including the Summit Road from the Pass and the Bett’s Camp link track.

Many thanks to our Lodge managers and staff for their support and hard work during a very difficult ski season.

We are looking forward to our next summer visit and the opportunity to experience some of the completed sections of the new Iconic Snowies Walk.  Click here to see the latest status.

Sunday 05 Jul 2020. Botany Bay foreshore walk.

After a pre-walk coffee at a nearby cafe, a nice number of walkers assembled at the Riverside Drive Carpark, Sans Souci. Russell Barnes and Col Packham led us southwards over the Captain Cook Bridge (opened 1965) and then along a path skirting the Taren Point Shorebird Reserve.

Further along the shoreline we stopped for morning tea at a rather smart new shelter and viewing platform looking out over the Towra Point Nature Reserve.

The Towra Point Reserve is a destination for the Bar-tailed Godwit, a migratory bird that flies in large numbers from Siberia each year in order to feed. In fact, the tidal wetlands of Towra Point are the last of the large wetlands of the Sydney region - most of the wetlands that existed prior to European settlement have been reclaimed and developed for housing, recreation and industry.  It is an important site, recognised in the Ramsar Convention of sites of international importance.

Just offshore we noted a man-made “island” consisting of sand-filled bags which serves as a resting point for pelicans. There is also plenty of evidence around this area of oyster farming in years past.

Despite this area being a noted bird haven, we saw very few on this day. There was a small number of sandpipers, and two pairs of pied oyster catchers.

Returning on the east side of the Captain Cook Bridge, we walked the foreshore to Dolls Point and had lunch in the park adjoining the Georges River 16 Foot Sailing Club. The Kiss the Barrista cafe there was quite busy, and of course due to COVID limitations, there was no kissing to experience.

With luncheon over, we socially-distanced walkers made our way back to our cars at Sans Souci and headed home.

Thanks for Russell and Col for arranging this day and for being a mine of information about the local area.

Friday to Sunday - 06 to 08 Mar 2020. Camping weekend to North Haven.

For our annual camping week-end 26 campers got together at North Haven.  We use the description “campers” advisedly, as apart from Liz McCann who chose the tent option, all the rest either brought caravans or chose cabin accommodation.

Our main event was the Saturday walk for which we selected the Diamond Head Loop Walk in the Crowdy Bay National Park.  Unfortunately we found the track closed due to the recent fires, so we walked the shorter Mermaid track.  This was a nice easy short walk with a great view at the end. Along the way we could readily see the devastation caused by the fires.

We then moved to the Kattang National Park and walked the Flower Bowl Circuit and the Perpendicular Point Track. This was a very pleasant walk with sightings of two goannas, one red bellied black snake and hundreds of Blue Monarch butterflies.

Over the week-end we took quite a number of car trips including to North Brother Mountain, Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, and a visit to Ricardo’s Tomatoes.  The Beach Break café at the North Haven Surf Club was a popular option after an early morning beach walk.

A great weekend away to a beautiful part of our northern coastline.  Many thanks to Bob and Sally for organising.

Here is a GPS trace of the path we took at Kattang.

Sunday 02 Feb 2020. Seaforth Oval and Bantry Bay Circuit.

Fifteen heat-resistant souls turned out on what was predicted to be a scorching day for a 6 km walk in the upper reaches of our beautiful Middle Harbour. As it turned out, the weather was not too extreme at all, with a pleasant breeze moderating the heat most of the way.

Our first 20 minutes took us from Seaforth Oval down to water level at Bantry Bay, where across the water we could see the buildings of the disused Explosives Depot. This Depot was the major explosives storage facility in Sydney and operated between 1915 and the early 1970s. Nowadays, it is part of Garigal National Park, and there have been some stabilisation efforts around the buildings and the seawalls.

After morning tea and lunch stops with wonderful views back down the Harbour to the city, our circuit continued up to the level of the Wakehurst Parkway. We left a patiently-waiting crow to pick up any leftovers at our lunch spot.

Once back at the ridge, we finished the last 2 km on a level track back to our cars at the Oval.

Geoff and Ursula’s place at Belrose was next on the program. Everyone cooled off in the pool and enjoyed lunch and a cool drink under the patio umbrella.

To round off the day, we made our way to Rosemary’s place at Curl Curl for the traditional “fish ‘n’ chips” dinner.

A great start to the year. Thanks for Geoff and Ursula for arranging.

Here is a trace of our walk.

