Well it happened! After two postponements due to Covid lockdowns, Donna, Gay, and Glenn held the Illawarra Escarpment Camp. Full credit to the three. They persevered to make this camp happen and put together a programme of walks over four days that had us walking in four completely different areas of scenery, geology, and flora. Each was an impressive trek.

The weather forecast for the week of the camp certainly looked ominous. However due to great skill with the timing, we walked each day without the need to don rain jackets (albeit except for a period of about 10 minutes). The Escarpment Walk was certainly a highlight and well done to Donna and Glenn on the medium/hard walk, and Gay on the medium walk, in leading the walks based on a recce done 18 months earlier, in the reverse direction. Impressive!

It was a fun camp, and not only did Donna, Glenn and Gay, as first-time camp organisers, bring it off spectacularly, they also prepared the camp report and sorted out the supporting photographs to go with it – all of which is below – so enjoy.

Thanks also go to all those camp participants who submitted their photographs.

Peter

Illawarra Escarpment Camp  Monday 10 October 2022 – Saturday 15 October 2022

Day 1 – Illawarra Escarpment Walk – Medium/ Hard 18k

The epic Illawarra Escarpment Walk spans 18km from Austinmer to Stanwell Park. It is made up of 3 walks – the Sublime Point Track (Austinmer to Sublime Point via numerous steps and ladders), Forest Walk (Sublime Point to Mt Mitchell) and the notorious Wodi Wodi Track (from Mt Mitchell to Stanwell Park Railway Station).

Due to a recent closure of the Sublime Point Track due to landslips, this 1km of track was not traversed by our 9 intrepid walkers, however the remaining 17km was tackled in earnest in a northerly direction from Sublime Point to Stanwell Park.

Whilst recent rains had made the track very wet and slippery in sections, we were rewarded with a mild, rain free day and were treated with some beautiful sights along the way. The walk was a delight for plant lovers. There was an amazing variety of plant life that included numerous Gymea Liles, various rainforest tree species, ferns, colourful spring flowers, grass trees, old man Banksias and stunning Waratahs, just to name a few.

We continued along Forest Track and not long before our lunch spot, we crossed paths with the ‘medium’ walkers, who were completing a return walk to Mt Mitchell. A few laughs were had, and our group lamented the fact that all the knowledgeable ‘plant people’ were in the other group, hence our limited knowledge of what we were actually looking at…… except for the Gymea Lilies, we were on point there!

We continued to our stunning lunch spot at the top of Mt Mitchell, which provided lovely distant Sydney city views to the north and we then later continued down Mt Mitchell to the commencement of the Wodi Wodi Track.

The Wodi Wodi is only a 2.5km track but definitely the most difficult part of the Escarpment Walk. The track was wet, slippery, and extremely muddy. It is made up of short, sharp steep ascents and descents. It requires walkers to traverse slippery tree roots and rocky terrain. It also contains two water crossings which had swelled considerably due to the recent rain. The first water crossing was safely navigated and when we arrived at the second one, we discovered that a tree had recently fallen and had positioned itself directly across the path that was to be used to cross the water. This was the only spot where we could safely cross, however the tree certainly hindered our path. Fortunately, we had our resident muscleman in the form of Tom S. who tossed some ‘massive’ boulders into the water to assist in crossing and we had Phil C. and Peter T. ably assisting people across the very slippery rocks and up and over the fallen tree.

We continued on where there was some moaning and groaning about our walk leader’s interpretation of what contours and undulations exactly were, but in the end, everyone survived the adventure relatively unscathed, except for the usual tick and leach passengers.

We descended to the Stanwell Park Railway Station where we were greeted with the welcome sight of our drivers at the end of the walk, satisfied with our achievement that day.

Day 1 – Illawarra Escarpment – Medium 13k

Twelve walkers chose to complete the 13km return Forest Walk to Maddens Plains track as their first choice on the Illawarra Escarpment Camp. It was cloudy with no rain predicted, but the promised sunshine did not really eventuate.

After dropping off the Medium/Hard walkers at Sublime Point lookout, the walkers drove 4km up the road and used an access gate to meet up with the Forest Walk Track on the escarpment. We hiked through a rainforest, a Gymea lily grove, a Teatree grove, with lots of stops for wildflowers and to enjoy the stunning views over the escarpment to the beaches and suburbs below.

The highlight was enjoying lunch on the rock ledges of Mt Mitchell overlooking Stanwell Park, Bald Hill, and taking in the promised view of Sydney in the far distance. From there we retraced out steps back to the cars.

Day 2 – Mount Kembla Summit and Ring Track – Medium 9k

Eleven members took on the Medium walk this day, heading up to the summit of Mt. Kembla. We mostly followed the marked track, with a slight bush bash, to reach the summit. Our trek was through eucalypt forest, past rock overhangs, along carpets of moss and up steep steps to the trig and out onto a natural rock platform. Here we enjoyed spectacular views over Lake Illawarra and Port Kembla.

On return we stopped for morning tea on a rocky outcrop, again with views over Lake Illawarra and surrounding farmland. All could hear, and some, sighted a Lyre bird running across our path and even saw the Lyre bird’s nest.

From there we picked up the Ring Track and headed down steep stone steps through a lush muddy rainforest area below the cliff line. We passed Cabbage Tree palms and fungi outcrops, on a track that was mud, mud, and more mud! But it was beautiful.

