Thursday 20 July 2023
Photos courtesy of Mary, Elizabeth and Karen M.
Eleven walkers met at the crowded Mosquito Bay car park and braved a short roadworks detour to access the coastal path to the north. This led us along the cliff edge, down to Lilli Pilli beach, over several small headlands and past rocky coves to a very comfortable morning tea stop on the slipway to boat sheds at Circuit Beach. This pause also included a round of delicious carrot cake provided by a member celebrating a birthday!
The path was easy to follow and in several places the foliage had been recently cleared, and branches piled along the cliff edge to provide a rough low barrier. The roots along the path required care, and we identified some other possible hazards related to older track work. One slightly hidden low star picket brought one walker down near a creek crossing, but fortunately all was well.
After morning tea, we walked a little further to reach a small lookout point above Grandfathers Gully beach. We learned that local elders wish to have this area respected as a significant site and the coastal path from Observation Point will go slightly inland here to avoid too much foot traffic at the gully outlet. This won’t affect local users but will ensure that it remains a quiet location.
We returned by the same path – through beautiful coastal vegetation and stunning ocean views. Several of us had never been along this section of coast, and we were grateful to our leader, Lesley for introducing us to another beautiful walk along our coastline – and one that is very easily accessed.
Elizabeth