Sunday 6 November 2016

The group at morning tea

Members climbing down to the creek

Birds Nest Ferns find a comfortable home

Walkers avoiding a deep pool

Water Dragon

Betty emerging through the ‘jungle’

As we 11 members led by “Dauntless” Pat began the descent to Musgrave Creek, we passed through large patches of Tetratheca Thymifolia, their masses of mauve flowers lending a summery feel to the dry bush. Once in the creek and heading downstream, we enjoyed many bird calls, and a Scarlet Honeyeater was sighted. There seem to be more of them than usual passing through this year, and they are a delight to see.

There were frequent colonies of Birds Nest ferns, usually grouped around one or more Soapy Box trees, and to prove this is an excellent season for native orchids, the delicate Sarcochilus Olivaceus were happily flowering. Further on, we found a lethargic Water Dragon. The reason for its inactivity was not clear, but it did seem on the skinny side, so we left it with a wish that it may find some of the abundant yabbies for dinner.

Another creature that kept us amused for a few minutes, as we tried to take photos, was a Short-Finned eel, but it was not as co-operative as the lizard.

All too soon it was time to begin the ascent to the cars, as the creek environs are addictive. However, the loss of the previous parking area near the top of the walk was a blessing in disguise, as we parked lower down the mountain, thereby having a shorter climb, albeit quite demanding in the hot sun. Baths & beer were the main topic, after congratulating Pat on another delightful walk.

Bob T

Thursday 3 November 2016

One Tree Point

Opening of Tuross Lake

Horse Island in Tuross Lake

Coila Lake and Brou Beach

Photos by Karen M

Our walk commenced in Tuross heading along the ridge overlooking Tuross Lake, our first point of interest being a view across to Horse Island before heading further around to historic Tuross House built by the Mylott family (early settlers in the area) with the original heritage listed Norfolk Island Pine.    From here we meandered down to the edge of the golf course, a local high point with an excellent vista encompassing Coila Lake, Bingi Headland, North Plantation Beach & the ocean.

Continuing on, we walked the track that skirts Coila Lake, passing the estuarine wetlands that eventually returned us to the Boulevard footpath.  We followed the path along the coast passing the burial site of a humpback whale which washed ashore many years ago, then up to the Memorial Gardens and from there onto the beach until One Tree Point which has undergone a recent beautification and is much improved.  Happily a  whale was spotted frolicking & splashing (just for our entertainment).

After this we continued on the newly completed boardwalk & path back towards our start point but still managed to include some final points of interest such as views of Tuross river mouth and lake also the old Tuross Bakery Building.  As we passed all the many points of interest our walk leader Susan gave an interesting talk and insight into the history of each, thank you Susan, all your hard work & research was really appreciated!  At the completion of the walk, a number of walkers enjoyed a tasty feed of fish & chips for lunch at the old boat shed.

Deborah

Friday 21, Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 October 2016

30 Bushwalkers travelled to Goulburn on the weekend of 22-23 October to explore this historic inland city and its surrounds.

After nearly running out of water in the early part of this century, Goulburn is now linked to Sydney’s water supply and after recent rain, is looking green and lush.  Goulburn Tourist Bureau gave us a Saturday morning bus tour of all the historic and interesting sites – the lavish Courthouse, the impressive sandstone Cathedral, the stone War Memorial Tower, the infamous Goulburn Gaol and Supermax Prison, the Police Training Academy, and the Railway Station to name a few.

Saturday afternoon was free to explore the museums, art galleries, shops and further afield, Pejar Dam.  Several of us enjoyed an excellent organ recital in the Cathedral of 11 best known organ pieces ever written, followed by afternoon tea in the Cathedral Hall.  Great venue, impressive pipe organ, accomplished organist.

We spent Sunday morning out at Garroorigang Historic Home on the Braidwood Road.  This is now the private home of descendants of the explorer Hamilton Hume, but started its life in 1857 as Mulwaree Inn catering to traffic heading from Sydney to the Braidwood and Araluen goldfields.  It was later converted to a private boys school.  The current owners gave us morning tea and showed us through the house, the old stables which morphed into classrooms, and the gardens.  The house is full of the memorabilia from all stages of its history and is a fascinating and personal journey through time.

View of Goulburn from War Memorial Tower

The stone tower built to commemorate fallen soldiers

Visit to Garroorigang Homestead

House and stables

Garoorigang gardens

Our Foodi Tour of Goulburn began on Friday night with dinner at the iconic Paragon Café.  The food is great, the service is quick and because we were all too full to have dessert, many of us made a return trip for a sundae or gelato.

Breakfast next morning was at the community based Railway Café operated by Angels for the Forgotten.  The café is not for profit, staffed by a combination of Work for the Dole participants and community volunteers who are supervised by paid staff.  Each paid meal served in the café provides a free meal to someone in the local community in need via the community kitchen program.  They purchase all produce and supplies from local businesses and in addition promote Goulburn’s railway history.  Highly recommended!

