Helensburgh to Stanwell Park Beach Sunday 10/3/2024

Helensburgh to Stanwell Park Beach Sunday 10/3/2024

Helensburgh to Stanwell Park Beach 10/3/2024 A rather early start was required by me as locally buses were replacing trains as far as Gordon Station, from which I got an all stations train to Central. Still, I was up early enough to cacth the sunruise. At Central, eight people caught up with me there, with Sean getting on later at Sutherland. Shibo just…

Springwood to Blaxland via shark’s head cave & lost world

At 9am we met and set off from springwood station. Unfortunately, I received a message from eric that he might be 30 or 40 minutes late due to traffic. I told him about another option. Park at martins park and then we could probably meet at shark’s head cave or lost world. The five…

Grand Canyon Track – Blue Mountains

This was the second trip that I ran this weekend, after the first one filled up really quickly. Even though I had just done a trip to Wentworth Falls yesterday, this trip had also filled up in less than a day, and I took a group of almost 20 people! I had asked everyone to meet at platform 5 at Central for our Blue Mountains Intercity, but when I got there, there was no train! The helpful staff there let me know that the platform had changed to number 3. This caught…

Waterfalls & Cliffs in the Blue Mountains

Waterfalls & Cliffs in the Blue Mountains

We had a big group today, with almost 20 people! I led two trips this weekend, and both got completely filled in under a day! This walk was originally going to meet at Central at 9:30, but due to forecast rain in the morning, I moved the meeting time later. Unfortunately, Xuying didn’t realise that the meeting time had been changed, so she did not end up attending the trip. Joe, who…

Yuraygir coastal walk (Angourie to Redrock) – 7 day trip

Yuraygir coastal walk (Angourie to Redrock) – 7 day trip

We found out that going to Yamba would be too rainy, so instead we went to Mt Hotham to do some of the Australian Alps. Thanks to Nam for coming up with this plan and also thanks to Facebook guy who gave us a suggested route. Day 1 drive to Mt Hotham (8 hours) camp and diamantia hut Day 2 walk to federation hut, walk up Mt Feathertop. Go to…

Royal national park afternoon walk

Royal national park afternoon walk

It’s midday and the group met up at Cronulla Wharf. A casual easy walk like this allows for a later start where other plans can be made in the morning or at night. The coastal track starts at Bundeena which is 20 minutes away from Cronulla on a ferry, running once every hour. Some T4…

Halloween walk: Dover Heights to South Head & Camp Cove.

Halloween walk: Dover Heights to South Head & Camp Cove.

Halloween walk: Dover Heights to South Head & Camp Cove. With a 30 degree C day earlier (and with a total fire ban), I was wondering what the weather would be like in the late afternoon for this walk. The five of us got to Christison Park at Vaucluse next to Macquarie Lighthouse in a rather cold southerly wind which had developed from a gentle seabreeze earlier that day into something fairly strong and cold by 6.30pm (50 minutes before sunset). In fact…

Otford to Burning Palms Beach/Figure 8 Pool, then Helensburgh.

Otford to Burning Palms Beach/Figure 8 Pool, then Helensburgh.

Otford to Burning Palms Beach/Figure 8 Pool, then Helensburgh, Sunday 29/10/23. This day was chosen because it supplied a combination of good swimming weather, and a very low tide in the mid afternoon. This would make a trip to Figure 8 Pool fairly safe. There was however a moderate 1.7 metre sea swell forecast, which meant that we would still have to be careful there. With people…

Orionids Meteor Shower – Cliff Top Track Blackheath

Orionids Meteor Shower – Cliff Top Track Blackheath

A “bit” late but here we go (blame exam season) This was definitely the oddest timed trip I’ve led. We met at Central at 11:00 pm to catch the 11:24 Blue Mountains train. Although I would have usually joined from Blacktown, I thought it would be better to be with everyone at the start given the time of night. Turnout surpassed…

Royal National Park: Uloola Falls and Karloo Pool tracks, Sunday 15th October.

Royal National Park: Uloola Falls and Karloo Pool tracks, Sunday 15th October.

