Prince Henry Cliff Walk (1)

We started this picturesque walk at the Leura Cascades Picnic Area, around 2 Kms from the railway station.

First of all we walked down to view the cascades (above right & below), then back up the stairs to cross Leura Creek, and follow the Prince Henry Cliff walk, which overlooks the Jamison Valley, around to Gordon Falls Reserve.

Leura Cascades

More photos: our last Leura Falls visit
 and Prince Henry Cliff walk - Katoomba

Location map

Wild Walks Leura Park to Gordon Falls Lookout

Wild Walks Leura Cascades to Gordon Falls Park

Wildwalks Leura Cascades round walk

Our walk was around 7 Km station to station 

Doonside - Nurragingy Reserve

Nurragingy Reserve is a 90ha reserve between Doonside and Rooty Hill in the Blacktown City area of Sydney.
The name commemorates one of the two aborigines of the Dharruk (Dharug, Daruk) tribe who received the first land grant to natives from Governor Macquarie in 1819.

We entered Nurragingy Reserve from Charlie Bali Reserve. Judith and Jenny led us to the formal garden areas, planted as various International Gardens. I knew lttle about the reserve beforehand, and found the Chang Lai Yuan Chinese Gardens, shown here; quite stunning.

 As well as picnic and BBQ areas with children's playgrounds, the reserve has areas of natural bushland with walking tracks.



Eastern Creek also passes through the reserve, with remnants of original bushland adjoining the creek, which forms part of a north - south reserve and parkland corridor. Lorikeet Marsh board walk (below), is a good location for spotting birds.





Location Map          Reserve map pdf           

More about Nurragingy

Cityrail travel time from Central to Doonside is about 50 minutes.

Murphys Glen walk

The unsealed road leading to the camping ground, near Woodford in the (mid) Blue Mountains, follows a narrow ridge top heathland. I think it is best walked during the week, as it is popular for mountain biking and 4WD on weekends.       Spreading Fan Fern (Sticherus lobatus) (below) on the side of the road.

Murphys Glen is situated in an old volcanic steam vent. The weathering of rocks in the area has resulted in richer soil than the surrounding sand stone derived soils, which supports a tall forest of blue gums and towering turpentines.

We turned off the Murphys Fire trail and followed 'The Turpentine Walk' down to the camping ground.

Corymbia gummifera (right)
(previously Eucalyptus gummifera)
or Red Bloodwood, is seen flowering along the rocky ridge in late summer.


 Note: Murphys Glen campground was closed due to road damage and facilities maintenance when I published this post.

Location map

Kokoda Track Memorial

With ANZAC Day approaching, it seemed an appropriate time to post these photos from our visit to the Kokoda Track Memorial walkway. This 800 metre walk, between Rhodes railway station and Concord Hospital, is a tribute to "the bravery of Australian troops who fought through atrocious conditions against vastly superior enemy numbers, in the Papua-New Guinea campaign of July 1942 - January 1943 "

The centrepiece of the memorial is this semi-circular area, enclosed by granite walls, etched with photographs taken during the campaign. The plants surrounding the area simulate the lush tropical environment of New Guinea.

Brays Bay Ship Building Memorial, Rhodes

The site of the WWII Commonwealth Shipyard No.4, where small ships were constructed for service in WW2, is near the Rhodes end of the Kokoda Track memorial walk. The Brays Bay Reserve site acknowledges the contribution of those who built the ships, and of those that served on them. The public art, in the photo above, is symbolic of a ship’s bow.

 Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway site, with link to brochure
Information about Brays Bay reclamation: ABC 'Gardening Australia'

Springwood (2)

Our walking group returned to Springwood recently to visit some reserves and parks in the area. 

The photo below was taken on the Fairy Dell walk after rain the previous day. You can view more photos of this walk in my earlier post.

The Deanel Forest Reserve (below) features these beautiful Blue Gums, part of what is termed the Blue Mountains Shale Cap Forest. The soil here provides the rich fertile clay that these trees need.

Deanel Forest Reserve, Springwood

  
Fairy Dell walk (above) is only a short distance from the town centre. Frazer Memorial Presbyterian Church, (right) is on Macquarie Road, Springwood's main street.
Springwood, the second largest town in the Blue Mountains, is around 70 Kms from Sydney, and is the commercial centre for the lower mountains area.

I loved this sandstone sculpture (right) of a lizard, in Else Mitchell Park

My thanks to our walk leaders, and the local Bush Care group.             


  Location map

[Another sandstone lizard I saw in Sydney's Bicentennial Park]

Gunnamatta Bay - Cronulla

We again ventured to the south of Sydney for this scenic walk, starting only a short distance from Cronulla railway station, around the foreshores of Gunnamatta Bay and Port Hacking.

