Sunday 02 May 2021. Lime Kiln Bay and Oatley Park.

Twenty members and friends set off from Oatley Village for a 7 km walk around Lime Kiln Bay and the perimeter of Oatley Park. Certain members took the opportunity to reinvigorate with caffeine at a local cafe, having travelled lengthy distances to The Shire's neighbouring Georges River Municipality.

It was a perfect 24-degree sunny autumn day. Highlights included the burned remains of a snake, spoonbills, ducks and lorikeets not to mention the extensive water views and the short board walk through the mangrove wetlands. 

After a very social lunch stop by the water’s edge at Oatley Baths, Jo and Melanie entertained us as they swung on the rope hanging from a large tree discovered on the return to Oatley Village.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity of a glass of wine, a beer or even another coffee, the group retreated to yet another Oatley Village cafe for a final social gathering and farewells.

We are grateful to Russell Barnes for organising today’s walk.

Thursday to Tuesday - 01 to 06 Apr 2021. Easter at Kahane Lodge, Perisher.

We had 26 members at Kahane Lodge plus three more at Charlotte Pass.

Our walks included the Porcupine Trail (with lunch overlooking the Alpine way), the Rennix Track, an ‘off-piste’ walk to the Alpine Eyre Café via the “top of the quad”, Olympic T-Bar and Mt Perisher (thanks to Steve and Cathy Smith for the excellent leadership).  Ron Giles also led us on a walk from Charlotte Pass to the old restaurant.

Charlotte Pass Resort was offering free rides on the Stillwell Chair from 10am to 3pm which made the walking there a very enjoyable option. What’s more, Stillwell Hotel was open for rehydration!  It makes the Pass a very attractive option for a few quite days in the mountains.

This weekend away would rank as one of the best Easter outings we’ve had - blue sky, 25-degree days and no wind.

The mountains are becoming very popular as an Easter destination, but there are still great little-known walk options.

Another great Easter week-end with good company and excellent food.

Here are two map images of a couple of our activities. First Mt Perisher, then Rennix walk.

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Sunday 07 Mar 2021. Sphinx Loop Track - Ku-ring-gai National Park.

Eleven enthusiastic members met on Bobbin Head Road at about 9am, just near the start of the Sphinx Track in Ku-ring-gai National Park.  Comfortable walking weather, an abundance of wildflowers and the wonderful angophoras made for a most enjoyable circuit.

We did the loop in a clockwise direction, going down to Bobbin Head along the Bobbin Head Trail before following the Cowan Creek by way of the Sphinx Track - making a total distance a little over 11.5 km.  Along the way there were great water views and many old middens reminding some of us of the days when you could eat rock oysters straight from the Sydney coastal rocks.  Instead, some of us enjoyed a coffee at the Empire Marina almost exactly half way around the Loop. 

Finally the history of the Sphinx and pyramids set out at the end of the walk was inspiring - we finished the day off at 3.30 pm with most of the group proceeding to the Bobbin Head Bakery for another tea or coffee and a chat.

Thanks to Bob once again for finding a great walk. Kudos to 2 of our group who had run the loop the day before!

Here is a GPS trace of the route we took. Distance was about 11.5 km.

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Friday 19 Feb 2021. Cootapatamba Hut maintenance day.

Cootapatamba Hut is a survival shelter originally built as a hydrographers’ hut during the planning for the Snowy Mountains Scheme.  It sits in a valley below Lake Cootapatamba. SASC has a long history as the official hut caretaker:  it was originally taken on by Rex Cox (40 years ago!), then Charlie Griffith and now Bob Sims with the help of many members of the XC & BW group.

The hut is an important survival shelter in an area with easy access from Thredbo and Dead Horse gap. In Feb 2019 the NPWS rebuilt it as a replica of the original hut, the intention being for us to return in Feb 2020 and paint it on site for the first time after the rebuild. However Covid-19 caused the cancellation of all hut working parties.

Finally, this year a work program was planned and accomplished. On Friday 19 Feb 21 a working party of six SASC members visited the hut. The party included Tim Moore (Trip Coordinator), Karsten Pederson, Sharon & Harm Drenth, and Sally & Bob Sims. The main objective was to repaint the hut.

The day involved driving to Rawson’s Pass (with NPWS permission under strict guidelines), walking down (one hour), 4 hours painting, and walking out (two hours). After many years watching the hut deteriorate in its severe alpine environment it was a pleasure to see it rebuilt and in such wonderful condition.

Cootapatamba Hut is unique in that it is painted fire engine red and it has a distinctive “chimney” entrance which can be used if the snow level is higher than the door - although climbing up and down the “chimney” in snow boots is not for the faint-hearted. It was interesting to note that the door now opens inward so the need for the “chimney” entrance may not be so critical in the future.

Many thanks to the working party members and to Marion Plumb (KHA Huts Maintenance Officer) for all the hard work.

Here is a trace showing the route from Rawsons Pass down to the hut.

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Sunday 07 Feb 2021. Avalon to Barrenjoey Lighthouse.

Heading north-east from our meeting point near Avalon Beach, our group took an urban route for a short distance until we reached the Bangalley Headland. The path here yielded fine views back along the sandstone coastal cliffs to Avalon Headland and further south.

Once off the coastal path, we descended slowly on urban roads to Whale Beach for beachside morning tea.

At the northern end of Whale Beach, we climbed a couple of hundred steps to reach the road which took us around Little Head. Rounding the headland we were rewarded with more fine views, south and north. It was clear that this part of Sydney is a very desirable place to live - there were many extensive renovations and vast new houses along our route, not to mention those that have been there for decades and in original condition.

Palm Beach was the next destination where we paused for lunch before tackling the track up to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse. The lighthouse precinct has been carefully restored and preserved and is a wonderful destination for views in all directions.

Palm Beach was busy, busy, busy. The place was totally parked out, and there were large numbers of people in cars cruising around trying to find a place to stop - it was just as well we had walked in!

Some of the group made their way back to Rosemary’s place at Curl Curl for our traditional start-of-year fish and chips for afternoon tea.

Great walk, great weather and great company. Many thanks to Bob and Sally for organising the day.

Here is a GPS trace of the route we took. Distance was about 12.5 km.

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Saturday 12 Dec 2020. Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden - short walk and picnic lunch.

A nice number of members turned out for our Xmas gathering, this year held in Dampier's Clearing at Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden. After a short walk around some of the paths in the Garden, we gathered for a delightful picnic luncheon. Highlight of the function was birthday greetings to 3 of our steadfast members - Bob Failes, Geoff Thomas and John Sims.

Despite significant disruption due to Covid-19, we managed to meet for a few walks during the year. We wish everyone a happy new year, and look forward to doing more together in 2021.

Thanks to Bob and Sally for arranging today's event.

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.