My friend Enmoore was keen on some canyoning and suggested Thunder Canyon. It had been a while since my last is it to this magnificent canyon. This was back in 2008. So it was well due another visit. Wendy was also keen to join us.
We left Enmoore’s car at the Claustral carpark on the Bell Road, and then drove in Wendy’s car to Mt Charles. I think it was around 10:30 am when we set off from Mt Charles. Continue reading
More heatwave conditions! Sydney had been experiencing an unpleasant spell of very hot weather. Too hot to do the walk to and from many swimming holes. But it still nice to get out. So I thought I would do a short easy walk down part of Wolli Creek, along the Two Valleys Track between Bexley North and Turrella.
The hot weather seems to make the birds harder to see. I could hear a few, but most seemed to be resting high in the trees. Continue reading
Another nice day spent in Royal National Park. Digi Dave and myself organised a day, stating with some photography at Audley, and then when it got too hot – we would head to some entry pools for a swim.
At Audley, we started looking for birds, but it was the colourful Dragonflies that captured our attention first. Continue reading
I spent a very pleasant afternoon in the Watsons Bay – South Head Area. I was hoping for some good sunset photography – in particular the Sun setting behind the city buildings (which happens at this time of the year when viewed from Gap Bluff). I had an earlier trip with this intention – but on that occasion a large cloud mass to the west meant no real sunset.
I also planned to full in my time looking for and photographing some of there birds in the area. It was a very hot day, but at least on the coastal cliffs there was a cool sea-breeze which made conditions considerably more comfortable. Continue reading
The forecast was for hot weather. Very hot weather, so I wanted to do an easy activity with shade available and not too much walking, and no hills to climb. A wander around the pools at Bicentennial Park seemed to fit the bill.
Australian Shelducks
I caught a train to Concord West and walked the short distance to the park. I then headed to the ponds. Despite the hot weather, there were a reasonable number of birds out. Here are some – Continue reading
This was a pleasant walk to a great swimming hole in Kangaroo Creek. The walk was on the program of the National Parks Association of NSW and organised by Brian Everingham. The party was Brian, Sue, Ross, Helen, Dorothy, Valerie, Chloe and myself.
We met outside Heathcote Station and soon were on our way along the fire road through the fire protection zone behind the houses out to the Bottle Forest. We were all on the lookout for orchids – and we did spot a number of Hyacinth Orchids along the way. Most of them were past their best. Continue reading
In the early morning I joined the Tempe Birdos for their monthly bird survey at Tempe Wetland. It was fairly quiet at the Wetland, not too many birds were observed.
Australasian Grebe on nest
Some of what we saw included – Continue reading
I spent an interesting afternoon, accompanied by Digi Dave along the lower part of Wolli Creek. We walked along the bank of the creek from its junction with the Cooks River to Turrella Reserve.
At the start, we walked along the new riverside path that goes around the back of the velodrome. Continue reading
This was an interesting day spent canyoning in the Wollangambe Wilderness with Bob. Many years ago (about 20?) I had been on a canyoning trip where we had started down a very good looking canyon and then been hit with a sudden thunderstorm. None of the party had been down this canyon before, and even though we thought the constricted section would be short, we thought it wise to retreat and try and climb out of the canyon and get away from the creek. This we had done with some difficulty, and after spending some time sheltering in an overhang we then walked back the way we had come.
A few months later, I had returned to that creek with a different party, and this time we ventured through the canyon successfully. I remember the constricted section as being very impressive, but it was unfortunately also quite short. I had talked about returning to that creek with Bob, and he told me that he recalled visiting the same creek back many years before my trips (early 1980’s) – but he didn’t seem to remember any spectacular sections of canyon. Continue reading
This was a very pleasant walk led by Brian Everingham for the National Parks Association of NSW. The plan was to walk from Faulconbridge to Springwood via the Victory Track, then along the Sassafras Gully Track to Glenbrook Creek, then to Springwood via Magdala Creek and Fairy Dell.
Clarinda Falls
A hot day was forecast, but there would be good swimming opportunities. In the party were Brian, Sue, Margaret, Paul, Esther, Helen, Diane and myself. we met at Faulconbridge Station and soon set off down the Victory Track. We could hear the loud calls of a multitude of cicadas – the sound of the summer. Continue reading
