The realisation of items forgotten started early in the trip when Adrian took a call from home. Had he forgotten a small rucksack still sitting in the kitchen? Yes … but following some quick calculations it was decided it contained nothing vital. Then after the turnoff to Hampton Helen declared she had left her abseiling glove behind. The situation…
Given that the weather forecast indicated a mild day in the Blue Mountains, and thus was probably the last chance to do a non-canyon walk here before hot weather set in, I organised this walk which turned out unusually to be an all-bloke walk (usually the girls are in the majority). Three of…
Kristian was the original leader for this trip but after abseiling together near Katoomba (fun, fun, fun) on Saturday it was clear he needed a day off to rest. So instead of staying in the mountains that night, we headed back to Sydney and I took over leading the canyoning trip the next day. Picked up…
The walk was from Katoomba to Wentworth Falls via Mount Solitary and the usual other places, with a notable addition of an aborted attempt at reaching Point Repulse. Naked without a stick The title of this trip report might suggest that I set off on my first bush walk with a sense of vulnerability. As I…
I’d previously done Fortress Canyon with Victoria Benz and was impressed with the easy walk in and out, not to mention the spectacularly scenic lunch spot above a 200 metre waterfall with sweeping valley views. Fortress is also the perfect introductory canyon, well suited for beginners as there is only one abseil of eight metres. Out went…
Not quite as planned this walk started and finished in the sun at Manly Wharf, with a good drenching in the middle. Most of us made it to Manly for 9.10am, one person had texted to say sorry but life has taken over, and another had to catch a later ferry. No troubles, that gave some time for a last minute ulta-stylish sun glasses purchase by Richard. Chatting away…
What I like about the Snowy Mountains is that just before summer you can enjoy the still extensive snow drifts and yet see the spring wildflowers at the same time. The weather is not too warm either. So I ran a trip on the weekend of Nov 9-10 with the intention of climbing Mt Anton and Twynam. However, a…
It had been almost four years since I’d visited Kalang Falls. On that occasion drizzling rain and a light blanket of mist had obliterated the impressive views that the canyon is known for. The conditions had also made the infamously slippery rock even more treacherous than usual, and had worked the leeches of Murdering Gully to a frenzy, leaving a very distinct memory of the challenges involved. We’d only…
Four of us met up at Circular Quay for the 9am Ferry to Manly. We lost 3 people pulling out because of illness, Philippa couldn’t come as she was moving house. The air was fairly thick with the bushfire smoke haze, which caused one one person who is prone to Asthma to pull out. One person…
It was the day after Halloween and we decided to visit a site which has the reputation of being one of the most haunted sites in Australia. We met up on the ferry at Circular Quay in Halloween dress up. We took the ferry to Manly and had some snacks from Manly wharf before we walked to Quarantine Station at North Head. It was…
We met up at the south end of Bondi beach near the start of the exhibition. It was very crowded most of the way from Bondi to Tamarama. Everyone really enjoyed viewing the sculptures and exploring the area. Once we passed the last sculpture displays, we completed the rest of the trip to Coogee beach by walking and jogging. It was…
Canberra and the ACT may not be the first place you think of when you think of good hiking and climbing opportunities, but the ACT has some great mountain ranges just behind Canberra, and has become a place I keep returning to for some very nice mountain walks. On Friday night of 25th October our party of 4 (Kosta, Carina, Almuth and myself) made the drive down to the nation’s capitol, and around midnight arrived at our campsite. I had…
The forecast of 34 degrees and a total fire ban on the sunday of the walk led to a check of the status of Brisbane Waters NP, and a preparation of a “fall-back” alternative walk. As it turned out, the park remained open; also most of the walk was under trees with shade, I decided it was OK to stick to the original plan. With two…
Two people couldn’t make it at short notice and two more missed the 8.40am ferry. It was a relaxed morning so the rest of the group waited and we got to know each other. When Aye and Ben 1 finally arrived it was 10.00am. We headed off up the hill in two cars, courtesy of Tim and Ben 2, stopping at the Visitor Centre car park (off Bluefish Drive). This offers…
Ian’s Iphone has been lost to the icy depths of the Kowmung, Bec can’t find her car keys and there are tens of brown and black snakes lazing around in the dappled sunlight, forked tongues darting in and out, daring onlookers to move within striking range. And yet, there is a definite calm and peacefulness among the group of 30-odd bushwalkers. The afternoon…
I grabbed two chocolate croissants on the way to Manly Wharf to meet everyone at 9.10am. Then it was off to the beach via the $2 shops to buy $5 hats for a couple of people in the group. Manly beach was already filling up with swimmers and we were in a for a great day. We followed the foreshore footpath to Shelley Beach, up to the car park and then down the gully (near entrance of the car park) to the rock shelf below. Despite a…
I have visited the Kedumba River many times, but always as a brief waypoint on the way on or off Mt Solitary. At the usual crossing points, unless it is flooded, the river babbles gently over small rocks, rarely reaching as much as a metre in depth, and with wide banks dotted with eucalypt and casuarina trees that allow for easy navigation. So I…
Again despite the weather forecast it turned out to be a nice fairly mild day for the walk. I met up with the walkers at Wondabyne Station and after the customary advice to look out for snakes, we immediately set off up the fairly steep climb to the top of the ridge above Wondabyne. This is…
The original weather forecast for the day was for “occasional showers” which for me was a bit of a worry given that I was coming out of a bout of Bronchitis which had been difficult to shift. As it turned out, the rain fell the night prior, and the day turned out to be nice. After meeting…
We all meant at waterfall station with the confusion of the exact spot but it wasn’t long before we were gathered at the start of the track. We headed down along the uloola trail that takes you to waterfall oval and then cross the oval back back on the fire trail again and turn on our trail. It was…