BATEMANS BAY BUSHWALKERS INC.

Saturday 3 September

Cancelled, due to poor weather

Wednesday 31 August 2016

View of morning tea by creek

Joan and Carol find the first of the orchids

Betty with a bigger one

And after that they got bigger

and bigger

Photos by Karen M

This was the last day of winter and perfect for the group of 13 led by Joan through Cullendulla Nature Reserve.  The track wanders through Spotted Gum bushland with expansive views north of Long Beach and comes to the end of the clifftop of Square Head.  After admiring the view the group followed the track along the top of Cullendulla Creek to the area where steps lead down to the sandy foreshore for morning tea and views across to Batehaven.

The walk then followed a track along the edge of the tidal creek at low tide which gave the opportunity of Bob T noticing resting marks in the moist sand from flathead and stingrays which were of great interest.  Further along the shoreline, the beginning of an area of Casuarina trees is where the Rat’s Tail Orchid (Dendrobium Teretifolia) begin to be noticed growing and flowering at various heights on the Casuarina tree trunks.  The abundance of these orchids in this area this year is truly amazing, the best year ever, and all were overawed at this wonderful display of these tiny cream coloured orchids in such profusion – August is their prime time.

The track wanders along the creek foreshore to the end area of an open space known as the Cullendulla Aboriginal midden which has many layers of shellfood deposits from the past.  Lunch was enjoyed beside the creek at a pleasant small clearing and then the return walk to the Nature Reserve car park finished an exploration of this most enjoyable part of our coast.

Joan

Sunday 28 August 2016

Morning tea view

Lunch view

Photos by Amanda

The Pigeon House walk is one of the best walks in this area for those who like to ascend a little mountain for some wonderful views.   Geoff and Elizabeth led the group of 12 Batemans Bay Bushwalkers, including some who had never been up on top of Pigeon House before.

There were some delightful spring flowering native shrubs and flowers out in bloom, however we were a week or so early for the beautiful boronia “show” on the plateau, as it was still just in bud.

Up on top the views were spectacular as usual and everyone gazed around at the beautiful Budawang land formations and gorges and took photos to record the view.

After lunch we then descended the ladders and the steep track back down to the cars. Along the way it was lovely to see many young people and children out on the track also enjoying the exercise, their bush surroundings and the great views.

Pat

Thursday 25 August 2016

Lunch on Wagonga Scenic Drive

Mary, Rob, Bev and Bob

Lawlers Creek track

Views along Lawlers Creek

Dwarfed by lush vegetation

More Lawlers Creek views

Photos by Karen M

13 bushwalkers scored a clear sunny day to explore this 10km walk in Bodalla State Forest, led by Rob.  After crossing Lawlers Creek, we ascended virtually the only hill on the walk to the ridge.  Then we strolled through groves of flowering wattle, encountering a few undulations, and passing an old Underground Tank used as a water source by the Rural Fire Service.  This area is now recovering from being logged several years ago.

We then descended back to the creek gully, and enjoyed lunch seated on Wagonga Scenic Drive to try and escape the leeches – fortunately no traffic that day.  The last leg of the walk was most enjoyable – wandering along the banks of Lawlers Creek on a slightly overgrown meandering track.  The vegetation is lush, the eucalypts are towering, and there are occasional glimpses of surprisingly steep cliffs on the opposite bank.

Thank you to Rob for putting this walk back on our Program.

Karen M

Saturday 20 August 2016

Start at Mackenzies Beach

The view south

South from Pretty Point

North from Pretty Point

Lilli Pilli Beach

Lilli Pilli headland

Photos by Karen M

The spectacular scenery on Saturday’s bushwalk was proof enough to all 19 bushwalkers of why they chose to live where they live! The walk started under a clear blue sky at Mackenzies Beach, and we were soon heading on our way to Pretty Point. A couple of walkers glimpsed a whale out at sea on their walk out to the point, but alas it was not visible during our morning tea break out on this very rocky point. However it was obvious that the day’s slight breeze and relatively calm sea had enticed quite a few fisherman out in their boats to try their luck.

From Pretty Point it was a series of up, over, then down many of the headlands on our way north. Though much of the track is clearly marked, there were enough rough challenging descents to keep us focused on where we put our feet!

