The Great North Walk part 5: Cowan to Brooklyn

On track again, after a few months of Covid induced hibernation, my bushwalking club's Great North Walk adventure resumed yesterday. Twenty two fully-vaxed and certified bushwalkers turned up. And what a great day out!

 

The Great North Walk part 4: Berowra to Cowan

 

The intrepid bushwalkers are progressing gradually on their march to Newcastle. Yesterday it was the good old Berowra to Cowan bit. Some great scenery and some very fine views.

The Great North Walk part 3: Hornsby to Berowra

The stages are getting a bit bigger and hillier now, but we're still going (fairly) strong. Nine brave souls at the start.

Here we are having morning tea at the scenic waterfall on the Great North Walk's recently-designated 'upper diversion' around the Hornsby Rifle Range. I'm still a bit peeved at having the easier under-the-rifle-range route stolen off us allegedly for safety.

 

 

 

 

 Down those steps into Galston Gorge

 

 

Probably better to be facing inwards

 

 

 

This bushwalker's done it all before

 

 

An unexpected challenge at the creek crossing under the Galston Gorge bridge. They've put concrete 'stepping cylinders' there, but they're not stuck properly to the boulders beneath, and they wobble horribly!

 

 

 

Now is this a snake I see, around a tree? (Actually it's not!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch at the Crosslands Reserve. Some are feeling a bit sore, and checking out the Uber option.

 

 

 

And then there were seven.

Photo courtesy Elaine W

The Great North Walk part 2: Macquarie Park to Hornsby

 

 

Crossing the upper Lane Cove River on the approach to Thornleigh

 

A rather enormous lace monitor (goanna)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch break at the Berowra Creek crossing just north of  'The Jungo'. There's another group over there. And would you believe, they've got one of our club's members in tow. (Seemingly not against her will though.)

Afternoon tea break at the Fishponds, and they look like they're needing that break. It's been a good long hike.

Prior to that final ascent up the 326 stone steps, another short break is in order.

They all seem keen to come back next month for the next stage. Stay tuned!

Here they are on the 'Bridge of No Return' over Tedbury Creek, at today's half-way mark

The Great North Walk again - part 1: Circular Quay to Macquarie Park

For the third time in my bushwalking career I've set out, bushwalkers in tow, along the Great North Walk from Sydney to Newcastle. It's 250km, and doing it a day at a time, spaced roughly one month apart, means it should take between 12 and 18 months. It's a good old standby, and it simplifies the walk planning process.

 

Officially the walk starts at Circular Quay, with the ferry ride to Woolwich Pier. So we did that, and walked the pleasant streets of Hunters Hill, before plunging into the bush.

 

 

Here we are in the mangroves beside the Lane Cove River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here's a riverside resident passing the time of day further up near West Lindfield.

 

 

 

 

Another way to see this bit is by kayak. You can hire these from the boatshed at the Lane Cove National Park complex just downstream.

 

But we're planning to walk it all.

A Hornsby Heights & Crosslands loop walk

I enjoy putting together new bushwalks. There's an infinite number of variations to be had, after all. So why do the same old thing over and over?

Today I road-tested one that starts and ends in Hornsby Heights. It uses a couple of just-negotiable steep off-track bits to get down to, and up from, the Great North Walk, Berowra Creek, and the Lyrebird Gully Track.

 

 

 

 

 

A relic of the February floods, I guess.

 

My new creation seems to work well. And it's all rather scenic too.

Covid countdown - the Callicoma Trail and Berowra Creek

A lot of us are doing our time during the Covid-19 'sort-of-lockdown' with the help of bushwalking exercise breaks. In Sydney we're very lucky like this.

Mind you, the bush has never been busier, but fortunately not yet busy enough that you can't do your 'social distancing' correctly.

The other day I revisited the excellent patch of bushland  in the Berowra Valley National Park between Cherrybrook and Westleigh.





The 'Lakes of Cherrybrook'

















Some nice scenery along the Callicoma Trail. The recent rains have made all the difference.

Berowra Creek looking good, especially near its junction with Zig Zag Creek, where the Great North Walk crosses it.

Gundah Ridge

The bushwalkers of northern Sydney are almost spoilt for choice for easily accessible scenic bushwalks. For instance there's a good standard repertoire of round trips, whereby you go down to the Great North Walk on Berowra Creek somewhere, and come up by another track. The local bushwalking clubs do them endlessly.



So I was a bit surprised to find, and survey the other day, yet another variation - a round trip along some tracks I'd personally never explored before. It's quite well-travelled though, so maybe it's only me that didn't know about it.

You start along a fire trail at the end of Beaumont Rd, Mount Kuring-Gai. Before long you're seeing the water below.







You follow a less well defined track down from there, to join the Great North Walk at an iconic lookout rock.











Then it's along and up again, initially on the usual route that takes you out near Berowra station. But then there's a series of scenic fire trails - the Berkeley Trail and the Bambil Trail - which take you back across to Mount Kuring-Gai, and a stroll back through Beaumont Rd industrial area.