Thursday 26 October 2023

Great day for the walk

On the Creek foreshore.

On the Boardwalk

A conversation

No Boats!

Photos courtesy of Lesley. Walk Report courtesy Walk Leader Lesley.

Even tho only 3 turned up to the walk, we started from the school to Surfside beach , continued around passing the new Eco development of holiday canvas units onto the boardwalk for morning tea than returned to our cars via the school. Sun was shining, good company, we all enjoyed the short walk.

Saturday 21 October 2023

BotanyTalk

Group Portrait

Local Flora

Morning Tea

Photos courtesy of Amanda, Gavin and Denise. Walk Report courtesy of Walk Leaders Gavin and Denise.

With the temperature forecast in the higher 20’s our party of 9 ventured out into the somewhat busy traffic of a Saturday morning.

As we slowly drove up bumpy Mison road the brush on the sides closed in and threatened to scratch our cars adding to the challenge of the drive.

The 10 kilometre long trail was about 3 kms due west of the highway and traversed a mixture of fire roads and motorbike trails. The area apparently sees infrequent use as all trails looked a bit wild, even some of the bike trails looked obscure at times. Keeping one eye out for snakes and the other watching the GPS, navigating at times was tricky. But persistence paid off and everyone returned to the cars free of incident and with good cheer.

A good day had by all…I hope!

Wednesday 18 October 2023

Bushfire recovery led to a lot of foliage!

Some of the crew.

Lots of Pinkwoods

Waratahs.

Photos courtesy of KarenM, Glenn and Amanda. Walk Report courtesy of Walk Leader Glenn.

A group of walkers drove up the mountain to enjoy a walk in the Monga. Started off following a lovely track, with birds in full song, and an abundance of tree ferns in all their glory.

This led us to an area where we were excited to discover some Pinkwood trees , while burnt, seem to have survived the 2019/20 fires.

Then onto the River Forest picnic area for lunch and our only sighting of the Monga Waratah.

A perfect day in the great outdoors.

Sunday 15 October 2023

Morning tea by the river

Heather & Karen with recovering soft tree fern

Monga waratah (Telopea mongaensis)

Waratah inspection

The Waratah Crew

Photos courtesy of Amanda and KarenM. Walk Report courtesy of Walk Leader KarenM.

Batemans Bay Bushwalkers’ weekend walk was an Easy 9 km stroll along River Forest Road in Monga National Park, at the top of Clyde Mountain. Our purpose was to see if the Monga waratahs (Telopea mongaensis) had survived the bushfires which had obliterated much of the vegetation in that area.

We were rewarded with a good scattering of bushes in full flower in the more open sections of the forest. The Monga waratah is not as spectacular as the NSW floral emblem most of us know as a waratah, but it can only be found in a discrete area near Braidwood – including Monga National Park.

There were also a number of other wildflowers in bloom – enough to keep our photographers happy.

Thursday 12 October 2023

Group Shot

Climbing the sandstone staircases.

Spectacular views

On the beach.

A rest at Snake Bay

Photos courtesy of Brian, DonnaG, Glenn and DonnaF. Walk Report courtesy of Walk Leader Brian.

With a weather forecast of strong winds and temperatures above 30 degrees, it was only the brave who were willing to venture out on this 13 km coastal walk.

But there were handsome rewards for the eight participants, as we sampled the delights of this first section of the new Murramarang Coastal Walk.

In the relative cool of the morning, we passed the landmarks of Island Beach and Singing Stones Beach, before pausing at Snake Bay for morning tea. Then refreshed by food and a cooling breeze, the group continued south as far as Clear Point before turning back to retrace our steps.

For those who had walked this section in earlier years, the new track is a revelation, with clear, well-made tracks and the amazing sandstone staircases to make the climbs somewhat easier. There was also more traffic, unusual for club bush walks but nonetheless interesting to encounter school groups, visitors, locals and many younger people, some doing an overnight walk for the very first time.

Back at Snake Bay, lunch was enjoyed in the shade, while some cooled down with a refreshing dip. With the temperature now at its peak, it was on to Pretty Beach and the end of a very enjoyable day.

Saturday 7 October 2023

Along the Beach

Glorious Views

Admiring the views

Morning Tea in the shade

A welcome rest

Bob and Ros triumphant.

Sharon at morning tea

A Goanna sunning itself

Photos courtesy of Karen, Gay, Donna F and Max. Walk Report courtesy Walk Leader Gay.

11 Batemans Bay Bushwalkers enjoyed a gorgeous spring morning to complete the 7 km easy/medium walk in Potato Point.

The walk follows the beach north towards Tuross Heads with a couple of lookout points out to sea but alas, despite the Leader’s promise that whales would be seen, they were somewhat elusive. Though all agreed that the whales “were out there”.

From the beach the group turned inland and entered an area that has recently been control burned making the Burrawangs very happy. And of course, one hill had to be conquered before the group could again return to the lookouts for more whale sightings! Well okay, no whales seen but some spouts were definitely spotted.

One club member noted that they had not walked in this area before and it did not disappoint!

Wednesday 4 October 2023

Gavin, Karen, Lenore and Denise down by Mummaga Lake

Peter, Gavin, Lenore and Denise at Mummaga Lake

Photos courtesy of Peter, Karen, Denise and Gavin.  Walk report courtesy Walk Leader Peter

Here I was thinking that the long-awaited forecast of rain would keep fellow walkers away, only to be pleasantly surprised to be joined by four intrepid members of the Batemans Bay Bushwalkers to take on this walk with me – even in the rain!

As we set off we all expected that in half an hour’s time, the heavens would open and this walk would be a wet one! Rain was desperately needed on the South Coast so no one was wishing otherwise, but as we donned our packs there was just 3 drops of rain to greet us.

This walk is certainly an interesting one. It is an old favourite of the club, being well led in the past by Ainslie and Mike. But with lack of maintenance by National Parks to those off-road parts of this walk, its popularity waned in recent years. Having said that, this was my very first walk with the club and that was only 3 years ago. And I for one was pleased to get back on to it.

The walk has a bit of everything. A nice, but not too challenging distance of 13 kms. Some gentle tracks initially down to and around the backwaters of Mummaga Lake and to the lake shore itself. A hairpin turn then has you heading up hill on old fire trails through open bushland before getting to the “bush bash” down to Brou Lake.
The maps show an old road here, but the bush has swallowed that up long ago – although there are odd traces of the road here and there. Thanks to the club’s memory maps a path can be followed through the bush and the “bush bashing” was not tough at all. An effort anyway, that is well rewarded, as the last 500 metres is through spectacular, pristine spotted gum burrawang forest with Brou Lake glistening in the background. And we did see a cheeky flock of yellow tailed black cockatoos grazing on tree trunks!

From the shores of Brou Lake it is an easy walk to the head of the lake, which is where we enjoyed lunch sitting on the grassy foreshore (with a few ticks as well I fear).
The track heads south above the beach. This section was once the highlight of the walk but it has been left to be overgrown, making the going a bit tougher than it was in past times; but still easy walking. And every now and then there are still the vistas down the beach to Dalmeny.

Then it is on the road for the last 3km slog back to the cars. We were all hoping the rain would have come by now, to at least make this section interesting, but not even a drop of rain had hit our caps by the time we got to the cars. So much for the forecast of heavy rains in the early afternoon! The rains, of course did hit our part of the South Coast later that evening, but by then we were all home and I was picking ticks off me!

It was a great walk, and I do thank the four that braved the ‘alleged’ forecast rain to join me on it.