Wendy had organised a weekend in the Blue Mountains. We spent the first day on a nature walk along the ridge from Hat Hill to Bald Head at Blackheath. Hat Hill is just off Hat Hill Road, which is the road that goes to Perrys Lookdown. There is a track that goes up to the summit of Hat Hill and then continues all the way to Bald Head.
In the party, as well as Wendy and myself, there was Digi Dave, Don and Frances. Continue reading
Digi Dave had organised a nature walk around parts of the greater Menai area. On our excursion, we were lucky to be guided by Dave’s sister, Pam, her husband Greg, and their friend Lloyd, a local expert from the Menai Wildflower Group.
The first area we investigated had a large colony of Flying Duck Orchids. Lloyd had fears they may no longer be out, but we soon found some, and then were staggered by the number that were out. Quite an amazing spectacle. Continue reading
The forecast was for possible thunderstorms in the Sydney area, so I went out to Balls Head in the afternoon for some photography. Well – when I arrived it didn’t look to stormy. So I checked the weather radar. Hmm… an area of rain was travelling down from the Hornsby area – and should arrive in an hour or so. I went out to a nice rock shelf that overlooks the harbour and set up my camera gear.
This rock shelf has very good views and also nearby it has the protection of a dry cave – a good refuge in case of a deluge. The lighting was pretty poor – I did take a few photos, but nothing too impressive. A pair of Rainbow Lorikeets feeding in the trees nearby was a diversion for a while. Continue reading
I was recently sent a copy of this book by the publisher, and I am happy to review it here. It looks like this is the first Australian book in a series that was started in England and with other titles in Europe. The series not only covers swimming sites but also cycling, running and other outdoor activities.
This is a very attractive book, with lots of photos of great looking swimming holes in lovely locations in the greater Sydney area. It attractiveness is made more so by recent warmer weather and the coming summer. The photos tempt and entice you to head out and visit these places. Continue reading
Diana had invited me to join her for a couple of days at Kanangra Walls. She was interested in researching some of the early history of the area for a book she is working on. I took along my camera hoping for some good photographic conditions.
As it turned out – the lighting both in the evening and in the morning was not great – but it was a bit moody – especially in the late afternoon. Being at Kanangra Walls is always great. We camped in the Dance Floor Cave – so it was easy for me to get onto the Kanangra Plateau for sunrise. Continue reading
I like the wind eroded features on the top of the sea cliffs between Wattamolla and Marley in Royal National Park. So mid-week I wandered out that way with my camera to try and capture some of this natural beauty with the right light.
I had been concerned reading on Pawal’s nopixels.net site about people carving their initials into the sandstone in this area. I found this was true! A terrible thing indeed to such a beautiful place. Continue reading
My friend, Roger Lembit, had put a walk on the National Parks Association walks program to Goochs Crater. I joined him on the trip. Roger is a botanist, and has been studying the ecology of the area near the crater for many years. He has been particularly interested in the post fire recovery.
After meeting others on the trip at the Zig Zag Railway carpark, we headed out along the Dumbano Firetrail. On the way, we could not help noticing the vast numbers of waratahs in flower – hundreds and hundred of them! A remarkable spectacle. Continue reading
During the October Long Weekend (3-5 October) I went on the Sydney University Bushwalkers President’s Bludge Trip to the Kowmung River. This year the club president Kaushalya led the trip to the middle section of the Kowmung River.
From Kanangra Walls, we headed to Gingra Range, along it for a while, and then turned off down Hughes Ridge and this brought us to the Kowmung River at Ferny Flat. Here we camped the first night on a nice grassy flat. We had a swim in the river, but the water was a bit cool. Continue reading
I have just returned from a very good 23 day walk in Slovenia. I had long wanted to visit the Alps in Slovenia. The mountains there sounded very rugged and spectacular and a bit less crowded than other parts of Europe.
Several years ago, I had purchased a Cicerone Guidebook “Trekking in Slovenia” by Justi Carey and Roy Clark. This describes a long high level walk called the Slovene High Level Route or in Slovenian – the Slovenska Planinska Pot or Transverzala. This walk, or a section of it sounded like a worthwhile thing to do. Also, friends Ashley and Kendy Burke had visited Slovenia in 2010 and walked a long section of the Transvezala and brought back many inspiring photos and stories.
On my walk, I flew into Vienna. There I had a hiccup – my luggage (pack) did not turn up, and I was delayed there two days till it arrived. Next, a train trip to Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia, where my walk would start. Maribor is a delightful city – lots of friendly helpful people, lots of bars and cafes. A nice place. My stay was all too short. Keen to make up for my early delays in Vienna, I set off for my walk the morning after I arrived. All I needed to buy was a bit of lunch food (mainly bread and cheese) and a map for the first section of the walk. Continue reading
I spent another pleasant afternoon along the Cooks River photographing the birds. I started at Cup and Saucer Creek Wetland, but there was not too much happening there, so I rode my bike to the boat harbour, and there photographed a nice pair of masked lapwings. I then continued on to Tempe and spent the rest of the afternoon at the Tempe Wetlands.
Red-Browed Finch
The Tempe Wetlands are a place that rewards patent behaviour. I waited with my camera ready in some of the more forested sections and found a few nice birds came past and settled nearby, allowing me to photograph them. Continue reading
