Participants: Heidi, Kathy, Ulrike and Cathy.
Leader: Cathy
Date: 25/11/12
With close inspection of the trip advert and following trip report you may notice that although we had planned to walk from the Barrenjoey Headland to Newport. On account of the heat (27 degrees max) and the luring beach we piked at Avalon.
I was expecting 10 walkers on the walk today, but with a couple pulling out overnight and another few guilty of missing the bus it ended up just Kathy and myself (C/K – athy Squared) waiting for the bus at Railway Square this morning. It was another early start- my favourites… with a 2 hour ride north which may have put some people off. Along the way we picked up Heidi at Brookvale and finally met Ulrike at the Palm Beach Ferry Wharf.
After introductions we headed along the road in order to reach Barrenjoey Beach. We stopped and admired the Barrenjoey Boathouse discussing it’s merits and challenges for wedding receptions. Absolutely gorgeous cafe with decorative fruit stand at the front and unfortunately huge queues. The girls decided they had no time for queues and we continued up the headland.
We checked out the view from the lighthouse (great view back along the headland at Summer Bay) and paid our respects to the last lighthouse keeper’s grave.
With the heat we stopped for drinks at the North Palm Beach Life Saving Club, which turned out to be our morning tea stop. Interesting fact- the toilets of North Palm Beach are used as the Surf Club in Home and Away- no expenses spared by Channel Seven.
The map suggested we should head well back from the coast, but we chose to follow Whale Beach Road instead- this was certainly a good decision as we were rewarded with viewing some fairly expensive mansions with serious water view. Plenty of these mansions are currently up for sale if anyone’s interested. Heidi was talking on the phone beside the sales sign for one such property, when I managed to convince poor Ulrike that she was in the process of making an offer.
We passed many beaches during the day each teasing us to quit walking, but we carried on. Each of the beaches had crystal clear water and lovely rolling waves. So many times did we consider stopping.
We took a track at North Avalon up onto Bangalley Head. Somehow, although this track seemed to be marked conscientiously we still managed to lose the trail for a short time. We had a dash through long grass following well trodden paths, before reaching a private property which had a clear-ish path to the road. A slip through the garden bed and under the pool pipes and we were through to the drive way where we stopped again for drinks. Sorry if you live at North Avalon and you noticed a group of geographically embarrassed women slipping past your pool pipes, but we were careful and will try to keep to the path next time.
We cruised into Avalon quickly got dressed and lay claim to a patch of sand. The water was fairly chilly at first, but quite acceptable after the initial shock. A short doze on the beach and a refill of bottles, then we all said our good byes and headed home.
Thanks to everyone who came on the day. I hope to complete some more of the Northern Sydney Coastal Walk before the end of summer.
Cathy