Brownes Path and Blue Gum Forest – 22 April 2021

I was keen on doing a longer walk with a few hills, and so Bob and myself decide our walk this week would be along the Bald Head Ridge to Bennett Lookout, then a descent of Brownes Path to the Grose River. Next we would follow the track downstream to Blue Gum Forest, and walk back via Perrys Lookdown.

We had excellent walking weather – cool and sunny most of the day. Bob parked near Hat Hill and we were soon walking along the track towards Bald Head.

Just before the Head we left the track and descended to Bennett Lookout.

Bob and myself had been out this way before, so we knew the way. It is an easy scramble onto Bennett Lookout, and from the top are fine views up and down the Grose Valley.

Here you can see a lower lookout –

We scrambled down a gully just to the west of the lookout, and instead of going to the lower lookout, we turned to the east and followed a ledge. This is Brownes Path. It is an easy pass.

We followed the ledge for about 100 m and then started descending towards the river. Since the bushfires there had been a lot of regrowth, and care was needed to pick a good route down. In some places there was Lawyer Vine. It took us about an hour and twenty minutes to reach the Grose River.

At the river, our pace increased as we followed the track towards Little But Gum. I was worried about the track since the fires and the floods – but it was mostly fine.

Little Blue Gum had been badly burnt out, and the grassy flats were now covered with a lot of regrowth.

It was too early to stop for lunch, so we kept on walking down the river.

At Hordern Gully, we stopped to get some water, then entered Blue Gum Forest. Most of the forest here was quite good. The big trees did not look too fire damaged.

In some places, the Grose River, showed signs of flood damage.

In Blue Gum, most of the trees looked untouched from the fire. But we could see that this area had been burnt because of the post fire regrowth.

In many places there was a lot of Incense Bush (Plume, or Native Tobacco) – a native plant that often comes up in great abundance not long after a bushfire. Some of it was already starting to die as a result of cooler weather.

Some of the trees had been taped by scientists studying their post fire recovery.

At “The Big Tree” where the track meets the other tracks that go to Lockleys Pylon and Perrys Lookdown, there was a lot of fire damage. Many of the trees here had epicormic growth.

We sat down to have lunch, but not long after we found ourselves being attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes. We decided to pack up – and head up the track and have lunch at a higher level. So we set off up the Docker Buttress.

There is some fine new trackwork here –

After our lunch stop, we continued upwards, passing some track workers and a party of school students heading down to camp. At the rear of the party, I ran into Jim, a former teacher colleague of mine. It was good to catch up. He was in charge of the Duke of Edinburgh Group of students doing their Bronze Award.

We soon reached Perrys Lookdown, and after a few photos, we walked back along the road to Bob’s car.

It was great to head out into this classic bushwalking country. And I was relieved to see that Blue Gum Forest was not too badly damaged by the very intense bushfire from over a year earlier.