Thursday 25 May 2017
Photos by Bob B
Another absolutely perfect day when 27 bushwalkers led by Joan and Bob could not resist the 8 km walk from Depot Beach through bushland to Pebbly Beach. The walk began at the rainforest loop walk car park at Depot Beach, and then followed the road back up to North Durras Road where the bush track began to the right and up the hill for half a kilometre, where at the top a gravel Parkview Road was followed leading to Pebbly Beach for morning tea with beautiful views.
At this point a short interesting history of the early 1900s sawmill at Pebbly Beach was told to the group. The sawmill settlement once had 200 people and was closed in late 1920s when timber loaded by the remaining flying fox pole on the northern rock platform ceased being used to load timber onto steam ships. The land became leased to a couple who built cabins to rent and in 1975 the Murramarang National Park was created to include the area at Pebbly Beach. In 1978 another couple leased the southern area and their father, Jack Higgins, managed the camping ground for National Parks for 25 years.
After morning tea the walk continued back to Depot Beach around the foreshore rock platform due to the required low tide which gave a chance to see the variations in the rock formations in that area and to walk across the beautiful pebbly ground cover in that area. Back at Depot Beach there much enjoyment for lunch, and then a short walk back in time through the remnant of a coastal 50 million year-old littoral rainforest before arriving at the car park after a most interesting walk.
Joan