Soon we emerged out onto a service road where the vegetation opened to a lovely forest. We stopped for lunch while searching for the remains of an old mine off to the side of the road. No mine shaft was found; however, evidence of past workings was all around.

We then joined Cordeaux Road taking us back to the cars. We headed up hill past an old cottage, the Windy Gully Cemetery, and some inhabited cottages; all with the beautiful forest to our right.

Day 2 – Mt Kembla Ring Track – Easy/Medium 5.5k

The easy/medium option today was 6km circuit looping around Mt Kembla, minus the summit walk (that the medium walkers took on).

We commenced our walk near the start of the summit track but headed down Cordeaux Road to our first stop at Windy Gully Cemetery. This cemetery has historical significance because it is the resting place for 33 miners who perished in Australia’s worst ever mining disaster. In 1902 a total of 96 men and boys, including rescuers, were killed following an explosion in the Mt Kembla coal mine. We took time to read the various epitaphs and then continued along a service road which eventually brought us to a pretty but extremely muddy track that would eventually lead us back to our starting point.

Recent rain increased the degree of difficulty significantly, but it was a credit to the walkers that they continued undaunted through the mire. This track meandered its way through attractive rainforest which was studded with huge palms, mossy rocks, and old growth trees.

Eventually we reached the final push which consisted of a series of very steep slippery rock steps which fortunately had chain railing alongside to assist with the ascent. This was all traversed successfully as we made it to the top, completing the walk and eating a well-earned lunch back at the cars and the lookout over the coast.

Day 3 – Barren Ground – Medium 13k

With the promise of just a wet track, but no mud, 15 keen walkers risked the small chance of rain on an elevated 13km walk in Barren Grounds reserve. This took in the detour to Cooks Nose ‘lookout’, as the medium option walk this day.

The Griffiths Loop trail was a well-defined track through bushland brightened by heaps of flowers, a lookout, and a scenic natural stone bridge over a creek. Only one leech was known to make an appearance.

Near the end of the loop, we turned off for a 5km return detour to Cooks Nose. The ‘Cooks Nose detour’ took us to a perfect rocky bluff looking out over rocky escarpments and a lovely, wooded valley. It was where we enjoyed our lunch.

A great walk, lots of flowers, views, no rain…but yes, there was mud!

Day 3 – Barren Ground – Easy/Medium 8k

Five walkers joined leader Glenn on the shorter 8 km walk on the Griffiths Loop trail at Barren Ground, as the easy/ medium option this day. It was the same walk as the other group, but not out to Cooks Nose.

The ‘Barren Ground’ title is a misnomer as in Spring certainly, this area is beautiful with a perfusion of gorgeous native flora. For our day it was a little overcast and windy but once again, no rain. The native Boronia were especially spectacular in colours ranging from pale to deep pink.

It was a joy to be walking on rocks and sandy soil and in the wet patches, sand rather than have mud coating our boots. The two creek crossings were interesting and although some rocks were slippery, all of us negotiated the crossings successfully.

Unfortunately, we did not see the shy Ground Dwelling Parrot that inhabits this area, but a red breasted robin was spotted by ‘eagle eyed’ Heather.

This was the third day of walking and this as were the two previous days, in a totally different environment providing new trees, rocks to climb and bush and heath land to enjoy.

Day 4 – Sea Cliff Bridge – Coalcliff to Coledale 7k – lunch – Coledale to Bulli Beach Tourist Park – 14k total

Twenty-Two walkers headed off to walk over the iconic Sea Cliff Bridge that is cantilevered above the Pacific Ocean running parallel to the cliff line out of reach of falling rocks. With dramatic coastal views both north and south on the eastern side of the bridge and the Illawarra Escarpment to the west, this was a stunning way to start the trek.

We then followed the road and few side pathways connecting the villages as we headed south. We passed beaches, and rock pools, saw restored pubs, old miners’ cottages, new upmarket houses, and a variety of gardens. A broad range of architecture was on show. And it was sunny to boot!

We eventually arrived at Coledale RSL for our scheduled lunch. Although we had booked in advance for a group of 23 for lunch, this was a stretch on the clubs’ facilities. We are sure the Club’s staff though, appreciated the help of Martin, Ed, and Tony and a few others, who jumped in to do a bit of waitressing as the meals came out ‘en masse’.

All enjoyed a hearty meal before nine of the group continued, to walk to Bulli. The rest returned to camp on the car shuffle skillfully arranged by Gay; with few leaving the camp there to head for home that afternoon.

For those nine hardy souls it was a further 8.5km on the coastal path where they passed numerous small sandy coves and headlands. Of particular note was McCauleys Beach and Sandon Point, the site of a 6,000-year-old ceremonial burial of a Kuradji (similar to a shaman).

The grave was perfectly undisturbed and after archaeological excavation and scientific examination, the entire grave was re-located to a safer, secret location. To put 6,000 years ago in context – that’s 4,000 BC – back in the stone age, and put that archaeological find  twice as ancient as that of Egyptian pharaohs’ remains. We do live in remarkable country.

The Sea Cliff Bridge walk was the last of the camps’ walk and a fitting end to the camp. It showcased the beautiful coastline and villages of this part of our south coast – and it was hard to believe we were only some 17 kms from the center of 3rd largest city in NSW.

Donna, Glenn, and Gay