A few hours later we had lunch at the 98 Chairs Restaurant in the main street – another enjoyable meal together.  The evening meal was at the Goulburn Soldiers Club, opposite Belmore Park.  By that stage most of us could only manage an entrée.

On Sunday, after morning tea at Garroorigang, we stopped in at Lerida Winery overlooking Lake George for lunch.  Our Social Organiser Elizabeth had arranged for a series of tasting plates to be served with house breads at this popular venue.

Paragon Cafe

Not-for-Profit Railway Cafe’s $15 breakfast

98 Chairs Restaurant lunch

Lerida Winery before

Lerida Winery after

View of Lake George from Lerida Winery

Thank you to Elizabeth and our Social Committee for a well-paced, interesting weekend.  It was obvious that a lot of work had been done behind the scenes to ensure that everyone enjoyed themselves.  Some of us are already planning a return trip to see the roses blooming, walk the lookouts at nearby Bungonia Gorge and make another visit to the Paragon Café.

Photos and Report by Karen M

Saturday 29 October 2016

Swathes of Pink Tetratheca and purple Dampiera cover the slopes of Bolaro Mountain

A new generation of Burrawangs

Glenn and Chris admire the work of our early road builders

Len tackles the crumbling bridge on Old Bolaro Road

Brian on gate duty

Mark makes sure the gate is closed

Photos by Bob M, Helen and Mary

After a bit of a drive on dusty roads, through several creek crossings in lovely country and the “car shuffle from hell” we arrived at the beginning of the walk ready for a good 16km hike.

Described as a ”good uphill walk”, Bolaro Mountain and Buckenbowra Valley certainly delivered the goods!

There was plenty of downhill too, but with such varied terrain, pockets of rainforest, some interesting bird song and swathes of spring flowers, the 16 of us were distracted enough to make it comfortably. To top it all, we even had great views of mist covered hills and the distant Clyde river as we climbed Bolaro Mountain and followed the ridge back down into the beautiful pastoral valley.

The old Bolaro Mountain Road was admired for it’s construction and stone work to shore it up but found to be wanting where a wooden bridge had rotted through. The Black Wattle was in full flower and walking past a remote homestead made us wonder what it was like to live in this picturesque out-of-the-way area.

Thank you for another great walk.

Helen

Wednesday 26 October 2016

Group at lookout

Whale watching at morning tea

Photos by Mary and Erika

Seventeen club members walked the cycle/walkway from Dalmeny to Apex Park, Narooma. The walk started out with overcast skies which apart for some very warm bursts of sunshine and humidity, remained so most of the way. We were shadowed by several whales some quite far out to sea but visible enough for us to enjoy their displays of breaching, tail flapping and spurts of vapour as we had morning tea on the grassy headland. A mother and calf swam nearer to shore and mum put on a lovely aerobatic show. It is indeed a great year for whale watching and appreciation.

As we neared the end of our walk we spotted a goose nesting amongst the reeds with two goslings. Lunch was at Apex Park where we found beautiful picnic tables and benches, luxurious facilities as we usually sit on fallen forest logs.

Thank you Lesley for organising the car shuffle and leading a pleasant walk along our lovely coast line.

Mary

Thursday 20 October 2016

Lunch break

Lesley and Donna by the Clyde

Photos by Mary and Ainslie

Val led 11 walkers on a pleasant hike off Marilyn’s Road near the Clyde River. The walk followed forest roads and offered great views of Pigeon House and the Castle as well as taking us along the Clyde River. The highlight for the nature lovers was a large goanna climbing a nearby tree 20m off the ground. Its colour blended so well with the tree’s bark it took some of us quite a while to spot it.

Bob T regaled us with the story of the reccie for this walk and getting stuck on the berm across the abandoned forest road, frustratingly only 20m from River Road. Fortunately, a local drove by and helped Bob out of this predicament but a number of us mentally noted to take two vehicles on Bob’s future reccies, just in case. Bob shrugged it all off as part of the experience and colour of bush walking.

The long climb (300m) back up to the cars subdued the chatter of this group and showed us that Val is still as tough as she always was when designing a medium walk – good to have her back inspiring us.

Rob

Saturday 15 October 2016

Diamond Creek Falls

Amanda’s precarious perch

Len’s trusty rope

Finding the falls

One of the locals

All present and accounted for

Photos by Bob T and Amanda

Len along with 6 members and 2 visitors (Betty, Bob, Janet, Sharon, Martin, Glen, Amanda, Glenn) drove out along dirt roads and fire trails to start the walk.

We followed an old horse trail, crossed a picturesque creek passing yellow pea flowers, pink flowers listening to the many bird calls (Bob T did name some of the birds) and taking in the smell of the bush.  Wonderful.