View from Gunnamatta Park

Checking the tide chart proved useful to follow this section of the shore line, past waterfront homes, to Darook Park.

  Location map 

On another occasion we missed the low tide and had walk via Nicholson Pde. & Darook Park Rd.   GPS trace 

Darook Park

Our 6km walk continued around Bass and Flinders Point, following 'The Esplanade' back to Cronulla Beach, a short distance from the station. 
The train trip to Sydney's only beach accessible by train, took us around 50 minutes from Central Sydney.          

Woodford Academy

Woodford Academy, dates back to the 1830s, making it the oldest group of buildings in the Blue Mountains. It's first use was as an inn called the 'Woodman', which served travellers on their way between Sydney and the western plains. It has had many owners and has served many other uses since then, including: a school, a guest house and a private residence.

The the railway station, adopted the name Woodford in 1871, after the renamed 'Woodford House', then owned by Alfred Fairfax. It latter became 'Woodford Academy', a school for 'young gentleman'.

In 1979 it was gifted to the National Trust of Australia, which has renovated and maintained the heritage property.

    Woodford Academy Open Days                Mid Mts Historical Soc.                      Location map

My thanks to the volunteer guides from Friends of Woodford Academy

Ref.  'A Brief History of Woodford Academy' - Friends of Woodford Academy

Toongabbie Creek

 in the Upper Parramatta River catchment.

Unless you visit the area, or are a local, you are unlikely to have heard of the 'Redbank Track', which runs along the upper reaches of the Parramatta River and Toongabbie Creek, behind the Westmead Health Precinct.

The photo above was taken at the junction of the Parramatta River, with the Darling Mills and Toongabbie Creeks.

The concrete piers, on both the Westmead and Northmead sides of the Toongabbie Creek, are probably all that remain of the Parramatta to 1923 - 1932 Rogans Hill Railway Line.

The Mons Rd bus bridge is part of the North-West T-Way, which provides a bus only corridor between Parramatta and Rouse Hill.

Location Map

Darling Mills Ck 

Toongabbie Creek

North West T-Way





Our walking group started and finished on the Westmead side of Parramatta Park, near the Wisteria Gardens in the Cumberland Hospital grounds. (This is where they hold their fete in September). We crossed the creek at Redbank Rd. and Mons Rd. to complete a loop. Plant communities along the creek are varied, as it lies in a transition zone between soil types and rainfall areas. While I didn't find the walk along a section of the creek particularly scenic (plastic bags from urban runoff, were snagged in trees along a section), I thought it was worth doing.

Seacliff Bridge

My first visit to the Sea Cliff Bridge, north of Wollongong, was with a walking group. We caught a train on the South Coast line, to Scarborough station, about 60 Km from Sydney Central.

Scarborough Station NSW

Seacliff Bridge, Lawrence Hargrave Drive

The Sea Cliff Bridge, was opened in 2005. It was built away from the cliff faces, to eliminate the danger of falling rocks and slippages which afflicted the previous coast road.

This photo and the top photo, were taken when I returned on a showery day recently.


This spectacular walk from Scarborough, past Clifton to Coalcliff, was less than 2Kms.

Seacliff Bridge info site    



 SCBWebcam


We caught a bus at Coalciff, back to Thirroul station, to return to Sydney. My thanks to Jean B. for leading us on this walk.

Fairy Dell walk - Springwood

This short lower Blue Mountains walk, in Fairy Dell Reserve Springwood, is quite near the town centre.

 

Those that enjoy this and other walks near townships, may owe Bushcare and Landcare Groups groups a vote of thanks. These groups are made up of small groups of volunteers that are involved in hands-on environmental restoration work.

Tree near Lawson Lookout

The walk can be done as a circular walk, continuing up to Lawson lookout, which overlooks Magdala Creek Valley, then returning to the town centre along Raymond Road.



Location map
 

Manly - Cabbage Tree Bay

I took the first two photos on a Winter's excursion to Manly, while the others were taken on the way back from our North Head walk.

Manly Wharf

Helen Leete is "well known for her public sculptures around Sydney, which include 'Earthmother' in the Royal Botanic Gardens near the Opera House, 'Oceanide' (below) off Fairy Bower and 'Arched Back Bather' at Manly..." 

Helen Leete's - Oceanides

 Cabbage Tree Bay is an aquatic reserve you pass on this easy walk from Manly wharf to Shelly Beach. The Marine Parade walk features miniature sculptures of the local fauna and flora found in  the protected marine reserve and the adjoining wildlife reserve.

                                                                             

Shelly Beach, Manly

Eco-sculpture brochure