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!

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 4 - Patonga to Pearl Beach

The next short walk on my list was Patonga to Pearl Beach. I'm going to make a big call & say that Patonga & Pearl Beach are my two favourite places on the Central Coast. Actually, that's not a very big call is it. Alright, let's say they're my two favourite beach suburbs in Australia! They epitomise the summer-holiday-by-the-beach-I'm-so-relaxed-I-may-never-leave feeling. The Josh Pyke song The Summer is about Patonga, and I think this song captures what I'm trying to say perfectly. So just listen to the song, OK? Done? Good.

In a terrible twist of fate, on the day I planned to tackle the most scenic of the walks on my list I LEFT MY CAMERA AT HOME. I was devastated. All the photos below were taken with my phone. That they turned out at all is testament to the beauty of the scenery.

The start of the track is another part of the Great North Walk. It starts right from Patonga beach - here's some pelicans hanging out there. I could have sat & watched them for hours, but I had some walking to do.

After a brief, but quite steep climb, I came to the first small lookout.

I thought this view was quite nice. Little did I know what was coming up. Below is a very cute set of steps cut into the sandstone.

At the top of the hill I came across a familiar sight around the Central Coast - a pair of Brush Turkeys. We have always had turkeys on my parents property, creating their huge nests amongst the trees. I remember seeing a lot in suburban Brisbane too. The neighbours would get very upset when the turkeys destroyed their garden beds in search of more nesting material. I always took the turkey's side.

After a short, pretty flat walk the views started and boy were they something special. See for yourself. This is looking across Broken Bay towards West Head, Palm Beach (yep, the very same Palm Beach where Home & Away is filmed) & Barrenjoey Head.

This one is looking back down the Hawkesbury River, with the edge of Patonga just visible.

The track is in pretty good condition - very sandy. Just a word of warning - this also happens to be prime habitat for death adders. Be wary if you're walking this track in summer. Unlike most other Australian snakes, death adders tend not to move away when you approach - they'll just sit in the leaf litter & let you step on them.

Just when I thought the views couldn't get any better I reached the Warrah lookout. Here is the view looking back towards Patonga beach.

And another view towards Palm Beach - I just couldn't stop taking photos up here!

Soon after the lookout the track departed from the Great North Walk & turned into a fire trail to descend into Pearl Beach. Here was my first glimpse across the treetops.

This is Pearl Caves - a beautiful formation. The caves are fenced off - to protect them & us. I didn't mind, just being able to see them at all made me happy.

Soon after the caves I arrived in Pearl Beach itself - to this absolutely stunning beach.

I had some lunch at the laid-back Pearl Beach General Store, soaked up some more sunshine & then headed back up the hill. And look who I spotted on the way back - my old friends the brush turkeys!

After an hour or so, with only one quick diversion to admire the view from Warrah lookout again, I was back at Patonga beach. Check out this gorgeous beach house - the track starts right next to this - you would never know that something so special was hiding back there!

I really can't recommend this walk enough - it's only an hour or so - you could even make it a whole day trip by hanging out the beaches on either end & enjoying some lunch in the middle. Just do it OK!

The Stats
Distance: 8.6km return
Time: 2hrs
Difficulty: Easy-Medium - steep ascent/descent at the Patonga end.

Bushwalk 3 - Kincumber to Terrigal

During a week of particularly warm weather I decided to tackle a couple of shorter Central Coast walks from my new book after work. The first on my list was Kincumber to Terrigal.

I've been up to Kincumber Mountain surprisingly few times, given how nice it is & how close to home. After a short & relatively easy climb up the hill on Glasson's trail I reached the Kiosk.

I love this building - it's round & mudbrick & very pleasing to the eye. The real highlight of the walk is the Kanning Walk cave. Here is one side of it on the approach:

The main entrance to the cave is nice, pretty cavey, pretty much what you would expect.

The cool thing about this cave is the second chamber at the back of the main section. You can just see the entrance at the back of the photo below. Apparently people lived in it during the Great Depression, which I think is pretty awesome - I love stories of people surviving in nature like that. I sometimes think I will become hermit myself one day, provided I can find a suitably isolated cave to do it in, of course.

The entrance is a really narrow, low, crawling room only tunnel. I crouched inside the start of it but it was pitch black in there & I didn't have a torch. Long story short, I was just too chicken to crawl through. I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe there is someone still living in there & I had visions of being trapped & strung up on the wall to slowly die. Have possibly been watching too many American crime shows.

After the cave the track turns onto this sandy fire trail. It wasn't a particularly interesting walk, but the weather was glorious & I enjoyed strolling along, listening to the birds.

Unfortunately there were many reminders of civilisation along the way, like these signs every 50 metres or so.

N.B. I'm an Optus customer right? So you might reasonably expect that I would be to make a phone call when I'm standing right next to the 50-foot high Optus tower on Kincumber mountain. Well, you would be wrong to expect that. Because I had no phone reception on this entire walk. Not one bar. Go figure.

After wandering along the fire trail for a while, the walk led me to the Colin Watters lookout. It was a great place to stop for a rest, with views over Picketts Valley to Avoca Beach in one direction:

And over bushland to Terrigal in the other:

After the lookout I headed back downhill & all too soon was faced with this ugly reminder of civilisation in the form of a housing estate.

Overall, an enjoyable walk, though I would have enjoyed some more challenge & variety in scenery.

The Stats
Distance: 4.5kms one way
Time: 1hr
Difficulty: Easy-Medium - only a couple of steep parts, track is narrow at points.