BATEMANS BAY BUSHWALKERS INC.

Thursday 30 May 2019

Uphill through the forest

Pebbly Beach

The welcoming committee at Pebbly

Heading back to Depot along the coast

Those amazing rock platforms

Low tide on the Murramarang Coast

Photos by Erika & Philip

The morning greeted us with calm and sunny weather, nothing like the previous few windy days.

From the start at Depot Beach carpark our large group walked a short distance up Depot Beach Road before turning onto a rough bush track. After walking about 600m uphill through the bush we emerged onto Parkview Road, a good gravel road which we followed through the forest to the junction with Mount Agony Road.

Turning onto Mount Agony Road we followed it all the way down to Pebbly Beach, where we took the opportunity to stop for morning tea and take in the tranquil scene. As we walked onto the beach after morning tea we were approached by a large group of kangaroos looking for an easy snack. Clearly there are many visitors to the beach who ignore the “do not feed the animals” signs.

Heading south along the beach we soon came to the extensive rock platforms and the pebbly section of beach that gives Pebbly Beach its name. Having coordinated the walk with low tide we were able to enjoy the often hidden beauty of the water sculptured rocks, crevices and clear pools.

Our meander along the beach and rock platforms soon lead us back to Depot Beach, where we finished the walk with lunch at a picnic table overlooking the sea.

Erika & Philip

Saturday 25 May 2019

The group dwarfed by a giant pinkwood with an arch base

Another huge Pinkwood

Lunch under the tree ferns

Helen, Donna, Simeon & Tracey

One of the giant Brown Barrels

Hurdling another fallen tree

Photos by Ian, Simon & Karen

Ian led eight Batemans Bay Bushwalkers to a rarely visited and difficult to access part of Monga National Park rainforest. The 8.5 km walk took members through areas of White Ash forest, where long strands of bark shed by these trees meshed together with bracken, fallen branches and thorny vines to make progress very slow.

The effort was rewarded when the forest floor opened out to reveal a lower canopy thick with tree ferns, rocks and logs covered by mosses, ferns and fungi.  All of this, towered over by huge Pinkwood trees and Brown Barrel eucalypts.

The  walkers found that most body parts ached at the end of the day, but the magical memories will linger long after the pain has subsided.

Denise

Wednesday 22 May 2019

Bowls at the ready

Look at that action

Nice style KC

Some of the group waiting to start

Photos by Donna

Our social event this quarter was an afternoon in Ulladulla.  First up, lunch at the Ex Servos Club, followed by a couple of hours of 10 Pin Bowling at the Dunn Lewis Centre, who also put on coffee and cake after the games.

28 members brushed up their bowling skills, some for the first time ever.  It’s an easy game to learn, helped enormously by the first class facilities and electronic scoring boards at the Ulladulla venue.

Thanks to Elizabeth and the Social Committee for a fun afternoon.

Karen

Sunday 19 May 2019

Sydney Red Gum

Deua NP creek

Nearly dry

The finish line

Photos by Helen & Karen

Eight walkers joined Donna for a circuit on good fire trails in the Deua National Park.  Conditions were ideal for this walk which consisted of some very steep hills.  Donna, being the thoughtful leader  that she is, ensured that the steep hills were at the beginning of the walk and that it was all downhill after lunch, well mostly downhill!  Simeon was the only male, but he performed his duties as custodian of the harem impeccably, not one harem member was lost, injured or attacked by a Yowie the whole time.

Along the walk there were many excellent examples of Sydney Red Gum and some lovely flowering Deua Grevilleas.  At the conclusion of the walk, most participants attended Karen M’s house for a delicious afternoon tea.  Donna was very grateful to Karen for doing this as a little inducement ensured that a nice amount of people turned up for the walk.  Oh, and custodian of the harem enjoyed a lovely drop of Bob M’s home brew. Thanks Mr and Mrs M.

Donna

Thursday 16 May 2019

Good walking tracks

Fairy garden

Portrait of a Walk Leader

Photos by Donna

This was a very pleasant walk led by Pat through a small section of the western side of Murramarang National Park on May 16, that 13 people participated in.

The walk began and finished back on Fire Hut Road.    Beautiful old, very tall and majestic spotted gums were a highlight of the day and these were interspersed with iron bark trees plus cabbage tree palms along now-dry creek beds.

The variety of bird calls heard along the way also contributed to a very pleasant Autumn walk.

Pat

Sunday 5 – Friday 10 May 2019

Photos by Erika, Philip & Karen

Thirteen paddlers made camp at the North Nowra Ski Park overlooking the Shoalhaven River for 4 days of paddling some of the many Shoalhaven waterways.

