hawkesbury trail story

Contributed by Pam Graham from Melbourne

I was very apprehensive about this adventure but Brian really wanted to do the Hawkesbury walk. My concerns were his 2 year old half knee replacement, and our age, being well past our middle years, and being just two of us in the wilderness. However, when we acquired a mobile phone and two hiking sticks I relaxed somewhat and started to look forward to the adventure.

When the walk notes arrived in the mail we studied them with the maps and decided that we had better strictly enforce our “1000 steps for heart health”. So the pedometer went on with the watch and the specs each morning and we had to arrange our day to fit the 1000 in before evening.

Our walk started at Turramurra, NE of Sydney, at Judy’s lovely B & B. It was hard to remind ourselves of the walking bit as we sipped drinks in the conservatory in luxurious surroundings, but the crunch came next morning when Judy dropped us off at the start of the track to Bobbin Head, and went on to take our bags to Brooklyn.

We had morning tea at Bobbin Head and lunch at Appletree Bay in beautiful weather, then did the best part of the day’s walk, but the hardest, around the inlets to Waratah Bay, and the rubbly track up to Berowa. We took the train to Brooklyn (not cheating!) and stayed at the converted-Convent apartment that night – a view to die for! Luckily we didn’t get the apartment with the altar in the bedroom, but we fell asleep immediately anyway.

Next morning we made our breakfast from the generous basket provided, and took all our bags down to the Convent’s jetty, hopped on the prearranged Water Taxi, and had a delightful ride, with commentary, to Patonga Beach where our next host was waiting to collect our bags as arranged also. So, free as birds, we took off along the beaches and over the headlands with their wildflowers, spotting a brush turkey, pelicans, a goanna, yellow tailed black cockatoos, a 1.5 metre green snake, and a man looking for his gold tooth. Poor fellow had been peddling his bike uphill on the pebbly road, thought he had inhaled a blowfly, spat it out onto the road, and then couldn’t find it! We looked too for a while, but it was hopeless! A good anecdote to dine out on though. We reached Ettalong Beach with enough energy to roam around the town for a while before eating Japanese and overnighting at the intriguing Resort. We woke next morning to a full scale Saturday market on the floor below us!

The next two days were spent in and around Bouddi National Park, in botanical heaven, with flowering natives lining narrow coastal paths, and lovely coastal views.

Sue and Neil were our hosts at McGregor’s, and they gave us a great time! And the view from wherever we stood was brilliant, up to the Rip Bridge. I wonder if the duck which was nesting by the front door has raised its brood yet….?

The taxi to Woy Woy was the end of a truly delightful walk, and we had the satisfaction of knowing that we can still do it! Of course we need to thank Auswalk for smoothing out all the bumps in the preparation and planning, but we are still taking credit for the ones on the track! And we didn’t get lost once. Thanks Auswalk!

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