Royal National Park: Uloola Falls and Karloo Pool tracks, Sunday 15/10/2023. The walk started on a nice day with everyone meeting me at Central Station for the 45 minute train trip to Loftus. As mentioned in the walk description, the plan was to take a tram from here to the Royal National Park entrance to save a 45 minute walk along Rawson Road (which is strictly speaking a dirt fire trail). The prior…

Umina to Pearl Beach & Warrah Lookout

Umina to Pearl Beach & Warrah Lookout

Umina to Pearl Beach & Warrah Lookout, Saturday 7-10-2023. It will be a surprise to some that this walk was advertised as “Mount Wondabyne” on the trip list, but the closure of the Great North Walk where it passes through Brisbane Water National Park required an urgent change of location. I decided…

Overcliff Undercliff Track & Empress Falls

Overcliff Undercliff Track & Empress Falls

This was my first time leading a trip since I moved out west, so it was also the first time I led a trip without actually meeting everyone at the start. Thankfully this went without a hitch, everyone caught the 10:24 Blue Mountains Intercity from Central, and I got on later at Blacktown, and we all got together once we got off the train at Wentworth Falls. The ride,…

Centennial Glen & Porters Pass Loop, West Blackheath. 16/9/2023

Centennial Glen & Porters Pass Loop, West Blackheath. 16/9/2023

Centennial Glen & Porters Pass Loop, West Blackheath. Saturday 16/9/2023. Because I have to get up quite early to go on a Blue Mountains bushwalk, I was up early enough to see Venus shining very brightly in the pre-dawn sky. As I walked to my station, I passed a flock of cockies (White Cockatoos) with the rising sun giving a golden sheen to their feathers. (See Photos)….

Newcastle – Fernleigh Track and Glenrock Conservation Area.

Newcastle – Fernleigh Track and Glenrock Conservation Area.

Newcastle – Fernleigh Track and Glenrock Conservation Area, Sunday 10/9/2023. Most people got on the train at Central, and a couple at Hornsby, to settle in to the two and a half hours train trip to Adamstown. Tiantian only just made it because of a late running bus, yet another example of the unreliable Inner West bus service post privatisation. I got…

Katoomba to Leura via Prince Henry Cliff track. Sunday 20/8/2023

Katoomba to Leura via Prince Henry Cliff track. Sunday 20/8/2023

Katoomba to Leura via Prince Henry Cliff track. Sunday 20/8/2023 This promised to be a great day out in near perfect winter weather, and 17 had signed up. As usual I had to catch a must earlier train from my Central Coast station and thus had a view of Jupiter shining in the pre-dawn sky (see photo). A Powerful…

Mt York- Hartley Vale walk

Mt York- Hartley Vale walk

Mount York has been somewhere I wanted to check out for quite a while and since no one is doing trips I might as well get it off my bucket list. It’s a cold and cloudy Saturday with a reasonably early start at Central Station into Blue Mountains. With a lot of last-minute signup and dropouts we’ve got a group of 13, to which only 11 showed up. Most of…

Watsons Bay to Rose Bay Walk

Watsons Bay to Rose Bay Walk

This was a fairly straightforward coastal walk in the Eastern Suburbs. Everyone managed to get on the 9:45 ferry we were aiming for, with one person just barely making it. View from the morning ferry After meeting up with Terence at Watson’s Bay, we first made our way to The Gap Lookout, before getting back on track to head south towards Rose Bay. The Gap…

North Head – Manly (Sydney Harbour National Park)

North Head – Manly (Sydney Harbour National Park)

Hey everyone! This was a trip I had been wanting to lead for a while now since the Fairfax Lookouts were closed for renovation, and only recently got the chance to do so. A number of people dropped out last minute, I had 15 people signed up the day before but that dropped to 8 by the morning. Luckily, Terry…

Sydney Hyde Park & Botanic Gardens to the Quay introduction walk

Sydney Hyde Park & Botanic Gardens to the Quay introduction walk

Sydney introductory walk: Hyde Park, Botanic Gardens, and The Rocks 27/7/2023. This walk was intended as an introductory walk around certain well known (and less well known) sights around central Sydney for members joining in Semester 2. Although only three people attended, it was still a worthwhile walk (after all, we have done trips with only 3 people before and they have been OK). I recall…

Goochs Crater

Goochs Crater

Trip Report: Gooch’s Crater Hike from Old Bells Line of Road (near Clarence) I recently embarked on an exhilarating hiking adventure to Gooch’s Crater with likeminded people, starting from Old Bells Line of Road near Clarence. The journey took us through gravel roads, fire trails, and off-track bush bashing, leading to fascinating pagodas, caves, and ultimately, the breathtaking Crater Lake. Here’s a…