Looking down into the water from the higher points on the track, it was obvious that there are plenty of good snorkelling spots along this coast. Lunch was spent on Lilli Pilli Beach, before once again heading north across another headland to the cars at Circuit Beach.

Mary

Wednesday 17 August 2016

Bob leads the troops

Behind Turlinjah

Photos by Karen C

Fourteen walkers made the best of the excellent weather to explore an area of Moruya State Forest near Turlinjah.   Using some motorcycle tracks (thankfully no two wheeled vehicles were encountered), some dirt roads, namely Kays and Triangle, Bob led us around forest close to Coila Creek’s tributaries. As there was no recent rain, the creek crossings  in the gullies were dry, but made for lovely cool ferny areas where the still water reduced the temperature – just right for refreshing us prior to the next upward hill!

We were shown Green helmeted native orchids (easy to miss and step on by the unwary, but thankfully off the track so they survived our visit) and spent some time checking out the animal tracks on sandy parts of the path.

Another lovely walk in the Eurobodalla.

Helen

Thursday 11 August 2016

Mark, with Leaders Mary and Stan

Rob checks his location

Front row seats for lunch

Campsite in the National Park

Photos by Donna and Karen M

Mary and Stan led a group of 11 bushwalkers on a 12 kilometre circuit walk from Nelligen township to Clyde River National Park.

The group walked along well-formed hilly trails with a little bush bashing thrown in for good measure. It was a perfect sunny winter’s day for walkers to take in the sounds and sights of the Australian bush. The group enjoyed a well-earned break for lunch on the banks of the picturesque Clyde River, watching a beautifully restored timber boat from a bygone era cruise past.  Following lunch the group re-entered the bush for the return journey, where walkers were lucky enough to see a glossy black cockatoo flying low overhead.

Thank you to Mary and Stan for sharing this wonderful walk with the bushwalkers.

Mark

Monday 8 – Wednesday 10 August 2016

Ian, Wendy, Bronwyn, Doug and Simon at cold Wog Wog

Doug celebrates Corang Peak

Descending to Canowie Brook

Canowie Brook Swamp

Monolith Valley

Bronwyn looking into the upper Yadboro River

‘Oh, what a feeling!’ on Corang Arch

Photos supplied by Ian

The Club last walked this route, a classic NSW pack walk in rugged wilderness, in June 2012 and a report of that venture can be read on the Club’s web page.

On this occasion five Club members (Wendy, Bronwyn, Simon, Doug and myself) planned to enjoy the walk over three days.  Two of the party had not yet sampled the ruggedness and grandeur of the Budawangs Wilderness and were keen to see it.  And as for the other three – well, they just can’t help themselves but go back, again and again.

On the first day, we departed Wog Wog car park mid morning and cruised along a reasonably trouble free track.  We lunched with magnificent views of Pigeon House Mountain southwards in a large arc to the rugged Wirritin and Currockbilly Mountain ridges.  After lunch we climbed Corang Peak which, thanks to the large bushfire in the upper Yadboro River catchment of October 2013, now has 360 degree views over the mid Clyde and upper Corang River catchments.  Doug celebrated with a handstand and Simon recorded it, making sure Pigeon House Mountain was in the background.

We moved on to the Corang Arch and recorded a traditional “Oh what a feeling!” photograph of the group.  Again, the arch ignored us and showed no sign of collapsing to the thud of falling feet.

Under a setting sun we waded through the golden grassy plains of Canowie and Burrumbeet Brooks and got to our camp with enough light to collect firewood for a warm and cosy night.  The usual discussions on future walks, equipment, food and other related bushwalking subjects eventually subsided under a cool, clear, starry night.

Our second day started with deteriorated track conditions.  It was wet, muddy, uphill, and overcrowding scrub.  Not the most pleasant, and tiring on the legs.  Nevertheless, we got to our Mount Cole camp site by lunch time and decided to tackle Mount Owen from the western side.  The steep gully entrance was straightforward apart from one steep rock scramble because the damp conditions made rock gripping a bit more tenuous than usual.  We made a mad dash across the rock pooled and scrubby top of the plateau (it’s big – 100 hectares plus!) but we were cheated of the alleged magnificent views of the Clyde valley by lack of time and thick undergrowth.

