Bicentennial Park

    Badu Mangrove Board-walk and Coastal Saltmarsh

Sydney's Bicentennial Park is just west of Concord West station (about 15Kms from Central station) and is adjacent to Sydney Olympic Park. The Badu Mangrove boardwalk enables people to walk through the largest remaining mangrove ecosystem along the Parramatta River.

A coastal saltmarsh is a salt-tolerant plant community that lives between high and low tide, often behind mangroves.


On our visit, the air had a smoky haze from hazard reduction burning in the Blue Mountains the previous day.




The parklands contain diverse habitats for many plants and animals that are significant locally, nationally and internationally. These include rare saltmarsh communities, breeding populations of insectivorous bats and endangered Green and Gold Bell frogs. Species of migratory birds protected under international treaties also often roost and feed in saltmarsh during their stay in Australia.

Further information about Coastal saltmarshes: pdf download from NSW Dept of Enviroment

Homebush Bay

   The Brickpit Ring Walk

The Ring Walk is within Sydney Olympic Park,  was opened in 2006. It is an elevated circular walkway which allows visitors access to view the former brickpit area without disturbing the habitat of the endangered Green and Golden Bell frogs.

The Ring Walk, is 550 metres in circumference and is 18.5 metres above the floor of the Brickpit.
The original audio has packed it in, but the informative panels around the side are in good condition. They give a history and geology of  the Brickpit and information on the frogs.

Location Map
 

   Bicentennial Park Info 

Sydney Olympic Park post

My thanks to Jean B. for leading us on this interesting walk

Kings Tableland - Wentworth Falls

Bushwalking in the Blue Mountains on cloudy or misty days can yield some interesting variations from those photos taken on sunny days. On this walk, we started from Wentworth Falls station and followed Darwins Walk, to cross Jamison Creek above Wentworth Falls, then onto Kings Tableland.

An Acacia sp.(left) growing in tough windswept conditions on the edge of Kings Tableland.

The Kings Tableland area is known as a ancient Aboriginal cultural site, with some artefacts from a cave having been dated to 25,000 years old.

Kings Tableland above Jamison Valley

Creek crossing above Wentworth Falls

                        

Queens Cascade (left) on Jamison Creek, just above Wentworth Falls.


            Location map

'Wildwalks' information 

Our thanks to John Masser our walk leader

Parramatta Park (2)

Parramatta River in Parramatta Park

A useful map showing a walking route along Parramatta River, mostly within Parramatta Park, can be viewed on 'Step Where'. - thanks to contributor 'MnM'

The Governor's Dairy - Parramatta Park

The two front rooms of the Dairy Cottage (above) were built by an ex-convict, George Salter and represent the earliest surviving worker's cottage in Australia. The Cottage was sold to Governor Macquarie in 1813 and was converted to a diary by the addition of two wings.
The Parramatta Park Trust run tours of the dairy twice a month.

Transit stones (left) from the Parramatta Observatory  built in 1822 by Governor Thomas Brisbane, who was a keen amateur scientist.
It is not far from Old Government House, and was used by early astronomers and surveyors before it's demolished in 1847.

There is a marble memorial obelisk and an information display nearby, and the Park Trust is currently working to conserve the site.
I have read that Sydney Observatory, houses relics from Parramatta including a telescope and clock.

The surveyor Thomas Mitchell used these transit stones, which supported a transit circle telescope, as the initial mark for the first trigonometric survey of Australia (1828)

A detailed history of the observatory  can be found on Andrew James Southern Astronomical web site

Macquarie St Gatehouse

Parramatta Park has six gatehouses including the Macquarie Street Gatehouse (above) and the much photographed Tudor style George Street Gatehouse.

We didn't stop here on this walk, but Parramatta Park Café has a pleasant location  near the river (see map) 


For more information on Parramatta Park please see my earlier post.




Self-guided walking tour brochures of the park's historic areas can be downloaded or obtained from the Park Administration Office. 

Mount Portal Lookout

 This walk is in the Glenbrook section of the Blue Mountains National Park.

Portal Waterhole is on a looped side track off the Mount Portal lookout road.

The Lower Blue Mountains begins here, as it rises abruptly on the western side of the Nepean River.

Mt. Portal Lookout

Mount Portal Lookout overlooks the Nepean River and the Cumberland Plain south of Penrith.
We walked from Glenbrook station, but the lookout can be reached by 4WD.

Tunnel View Lookout

Tunnel View Lookout is a great vantage point with views across to the main western rail line between Lapstone and Glenbrook and of Glenbrook Gorge below. The lookout is only a stroll from the road.

Glenbrook Gorge

WildWalks information Tunnel Lookout  and Mt. Portal Lookout

Glenbrook Sector Map

My thanks to our walk leader John M.