Bushwalk 7 - Woy Woy Rd to Patonga Drive

I'm off to Italy in an hour, and so we have reached the final walk in this part of my journey - Woy Woy Rd to Patonga Dr (we roughly followed the walk that I have linked to in the opposite direction, but finishing at Patonga Drive & without the side-trip to Kariong Brook Falls).

I enjoyed this walk, it started from the same point & had the same feeling of isolation as the Woy Woy Rd to Girrakool stretch. I was really tired though, and again needed to go to the toilet from the start (what is with that!), so was glad that the challenge level was much lower than previous tracks. My downhill radar was on high alert, but luckily there weren't too many strenuous climbs in this one.

The first part of the walk is a pretty straightforward hike towards Mount Wondabyne, which provides many convenient photo opportunities along the way.

This boardwalk came out of nowhere, but did frame the peak nicely.

Next to the boardwalk were these disused power poles. I was thinking to myself that it was a very isolated place to have power lines, but we soon came across the modern equivalent - huge steel structures, that are much more sensible, given the number of bushfires that pass through here.

This is the view over The Peninsula. We could see the rain falling in the distance and were hoping that it stayed on that side of us for the next couple of hours.

This walk also consisted of long stretches of sandstone - these were more vast though & I was grateful for the signs helping us navigate through them.

I was a bit lazy with the camera on this walk, but luckily the bro wasn't. Here is a beautiful view (complete with storm clouds) from the edge of the escarpment - you can just see the Dillons Fire Trail winding through the scrub below.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of the Woy Woy Landfill site as we skirted around the edge of it. We could smell this for at least a kilometre before seeing it & I basically held my breath for the whole walk around it.

After passing the tip the track descended into a sandy rainforest habitat, before climbing back up to our finishing point at Patonga Drive.

You can continue across the road from here and down into Patonga for lunch, but luckily we chose to stop when we did, as the rain had closed in within 30min.

The Stats
Distance: About 12km
Time: 3hrs 30min
Difficulty: Medium (there are a couple of steep sections, but nothing too overwhelming - the terrain around the landfill site is probably the most difficult section)

Next stop - Italia!

The Great North Walk

I only have more one walk to report, so allow me to digress for a moment & talk about the Great North Walk (hereafter referred to as GNW).

As I mentioned previously, this is a 250km track (or, more accurately, series of tracks) between Sydney & Newcastle. For all I know, this kind of thing exists all over Australia, but, being somewhat of a bushwalking virgin, I'm really impressed with the whole scheme. The tracks are mostly well-maintained (or as well as can be expected, given the huge area covered), very well signposted & you're guaranteed fantastic views on pretty much every section.

I think the GNW could be turned into a real tourist attraction - maybe even approaching the scale of the NZ Great Walks if a series of huts were installed. For now, you at least have access to campsites & fresh water along the way.

Something you may not know about me is that I get a real kick out of good signage. I know, I know, you don't need to say anything. Luckily, I'm at the stage of my life now when I really don't care what people think of me anymore, so there. The best signage I have encountered on my travels to date was on the London underground. Having never visited the city before, I was easily able to navigate through multiple changes on day one without having to ask for any directions, which really put me at ease. I was also really impressed with the Paris Metro, but I only used it once, so don't feel qualified to comment. I think the worst signage occurs in carparks; Erina Fair shopping centre is a perfect example of a system of exit signs that lead nowhere.

I've been particularly impressed with the signage on the GNW, so herein begins a series of photos that non-fans of signage will not enjoy at all.

At the start of the track, and at major junctions, you'll get something obvious like this:

Mostly the directions come in the form of arrows like this:

and this:

Sometimes the signs will be nothing more than a paint-mark on the rock. The one below actually looks like an arrow, but many didn't. These mostly occurred on the huge tracts of sandstone, so make sure you keep an eye out because it's easy to get lost out there.

You'll also see lots of these scratchings in the rock. Usually, they'll be on an ascent or descent & will indicate the best place to climb up or step down, as well as providing extra grip on the often slippery stone.

The other thing you'll see are these Walkers Register posts. The others we saw were a more sensible design of a top-opening box mounted on the post. I'm not sure who designed this one, but they have obviously never had to use it. It unscrews from the bottom, so the first thing that happens is the book & pen fall into the mud as soon as you open it. Then, after you have done the right thing by filling out the register, you have the fun task of trying to balance the book & pen on the lid of the tube while you try & screw it back on. Very bad design & very frustrating to use.

I hope you enjoyed my brief foray into signage and I promise I won't subject you to another post like this (well, not for at least another month).

