Helensburgh – Burning Palms Beach/Figure 8 -Otford 28/2/2021 The last (official) day of summer was an appropriate day for a walk that included a beach. The weather, sea and tide forecasts all combined together on this day to ensure that a walk to Figure 8 Pool in Royal National Park was possible. The lower…
Helensburgh – Burning Palms Beach – Otford . Small groups on bushwalks are common this time of year (and the on-again, off-again rainy weather)..Eight had originally signed up, but three pulled out earlier for various reasons. It was also in some ways a half-day walk as we didn’t start off from Helensburgh until 12.30pm. That was…
I had set a limit of 12 people on this walk, as I considered that a larger number would be harder to manage on a walk like this. The wait list was almost taken up with people cancelling earlier (thank you to those), and I offered someone a spot around midday on Friday. They didn’t respond so I assume they must have got a better offer in the meantime. With people…
At Helensburgh, start of walk.This walk looked like being yet another cancelled Figure 8 walk, something which has plagued trips here over the last few years; the usual reason being bad weather. Sea forecasts a week earlier had predicted a swell of 2.5 metres on the Saturday, which would have made a walk from Burning Palms beach to Figure 8 Pool too dangerous even at low tide. I had…
Matthew was the first to arrive at Kangaroo Valley on Friday and checked us in to the campsite. Another 14 people showed up between 6.00 and 11.00 and so the party grew larger, first at the pub and then sitting around Jen’s immaculately restored VW camper for tea, timtams and whisky. We had…
Most of met up at Central Station, with Lily getting on at Redfern and Matthias, Nathalie and Patrick getting on the train at Helensburgh. At Coalcliff station I showed the group the top of the Illawarra Escarpment where we were headed (see photos) and then set off along the relatively new footpath and bicycle way that goes from Coalcliff to Stanwell Park (It was completed in November 2018 and eliminated a dangerous walk along the narrow verge of this busy road). The Wodi…
After the walk set down for here on 31st August was cancelled due to rough seas, this was put on on the next available day for a low Spring tide at the right time on a weekend. Even then, it was originally set down for the previous day (28/9), but a sea swell of 2.3 metres again made it too unsafe to go to figure 8 Pool that day. The forecast…
Couranga TrackA computer “meltdown” affecting the rail system the previous day caused some anxiety about whether the trains would be mucked up on the Sunday. As it turned out the trains on Sunday (walk day) were OK. Not so OK for me though, as in the government’s usual wisdom it closed down all trains running between Strathfield and Brisbane for trackwork, thus requiring me to meet everyone at Hurstville Station instead of Central. While waiting…