by | Mar 10, 2019
Valley Heights steam tramThings didn’t work out quite the ideal way I had planned it. Most of the group had turned up 15 minutes before train departure time, so I got them to go into the second front car to get seats in one group before the tourist hordes arrived. Unfortunately just 7 minutes before train departure, the train staff discovered a broken window in the second car and moved everyone out of it and into the remaining cars (two of which were “quite carriages” not suitable for our group!). And it…
by | Nov 11, 2018
We all met up at Central for the long train trip to Mount Victoria, except Zhong who met us up there. I think that a few of us had had a late night the previous night as some of us dozed on the way up. We got a later train than normal for a Mount Victoria walk, as I wanted to get to One Tree Hill – Elevation above sea level 1111 metres – at 11.11am on 11/11. The date…
by | Aug 19, 2018
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…
by | Aug 18, 2018
We set off for long gully campground just after 7:30am from the Bhundoo Bush Cottages which was our basecamp for the budfest weekend. After a brief examination of the map to make sure we were on the correct track because the Byangee Walls track also departs in the same vicinity we set off. We slowly started gaining elevation of a few hundred metres on the Kalianna Ridge trail which then continues as the castle walking trail once it hits the cliffline. From here…
by | Aug 17, 2018
This trip was planned to give both experienced and novice bushwalkers a chance to get together and have share a great location and some good company. The Budawangs have lots of walking options ranging from the seriously strenuous Castle Walk to the more moderate but equally stunning Pigeonhouse Mountain track. Nestled between…
by | Aug 11, 2018
On Saturday 11 August 2018 I led a walk along the Kiama Coast Walk on the South Coast. Although not technically a difficult walk, it is 22km in its entirety. What I think makes it unique is it’s relatively “Un-Australian” landscape (I hear cries of Maaate, that Un-Australian!) being more like scenery you might see on the Irish or English coastline. It’s quite…
by | Aug 5, 2018
As you can see, a cast of thousands. I had overbooked like the airlines do, expecting a couple of people might drop out on the Saturday evening. As it turned out there was not a single “no show”! This walk was also on tracks often shunned by tourists, especially Federal Pass beyond the Scenic Railway, so there was little risk of causing a traffic jam on the more popular tracks. The Constellation…
by | Jul 28, 2018
What is it about the Red Rocks and eclipses? In just under 10 years from now we’ll be heading to the Red Rocks for my total solar eclipse Red Rocks birthday party, and here we were late on a Friday night scrambling up Donkey Mountain to get ready for the longest total lunar eclipse for the next 100 or more years. Yes we…
by | Jul 28, 2018
The Southern Highlands contain some nice bushwalks of all grades, and can get you into some quite wild country, yet still close to civilization. One of my favourites is the Box Vale track just outside of Mittagong. It has a number of highlights along the way, with just enough challenge for beginners to get some experience without getting too epic. A total…
by | Jul 15, 2018
I was late putting this trip on the calendar so was pleasantly surprised to have Penny keen for a 2 night trip in the middle of winter and with only 3 days’ notice! The forecast was for 10 degree days getting down to -1 at night with winds ranging from 20-40km/h. So we knew the trip would be a bit more challenging than normal. Walking along…
