Sassafras Gully Walk – 31 Jan 2017

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Dave Noble

After a few weeks in Tasmania, I was keen to have a look for fungi in Sassafras Gully. I checked online rainfall figures and it hadn’t been real wet, but Sassafras Gully has a very nice swimming pool and a hot day was forecast.

Bonnet Orchid

I started this trip from Faulconbridge, and walks down the Victory Track. This descends quickly and soon enters cool rainforest. I also wanted to see if I could find the location of Eleanor Falls. These are not marked on any map that I know of, and only seems to appear in an old postcard, one collected by Jim Smith. See here for information. Smith speculates that the falls could be named after a daughter of Sir James Martin (local resident of Faulconbridge) who dies at age 17. I think it is also possible that it could be named after the second wife of Sir Henry Parkes given his association with Faulconbridge.  Continue reading →

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Tasmania – Central Plateau Walk 15 – 25 January 2017

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Dave Noble

It was time to get away from the heat and humidity of Sydney. After the hottest night on record and a forecast temperature of 44°C in the western suburbs I was glad to board a plane to Launceston. It was also a good chance to catch up with one of my sisters and her husband who had recently moved to Tasmania. They picked me up at the airport and I spent the first night at their very nice house on the coast near Penguin.

The next afternoon, they joined me for the first part of my walk. We drove out to Mole Creek and then along Westrope Road to Higgs Track. From the carpark, it was a little over an hour, walking up the hill to the top of the tier, and 100 m away lay Lady Lake Hut – our destination for the night. We steeled into the hut, but when a family group arrived a little later, we set up tents outside. Another two walkers would later join us. Continue reading →

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Morong Falls Photo Walk 9 – 11 January 2017

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Dave Noble

Back in October 2016, I had joined David Hufton for a photographic trip to Box Creek Falls on the Boyd Plateau. David was keen to return to photograph Morong Falls, another waterfall in the granite area on the Plateau. I joined him for the trip.

We initially drove along the Uni Rover Trail, but the road was quite rough – too rough for David’s small car. So we drove back to the Kowmung Fire Trail and then turn off along that for the Boyd River (Morong Creek) – and followed the other end of the Uni Rover Trail to the Boyd River. We parked just before the rail crosses Morong Creek and from there set off on foot. It was not far on the other side of the creek to the turn off to the Morong Falls Trail – and we set off along that. We continue past a barrier and soon arrived at a nice campsite at the end of the road. Morong Falls were only a few minutes below. Continue reading →

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Nature at Sassafras Gully – 8 January 2017

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Dave Noble

I joined Wendy on a walk down Sassafras Gully at Springwood, and we had a most fascinating outing.

I was hoping to see some orchids – we did. We spotted two nice species not long after setting out down the track from Sassafras Gully Road. We saw Small Tongue Orchids and Bonnet Orchids. Continue reading →

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Burramoko Head and Hanging Rock 5 – 6 January 2017

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Dave Noble

This was another walk from Blackheath Railway Station out to Burramoko Head, camping there overnight and walking back the next day. My third walk out to the head in recent months.

Hanging Rock

The walk out along the fire road is quite pleasant. Not too long that it becomes tedious, and no big hills to toil up. Also, on the way out and back there are many beautiful things to be seen. The last two trips there had been a multitude of waratahs. This trip it was orchids. It was nice to spot five different species of orchid. Continue reading →

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Erskine Creek Walk 1-2 January 2017

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Dave Noble

A canyoning trip had been planned, but a few of us had gotten sick with colds and flu, so a shorter walk to Erskine Creek seemed a good idea.

After meeting at Glenbrook, five of us, Wendy, Keith, Peter, Steph and myself headed out into Blue Mountains National Park for the Pisgah Rock Track. It was a short walk to the lookout at Pisgah Rock, but on the way, we had detoured to visit the Attic Cave. This historic camping place was used as accomodation by some of the early bushwalkers to the area. Continue reading →

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Horseshoe Falls Walk 24 December 2016

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Dave Noble

This was a very short walk I did to fill in some time on Christmas Eve. I was visiting at Hazelbrook, and this walk on the north side of the town was nearby. To get good photographs of the waterfalls you need to visit the area just after a period of heavy rain. This I did not have – there was barely a tricky of water going over the waterfalls.

Horseshoe Falls

I headed down the track that leaves Oaklands Road. As you proceed, you discover there are a multitude of tracks on different levels. I followed a lower one that was signposted to go to Horseshoe Falls. On the way, I passed a small waterfall – perhaps only 2 m high. I think this one is unnamed.  Continue reading →

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Deep Pass – Camping and Canyoning – 19-20 December 2016

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Dave Noble

Martin had his brother and family visiting from Sweden, and had planned two days camping at Deep Pass Clearing in Wollemi National Park. His parents and wife Steffy joined him, and I tagged along with John, Chuin Nee and their two sons. It was a very pleasant two days spent at a delightful place in the bush.

Deep Pass Clearing

We walked the 800 m  from the carpark to the campsite, and had plenty of room to find a shady campsite in the large clearing.  Continue reading →

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Orchids and Waterfalls – Wentworth Falls Walk – 18 December 2016

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Dave Noble

I spent a very pleasant day at Wentworth Falls wandering around the tracks below Wentworth Falls. My aim was to photograph more of the waterfalls.

Hippocrene Falls

On this trip, I had hoped for higher water levels after recent rain (22 mm the day before and 28 mm two days before 0 measured at Katoomba) – but levels were reasonable, but certainly not as high as I would have liked. Also – the weather forecast had been for cloudy conditions – nice for waterfall photography. But it was a mixture of sunny and cloudy on the day. This meant, that at waterfalls I wanted to photograph I frequently had to wait for the sun to go behind a cloud to soften the lighting. Continue reading →

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Christmas Lights Ride – Leichhardt – 17 December 2016

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Dave Noble

Except for the previous Christmas, when the weather was not so good, I had joined a group of friends for a bike ride around the inner west looking at some of better Christmas lights on display. This year, we continued the tradition, but started from Leichhardt and rode around that area.

The weather was fine and the lights were quite good. For the four and a half year old in the party – the best house was the one with the snow machine and a bubble machine. Continue reading →

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