Bantry Bay Route.JPG

Our Completed 2019 Program

Scroll down to see photos and stories of our activities.

Feb 3 Sun Walk in Garigal NP

Mar 1 - Mar 4     Camping W/End at Wyangala Dam (Fri to Mon)

Apr 18 - Apr 23  Easter at Kahane, Perisher (Thu to Tue)

May 5 Sun Walk in Lane Cove NP

Jun 2 Sun Lower North Shore Walk

Jun 27 - Jun 30 Summit Tour XC Bus Trip (Thu to Sun)

Jul 7 Sun Walk in Cronulla Area

Aug 4 Sun Walk Cherrybrook Area

Aug 31 - Sep 7 Nordic Week at Charlotte Pass (Sat to Sat)

Sep 15 Sun City Street Art Walk - St Peters and Newtown

Oct 19 Sun Blue Mountains - Empire Pass, Lawson

Nov 8 - Nov 11 4WD/Camping W/end in Abercrombie NP (Fri to Mon)

Nov 30 Sat XC & BW Christmas Picnic Walk (Saturday)

Saturday 30 Nov 2019. Xmas Picnic and Walk, Lane Cove National Park.

On a warm Sydney Saturday we met at Haynes Flat Picnic area in the Lane Cove National Park for our last gathering for 2019, the annual Christmas picnic and walk. 

Rob Failes acted as our scout and arrived early, only to be told at the entry gate that not only was there a total fire ban for that day (fully expected) but also walking in the park was not permitted (fully unexpected).  With a flurry of phone calls, Sally and Bob notified who they could that the day's plan would be limited to just meeting at the Park and having lunch. 

Not content to believe everything he heard, however, Rob sought out "further and better particulars" and learned from a Ranger that there was no ban on walking at all!  More phone calls were made, and eventually a small group of die-hards gathered at the appointed spot and set off for the on-again-off-again walk, starting with a short amble down past the coffee shop and then back via the beginning of the Great North Walk track.

We stopped to admire the two historic cottages along the way and it was also interesting to observe the effect in the park of the drought and recent Sydney storms.

By lunchtime we had 29 festive members and enjoyed our lunch with many stories being told of everyone’s adventure travels during the past year.

After lunch we moved to the grass for the annual cricket match and it must be noted that as Bob Failes approaches his 90th milestone his batting and fielding were much admired by all. This year we introduced real stumps but next year we may need to introduce the DRS!

Many thanks to all who attended.  Special thanks for Bob, Sally and Rob for planning and keeping the day alive.

Friday to Monday - 08 to 11 Nov 19. Abercrombie National Park 4WD weekend.

Nine campers join us in the Abercrombie National Park, for probably one of the hottest and windiest weekends we’ve had there we started coming.  At the outset, there was total fire ban affecting the park, but by Monday conditions were so hazardous that the park was officially closed.

We still managed to get a few jobs done and all enjoyed the traditional camp oven dinner on Saturday night.

Many thanks, Jacqui, for your hospitality.

Sunday 19 Oct 2019. Empire Pass, Lawson.

The forecast for the morning of 19th October was for a particularly windy day. Nonetheless, thirteen keen walkers met our leader Andy Cairns at the end of St Bernards Drive, Lawson, for what turned out to be a most enjoyable circuit in almost perfect conditions.

Highlights were Dantes Glen, St Michaels Falls, Empire Pass, Frederica Falls, Echo Bluff and, in case we thought we had seen all the falls, right at the end of the walk came Fairy Falls. Much of the walk followed the clear running Blue Mountains Creek which we crossed three times on well-placed stepping stones. Bird calls abounded and spring flowers delighted.

Lunch was taken at stunning Echo Bluff, where some of our party tested the name with loud coo-ee calls with results varying because of the ever increasingly noisy wind.

This walk was well timed, as Bob and Sally were just back from their latest trip overseas, and Harm and Sharon are about to go walking in their much loved New Zealand. Ron McCann at 85 years kept up a cracking pace, while others followed at a more sedate rate. There were no straying stragglers today, thanks to Marion’s skilful management of the tail-enders.

To top off a wonderful day, we all gathered on the verandah of the Cairns’ place for Marion’s magnificent afternoon tea. Here we were not only treated to fabulous food, but also enjoyed Marion’s lovely garden.

Many thanks to Andy and Marion Cairns for organising and leading the walk today and for having us all back at their place afterwards.

Bob kindly mapped our route today in real time, as shown below.

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