Around midday we decided to turn around, find our way to Diamond Creek’s number 1 waterfall and head back out.  Along the track we came across a Scrub Wren‘s birds nest and further along a goanna hiding against a tree waiting for the right time to scamper up and away.

Finding our way to the waterfall on the way out seemed easier than the walk in.  While we could hear the waterfall it wasn’t until got to the bottom we saw the extent, a fabulous waterfall.  Water looked very inviting and Martin took the opportunity for a swim.  The rest of us took in the scenery that included an abundance of flowering rock orchids, lovely.

Most of us used Len’s trusty rope to assist our descent and climb back out. We followed the creek back to the track and headed up, up to the cars.

Thanks to Len a great day had by all.

Glenn

Wednesday 12 October 2016

Great day for a beachwalk

Meroo Lake opening

Native iris (Patersonia)

Photos by Mary and Karen C

Meroo Lake to Termeil Point walk was led by Karen C who knows this area well, and decided not to start as planned at Bawley Point to avoid the lake entrance which was still flowing out.

Fourteen members enjoyed a warm sunny day on a lovely stretch of coastline, along beaches and over rocks. We walked back on a bush track through very mature Banksia forest and admired wildflowers. Catching our eye was the Purple Flag or Native Iris (Patersonia), Wedding Bush ((Ricinocarpos pinifolius as Karen reminded me), Pittosporum revolutum with its delicate pale yellow flowers, and Hybanthus monopetalus or Slender Violet.

Ainslie

Sunday 9 October 2016

Fossils everywhere

Volunteer geological guide Phil

Looking for fossils

Waratah in Ulladulla Heathland Reserve

Photos by Mike and Joan

On Sunday October 9th our scheduled walk was a bit different to the usual club activity.  Fourteen participants travelled to Ulladulla, where we were met in Brodie Park by Phil Smart, a volunteer guide with the Gondwana Coast Fossil Walk Project

Phil began with a brief outline of the Geological history of our part of the world, with clear diagrams and pictures as aids.

We then moved down to the foreshore rock platform on the north side of Ulladulla harbour, where Phil was able to point out and explain geological phenomena such as evidence that the rocks we were walking on were once shallow ocean water sediments on the continental shelf of the ancient super-continent Gondwana around 270 million years ago.

We saw “drop stones”- rock material carried in glaciers to the edge of the land, carried out to sea in icebergs, and then dropped to the sea bed when the icebergs melted in the warmer sea water.

We saw fossils in abundance in the black and grey rocks of the Wandrawandian Siltstone  formation. There were two common types of shells- Bivalves and Brachiopods, as well as Crinoids (sea lilies) which were not plants but were animals related to sea urchins and star fish, and Bryozoa (sea fans) with their delicate network structure.

With a rising tide we had to abandon the beach, and Phil then took us to the Brodie Park Time Walk – here the volunteer group, with help from grant money, have created a 255 metre Time Walk where 1 metre of path represents 2 million years of time. Starting at 510 million years ago the walk takes the visitor through geological time to the present, with examples of significant rock types, and explanatory notices along the way.

It was all a fascinating experience, greatly enhanced by the enthusiasm of our very knowledgeable guide Phil Smart.

After lunch we drove to the South Pacific Heathland Reserve where the paths traverse various vegetative communities  including flannel flowers, grevilleas, wattles, banksias, orchids.  With the help of Nicki (a member of the Reserve Committee who was out for a walk with a friend) we even managed to locate some waratahs which were in bloom.  Rennies Beach and South Pacific Lookouts provided panoramic views of the coastline areas from Rennies Head, Warden Head and lighthouse in the north to Bawley Point and Durras Mountain in the South.  Pigeon House Mountain was also visible as we followed the path back.

Thanks go to Ainslie and Joone for organising Sunday’s walks which were both informative and scenic.

Mike

Thursday 6 October 2016

Flowering cabbage tree palms

ANU Kioloa Research Campus strawbale building

Lunch on O’Hara Head overlooking Kioloa Bay

Lush gullies by Dangerboard Road

ANU does a really nice morning tea log

Photos by Helen and Karen M

It was perfect weather for a brisk 16 km walk as Mary led eleven members east along Bucks Road towards Kioloa beach. The forest rang with bird song and the winter rains have encouraged a profusion of wild flowers, even the cabbage palms were flowering.

We stopped for morning tea at a spot Mary joked she had especially set up with logs atop of rocks providing very comfortable seating.

Greeted by a friendly and well informed employee of ANU when we reached the research facility, he explained the history, current uses and ongoing maintenance issues of the establishment.

Lunch was at Kioloa beach on rocks overlooking an almost waveless, clear blue ocean. We then headed through more lush forest, up the slowly inclining Dangerboard Road. This unique name came about from the “Danger” board (sign) about 2 km from the sawmill where horses pulling the log trolleys were unhitched and the loaded trolleys rolled down the road to the mill using the gradient.

Thank you to Mary for a really enjoyable day.

Denise