Boarding House Dam Walk

Moss Wall Boarding House Dam Walk Watagans

Getting There

The Boarding House Dam Walk is in the Watagans National Park west of Newcastle. We drove in via Cessnock and found most of the drive to be easy. However, the last section of road into the Watagans is dirt and very rough in places. Take care because of the corrugations and holes in the road.

Apart from the road the scenery as you drive into the National Park is very nice with beautiful trees along the road. There are several lookouts that provide views over the surrounding countryside and the forrest.

Road into the Watagans Boarding House Dam Walk
Road into the Watagans

Boarding House Dam Walk 

The walk starts at the Boarding House Dam picnic area which is nicely set up with covered picnic areas and bar-b-q sites. There are seats near the creek, so you can sit and relax by the water while in the shade.

Creek Near Boarding House Dam Picnic Area Boarding House Dam Walk
Creek Near Boarding House Dam Picnic Area

The Boarding House Dam Walk is very easy and only takes about 15 minutes. The walk forms a loop so that you leave on one side of the creek and return on the other. The scenery along the way is nice and the walk culminates at the moss wall which is the highlight.

Moss Wall Boarding House Dam Walk Watagans
Moss Wall

When we went there had been little rainfall resulting in only a small flow in the creek. This was a pity as there is a weir that would have looked amazing with water spilling over it.

Creek on the Walk Boarding House Dam Walk Watagans
Creek on the Walk

Even with the poor road condition we were very pleased that we did this walk. It was quiet and shady with A very nice moss wall at the end.

Kitchener

On our way home we stopped at Kitchener to look at the preserved
poppet head structure from the Aberdare Central Colliery. Coal mining is still important for the Hunter Valley but historically was located around Cessnock. As these mines were exhausted, mining operations moved further up the valley. To maintain a link with their past a residents’ group organised the preservation of this structure. If you are passing through it is a great place to stop for a break, let kids run around and read about the poppet head preservation on the signs placed there.

Aberdare Poppet Head Kitchener New South Wales
Aberdare Poppet Head Kitchener

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.