Day 1: An 18 km trip from camp upstream on the Shoalhaven River to Calymea Creek near Bamarang Reservoir.  This involved a fairly lengthy car shuffle, but the towering sandstone cliffs lining the river made the effort worthwhile.  Excellent paddling weather.

Starting out the first day

Sandstone cliffs

Lunch on a river beach

The fleet

Campsite

Day 2:  Drove north through Berry to Wharf Road and the launch spot on Broughton Creek.  Paddled upstream to where the creek forks into 2 arms and explored both.  Returned to launch spot and drove back to Berry for lunch.

At Broughton Creek junction

Paddling through farmland

Day 3:  Paddled downstream from camp, under the highway bridge to Bomaderry Creek.  Joined the remainder of the group who chose to launch at the boat ramp in Bomaderry Lions Park off Bolong Road.  Paddled Bomaderry Creek upstream.  Very windy conditions.  Returned to Bomaderry Lions Park boat ramp.

Passing under the Highway

End of Bomaderry Creek

Jaffles cooked on the campfire

Day 4: Paddled downstream from camp to Nowra Creek and explored the main creek and its tributary.  There is also a walk on both sides of the creek called Ben’s Walk.

Nowra Creek tributary

Egret standing sentinel

Tributary reaches farmland

Bob

End of Nowra Creek

Then paddled back upstream past camp to explore Cabbage Tree Creek opposite the zoo.  This creek ends in a spectacular rock amphitheatre.  Paddled back to camp and more jaffles around the fire.

Entering Cabbage Tree Creek

Approaching the cliffs

Cabbage Tree Creek Amphitheatre

End of the creek

Erika and Philip under dry waterfall

Thanks again to Ian for organising the camp paddle program and logistics, and the evening campfires.

Karen

Saturday 11 May 2019

On a bright Saturday morning ten members and two energetic visitors gathered at the Wasp Head car park for what must be one of the most beautiful walks in the Murramarang National Park. The forecast had predicted heavy seas but the outlook across Emily Miller Beach was placid. The Beach is named after a wrecked ship and the rocky headlands between all the beaches on this walk attest to the dangers for early shipping. The walk passed across seven named beaches but there are other rocky and often dramatic small coves in between. After the climb out of Emily Miller we descended to the ominously named Dark Beach (but only named for the colour of the sand), then up again and down to Myrtle, with its rocky platform to cross and grassy backdrop.

Start at Wasp Head

Emily Miller Beach

Dark Beach

Myrtle Beach

Photos by Christine & Karen

On all the ridge tops the stunted gums evidenced the fierce and chilly southerly winds that cross the ridges. That did not seem to stunt the ancient burrawangs, however, and our off-track sections had us pushing our way through these unfriendly natives with their knife-like leaves. Up again and down to Richmond Beach. By now the wind was rising and the waves were getting up. These south-facing beaches were catching the rising wind  the sea was no longer enticing for a lunchtime dip. A quick drop down to Little Oaky Beach, across two dry creek gullies and then down to Oaky Beach proper for lunch, close to a native bee nest embedded under one of the cliffs.

Stunted spotted gum forest

Brian

Richmond Beach

Little Oaky Beach – stony and rocky

Flat, sandy Oaky Beach

Oaky Beach lunch lawn

Native bee nest

After a sunny lunch, footpaths became the order of the day, passing Honeysuckle Beach and providing a civilized end to our walk to the North Head camp site. A splendid walk, with lovely clifftop views along the coastline, on a beautiful day.

Honeysuckle Beach

View back to Richmond Beach in distance

North Head Beach

Rodney

Wednesday 8 May 2019

Old paddocks overtaken by mangrove

She-oak forest

On the top

Granite Quarry

Photos by Donna

Bushwalkers visted Louttit’s Quarry on another perfect winter day for being outdoors.  This granite quarry on the south side of Moruya River produced the lathe turned granite columns for some of the grandest buildings in Sydney, including the GPO, Queen Victoria Buildings, Customs House, St Mary’s Cathedral and for the statues of Captain Cook, Queen Victoria and the Centotaph, among others.

The walk was nearly all off track and we are grateful to Bob for leading this excursion and relating the story of this largely forgotten piece of our local history.

Karen

Sunday 5 May 2019

Fungus hotspot

Ghost fungus

Denise’s raspberry pie

Photos by Donna & Denise

16 members and 1 visitor enjoyed a pleasant walk in winter sunshine along good forest tracks through the bush near Tomboye Road, north of Batemans Bay.  After a brisk 7.5 km and a few hills, you can’t go past the East Lynne Road House and their famous sweet pies for afternoon tea.

Karen