PALM GROVE NATURE RESERVE - BIRDS, RAINFOREST, HIKE - 19 OCTOBER 2018

I parked at the track head along Ourimbah Creek Road at Palm Grove Nature Reserve. This road was lined with pretty horse properties.

I planned for a hike along the sole track in the reserve which was a section of the Great North Walk from Sydney to Newcastle.

It was a pleasant hike through dry forest and rainforest. the hike started off uphill then leveled out for a while before continuing further uphill. The track intersected with a service road which I followed for a short distance before there was a turnoff to the left and downhill. The downhill stretch was steep in parts and ended at a small creek. The track continued on and uphill. I followed it for a short distance but decided to turn back around and retrace my steps.

Along the way -

I heard many bird calls but only saw a few as the foliage was very thick and dense.

There were many leeches also and these tried to get a hold on me whenever I stopped and rested.

There was one massive strangler fig tree that soared into the sky. I felt the tree and it's bark was very rough.

Being a rainforest, there was of moss and lichen covered rocks and logs.Very green and pretty.

It was an enjoyable hike with a lot of bird calls.

CENTRAL COAST - MOONEY MOONEY CREEK - MTB - 'DEOPPILATION' - 9 FEBRUARY 2015

Time to hone the new skills - getting over small logs and rocks and maintaining balance to increase general performance.

Well, that all sounds good but ...

This was a longer ride and there were a number of obstacles to test out skills. There were a number of logs and most I made. Going over obstacles - rocks, tree roots -  was better, being a bit more fluid. The highlight was a two metre dry creek of erratic rocks. I made it through with some speed and comfort. That felt so good!

The ride was very pretty with creek views, ferns and varying track terrain,

The ride ended where the track crossed over Mooney Mooney Creek in a small cascade over the rocks. It was nice to sit there and watched the water flow and the light play with the vegetation.

distance - 5.71km
elevation range - 40m

CENTRAL COAST - BRISBANE WATER NP - WONDABYNE TO GIRRAKOOL TURNOFF - HIKE - 8 april 2014

I had been meaning to go to Pindar Caves for a long time. This was my goal on this trip but a misreading of the map took me way off course. Still it was a great walk!

I parked near Gosford Station and caught  train to Wondabyne. Wondabyne is a small station so I had to sit in the last carriage at the last door and tell the guard my intentions to disembark at Wondabyne.


The train faded out of sight around the bend and there I was at Wondabyne station and solitude. I walked down to the small wharf on Mullet Creek and gazed over the water, hills, greenery and scattered houses by the water's edge.

The start of the track is very clearly signposted and easy to follow. Straight way it was a very steep in two sections to the ridgeline. The track then became a service road. I am not very excited walking along service roads. Eventually, I came to a rock clearing which had a turn off to the left. there were no posts but an arrow scratched on the rock. Being unsure if this was the turn off, I decided to wander on further. Unfortunately, a series of descriptions led me to believe that I was on the right track. Anyway, the service road ended and I was walking on a rough track. I passed over large expanses of sandstone rock escapements with views over Mooney Mooney Creek and nearby mountains.

The track lead up and down and around and about over a well eroded and wet track. I passed two creeks, which were reasonably pretty. Eventually, I reached the turnoff for the Girrakool Loop track and reversed my direction.

The odd thing about this walk was the amount of ants that were on the move which made it difficult to find a spot to sit and rest. Later, I sat near one of the creeks but had to abandon this idea due to the high number of leeches.

By the time I reached Wondabyne Station, I was pretty tired. At the station wharf, a boat pulled in and a guy disembarked and came to the station. We struck up a conversation. he had lived in the area a long time telling me a bit of local history - houses were on leash from national park to the owners and their direct descendants, there use to be a large town there with a pub and brothel due to the construction of the Woy Woy tunnel and the quarry and oyster leashes. The town now has been reduced to a few houses with most being demolished by the national parks.


All in all a great hike, train station, train ride and conversation.

distance - 13.81 km
time - 4 hrs 37 mins
elevation range - 208m