Our retreat was a little more exciting.  Under a setting sun and diminishing light, we missed our western exit, lazily following the little rock cairns of the eastern route.  After a quick check of our coordinates and a more thorough search we found our route to the north, down the rock slabs and into the confines of the gully once more.

Overnight the westerly winds growled above us but we were snug in our camp.  The blowy conditions continued the next day but this did not affect our meander through Monolith Valley.  From rocky ramparts we paused to gaze down into the headwaters of Holland Gorge, framed by Donjon Mountain to the west and Shrouded Gods Mountain to the east.  We continued on, paying our respects to the seven pinnacles, the Green Room, the adjacent Emerald Room, the Natural Arch and the coachwood/pinkwood rainforest downstream.

Emerging from the confines of the rainforest, and before exiting Monolith Valley via the chains, we enjoyed a final leisurely view westwards from our vantage point at Eagles Nest.  We soaked up the timeless atmosphere of the surrounding pancaked mountains of Nibelung, Owen, Cole, Shrouded Gods and Mooryan, formidable guardians of the valley.  They are the highly eroded remnants of Pangea’s ancient river sediments of 250 million years ago.  This view is one of the great enduring images of wilderness NSW.

We lunched at the Castle saddle and dismissed any plan to climb the Castle under the very windy conditions prevailing.  After inspecting Cooyoyo camping area we headed down the steep, eroding, convoluted track toward home.  By the time we got to the Yadboro River, and our transport home, we were beat, plodding through the water without even considering taking off our boots.

We didn’t see anyone else in the three days. It was very enjoyable.

A big thank you goes to Goldie and Simon for the transport.  It saved us a big car shuffle!

Ian

Saturday 6 August 2016

The red brigade

Sea eagle nest

A break under the nest

Betty and Pat

A 9 bushwalker sized spotted gum

Kay on one of the horizontal swamp mahoganys

Upper reaches of Candlagan Creek

Photos by Karen M and Donna

20 bushwalkers walked to a little-known and seldom-visited nature reserve on Saturday.  Karen M led the group through Broulee village to The Bower private property which gives access to the Illawong Nature Reserve, a 51 hectare block of land and swamp administered by NSW National Parks.  Mark and Sue from The Bower had kindly given us permission to access the Reserve and also to complete our circuit bushwalk through their property and on to Candlagan Creek.

From Illawong, there are extensive views across the adjoining Illawong Swamp and Longvale Swamp.  There’s also a fantastic sea eagle nest perched high in the fork of a huge spotted gum.

We enjoyed walking through mixed forest of spotted gum, ironbark, woollybutt, blackbutt and swamp mahogany with an understorey of burrawang, saw banksia and wattle.

Emerging from Mark & Sue’s property, we then followed the track beside Candlagan Creek back to Broulee, where there are some magnificent swamp mahogany eucalypts growing horizontally from the bank out over the creek.

This was a 7 kilometre flat, easy walk on good tracks through some lovely bushland which finished just before lunch.

Karen M

Wednesday 3 August 2016

With wet gullies full of sword grass

Twisted spotted gum forest nearing the coast

Myrtle Beach

Headhunter Mike with quarry (it’s a coconut)

Huge spotted gum

At the base of the big spotted gum

Photos by Karen & Bob M, and Donna

Karen C proposed a “scenic pleasant walk in Murramarang National Park” for a group of 22 hikers and it was delivered.

The initial cloudy cold weather quickly cleared to a sunny warm day. Our hike along roads and tracks was in forest from start to finish and kept our photographers busy. We walked in pure stands of spotted gum, including a few who could rival ‘old blotchy’ and transitioned to swamp mahogany as we got close to the shore and the sandy soils.

Lunch was on Myrtle Beach, and if the whales swam by (as promised) we were all too busy chatting to notice. On the way back we were serenaded by numerous lyre birds who were unperturbed by our group of noisy bushwalkers and kept up a constant melody of bird song mimicry that I’m sure impressed the girls.

This is a great hike, 11km with not too many hills, and should be done once a season to remind us why this a great national park to visit. Well done Karen.

Rob