When I get back from Italy I plan on tackling some of the southern (Lane Cove) & northern (Watagans) sections of the GNW, so stay tuned for reports of those.

I urge you to get out there & explore the GNW as soon as you can - it's truly worth the effort.

Vegan Hiking

What's vegan hiking, I hear you ask? Well, it's not really a thing. But I'm vegan, and I'm going hiking & I needed some hiking gear. Unfortunately the key component to hiking - the shoes - are mostly not vegan, either being constructed of leather, or having some leather parts.

I visited pretty much every adventure store in Melbourne, receiving very little help anywhere* & was starting to despair before I finally found Ziggy at Mountain Designs. He was awesome. He didn't blink an eye when I said 'I need a pair of vegan hiking shoes' & showed me about 5 pairs straight up.

I went through a few before I found the perfect pair - the Montrail Mountain Masochist. These are actually a trail runner, rather than a strict hiking shoe, but I adore them. They're lightweight, provide all the support & grip I need for hiking &, best of all, I can wear them for my morning run as well - which means I've got one less pair of shoes to carry around! The only drawback is that they aren't waterproof, but they are quick-drying, so if I do get caught during the day, I'll be able to dry them overnight.

And look how pretty they are! I call this the Shelagh-shot:

I love them so much I think I'll get a second pair in blue.

I'm a total convert to Montrails now - they're so versatile, I just wish I had known about them years ago.

Guess what happened about a month after I spent days searching for my new shoes? This article - Top Vegan Hiking Boot Styles got published. I could have save so much time! Ah well...

* With the exception of Kathmandu in Bourke St - the sales assistant there went to the trouble of getting out the entire stocklist & checking the materials for every women's shoe. They didn't have anything for me, but I was impressed by the customer service.

Bushwalk 6 - Woy Woy Rd to Girrakool

I head off to Italy on Monday (yay!), so we're nearing the end of my bushwalking adventures for now. Walk 6 was back on the Central Coast, following another section of the Great North Walk, this time from Woy Woy Rd (near Staples Lookout) to Girrakool.

I really enjoyed this walk - it's the first one we did where we couldn't hear any traffic noise. Once we got a few kms in, the only sounds were the wind & the birds. It was a little eerie, but mostly a wonderful feeling.

We started high up at a track just off Woy Woy Rd and quickly descended to Kariong Brook Falls. It was at about this point that I developed a fear of walking downhill. We all know the theory 'what goes up must come down'. Well, I've developed a new theory that applies to bushwalking -'What goes down must come up'. With every step further down into the valley, I just knew there would be another (more difficult) step back up the other side. I was right, but more about that later.

Here is my amateur shot of the Falls.

And here is the professional shot by the bro. Puts me to shame.

This is a pool next to the Falls - I just couldn't get over how clear & pure the water was - it looks like glass in this photo.

Most of this track consists of sandy trails, interspersed with large swathes of sandstone. Remember how I said the Patonga to Pearl Beach track was a great spot for death adders? Well, so is this - the leaf litter at the side of the track is perfect habitat. So just keep your wits about you.

Here is one of the sandstone sections. I loved these parts - very easy walking, which meant I could appreciate the views more.

Many of these walks, and particularly this one, caused me to reflect on the amount of habitat destruction that has occurred due to our love of sandstone. Sandstone quarrying in NSW has led to the Broad-Headed Snake becoming a threatened species, and I think it's a tragedy that our wildlife needs to suffer so that we can build a nice looking retaining-wall in the backyard. It's time we start to rethink our use of this precious resource.

One thing that has been really lovely on all the walks is the wildflowers. So here's some of them - I don't know the name of this first one.

A sparse-looking grevillea.

A very pretty banskia.

And a banskia cone - which immediately reminded me of May Gibbs' banksia men.

This walk was riddled with great views - here is one of Mooney Creek.

This sandstone had deep lines carved into the stone - presumably by water flowing over the rock. I was in awe of the patterns - just imagining the thousands of years it would have taken to occur.

I mentioned earlier that every step down would mean a step up again. I was right - as we had to reach the top of Scopas Peak. While the steps up were more difficult than the steps down, it wasn't as bad as previous climbs. Plus, the views at the top were inspiring. This is Mount Wondabyne from the Peak.

Looking down on this landscape I was struck again by the denseness of the bush - treetops were all I could see in every direction.

And here is another treat - a panoramic shot of me checking out the view from the Peak.

More sandstone patterns - this time hundreds of small holes. I imagine this would look amazing after rain.

