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]