Saturday 23 October 2021

The group in the iconic spotted gum forest

Passing through a grove of unscented rosewood understorey

Spring time is snake time

View of Dark Beach from the cliffs above

Photos courtesy of Karen 

One of our bushwalks today was along the coast and through the forests of Murramarang National Park, south of Durras. It was a short morning walk, followed by a picnic lunch in Durras Park adjacent to Cookies Beach.

Walkers picked a path through the myriad of tracks crisscrossing Wasp Head to find Emily Miller Beach, named after a coastal trading ketch wrecked there in the 1800s. On the way we interrupted a sunbathing red belly black snake who obligingly posed for a photo before slithering off into the leaf litter. This section of the National Park is well known for the unusual shapes of its spotted gums. The trees are somewhat stunted and their branches are twisted and warped by the salt air, winds and poor soils.

The trail emerges from the spotted gum forest to the cliff edge overlooking Dark Beach, named for its staining of grey sand. Choosing another trail heading west, we left the coast and headed inland, where we picked up a track leading back to Durras village and the walk start.

Karen