After feeling so isolated for so long on this track, I was surprised to suddenly come across this view of the F3 freeway & Mooney Mooney bridge.

Once we got into Girrakool the landscape changed quite dramatically - we left behind the dry sandstone for a rainforest habitat. We also came across some more brush turkeys on the track - and here is one of their nests - this was almost as tall as me.

We rested in Rat Gully for a little while and I thought the arrangement of these sandstone boulders was quite fetching - nice one Mother Nature.

The Piles Creek walk in Girrakool passes through a few sandstone caves. I remember walking this track on school excursions as a child & back then, I was in awe of their size. I would walk underneath & gaze up at the patterns and feel so small. This time, I had to walk in a crouch to fit underneath the overhang. It made me feel old.

Another cave.

When you get to the end of the Piles Creek walk you're on the opposite side of the Creek to the carpark. I experienced a moment of terror as I contemplated wading through the rapids before I remembered these cute stepping stones which transported us safely (and dryly) across the Creek.

The Stats
Distance: About 13km
Time: 4hrs
Difficulty: Medium-Hard (particularly at the Girrakool end)

Bushwalk 5 - Galston Gorge to Berowra Waters

This was the most difficult walk for me so far. It was actually a combination of 2 sections of the Great North Walk. Starting with a truly terrifying drive through hairpin bends down the valley to Galston Gorge, we then walked from Galston Gorge to Crosslands (just read up to the Crosslands section), then from Crosslands to Berowra Waters.

The first section is actually quite a nice walk, mostly following alongside Berowra Creek. Unfortunately, I was tired before I began, plus I needed to go to the toilet, so I was really impatient to get to Crosslands & didn't pay as much attention as I probably should have. The second half of the walk was hard - very hard. Huge climb followed by a steep descent. I enjoyed the challenge, but would think twice about tackling both of these walks together in one day again.

Here is the bro walking up the sandstone steps from the valley.

After walking along the ridge & looking down on a few rusted cars (seriously - how did they even get down there!) we came to Gully Creek Falls.

Then to a pretty view across Berowra Creek to a sandstone escarpment on the other side. I can't remember why I took this photo, but I think it was to show the denseness of the bushland. You can easily imagine getting lost for days in terrain like that.

Once we passed through Crosslands I was feeling much happier. This boardwalk runs through the mangroves (obviously dry at the moment) for about 200m.

And after a short & muddy walk we reached the Calna Creek footbridge. I couldn't help wondering why the handrail is only on one side - did they run out of money before they finished it?

After the footbridge we walked along another timber boardwalk through the saltmarsh. This was really eerie - the grass was probably shoulder-high & stretched as far as you could see.

At this point we were at the bottom of the valley. My brother pointed across the creek to this imposing outcrop & calmly informed me that we had to climb it. All I could think was 'bugger'.

And so began what I have christened 'the hill that keeps on giving'. It starts tamely enough.

And lulls you into a false sense of security with flat sections like this that wind around the mountain.

But then it just keeps on giving.

And giving.

And giving.

Finally, the payoff arrives at Naa Badu lookout, where we rested & gazed out over Berowra Creek.

After the lookout we continued along quite happily for a while. Then we came to the first view of the deep waterfront homes of Berowra Waters. I started to get nervous. We were awfully high up, but we had to be down the bottom to catch the ferry.

I was right to be nervous. The descent was nearly as bad as the ascent. OK, that's a slight exaggeration. But you have to understand - I was tired, my legs were sore having just climbed up the mountain. And then I was faced with a series of steep downhill climbs. The stairs below were the best of them - the steps were actually well formed & fairly-normal size.

I was really cursing my short legs by the end of that climb back down the hill. On almost every step I was taking a leap of faith & hoping that I would land safely.

Anyway, we finally arrived at the bottom of the hill to the welcome sight of the Berowra Waters ferry.

Once across we enjoyed lunch at the Fish Cafe. I'm not mentioning it because of the food - obviously not much on offer for a vegan here, but I did get a salad. No, I'm bringing it up because the chef here was mental. Totally hyperactive, he gave us quite a few laughs while we were eating lunch by calling out the takeaway orders with ever-increasing desperation. At the end of our meal he came out & asked my brother what he thought of the pizza. He said he wanted honest feedback. I couldn't help thinking that if he actually got some honest feedback my brother may end up being up-ended over the railing into the river.

The Stats
Distance: 13 or 14km
Time: 4hr 30min
Difficulty: Hard (for the Crosslands to Berowra Waters section)