Located a 25-minute drive north of Batemans Bay, North Durras Beach is a popular spot for surfers. Apart from two surfers, it was deserted when we visited. We parked on North Durras Road, where Google Maps says there is a car park. It’s really just a gravel patch on the side of the road, but does have a path down to the beach.
After an easy five-minute walk along the track, we got to the beach. It was beautiful, with some cliffs off to the right and a headland and rock platform to the left. This headland is Point Upright, with the Burrawang Track which we had walked earlier and looked down on the beach.
The weathered cliffs made an interesting addition to the beach, with lots of interesting patterns in the rocks.
If you are in the area and like surfing or just enjoy relaxing on a beach this is a great one to visit.
Track from the road down to the beachTrack down to North Duras Beach through coastal scrubSteps down to the beachLooking north towards Point UprightLooking south along the beachThe Caves cliff wallThe Caves cliff wallSteps up from the beach
Located near the New South Wales Mid-north coast Town of Bulahdelah, the Boolah-Dillah Track is an Aboriginal Place of cultural significance. Carved trees decorated with Aboriginal carvings can be found along the track. Historically carved trees were markers for burials, safe travelling paths, boundaries and had an important role in ceremony for the local Worimi People. Predominantly found in NSW, carved trees are rare in the rest of Australia. Scar trees however, which have had a section of bark removed for burial wraps, canoes, coolamons (a traditional carrying vessel), shelters and shields are more common and widespread. Lost due to land clearance for agriculture and forestry carved trees are now extremely rare.
The newly carved trees were created as a result of workshops held by the Karuah Local Aboriginal Land Council and sculptor John Van Der Kolk. Young people and elders developed the designs which tell cultural stories with young people learning skills in carving and reconnecting with traditional skills.
Getting There
Access to the track is via an overpass of the Pacific Highway. This one lane bridge leads to a small parking area on the other side.
Highway overpass to the track start
The Track
Two carved trees mark the start of the track which leads into the forest. Although flat at first the track soon becomes steep. Despite this, the uphill sections were not too bad, as we took plenty of breaks to admire the forest around us. As well as the trees, the understory is full of ferns and some beautiful grass trees.
Start of the track with carvings on either sideFlat section of the trackNarrow track next to a moss covered boulderGrass TreeGrass Tree
After a 1.1 km walk the track ends at the Worimi Cultural Area where the surrounding trees have carvings. As this is an ongoing project, several trees have newly prepared areas while other carvings are yet to be finished.
Tree carvingGoanna carvingJust started carving of a manTree carvingNew carving yet to be completedRest place with bench seats
Past the Cultural Area, the track continues as the Mountain Track, which passes through more forest to a lookout with great views over the surrounding area.
What Did We Think?
At just 2.2 km return, this was a great little walk. The steep sections might be challenging for some, but by resting and taking your time to admire the surroundings, it very enjoyable.
Located on the banks of the Parramatta River in Rozelle, Sydney Australia, the Fish Traps sculpture represents the deep spiritual and cultural significance of fishing to the local Gadigal and Wangal clans. It forms part of of the Wayfinding Project, which uses visual artworks to show ongoing presence of Aboriginal Peoples within Sydney’s Inner-West. They represent features and histories of Gadigal Wangal Lands.
Other wayfinding works are in the Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, Steel Park, 531-565 Illawarra Road, Marrickville and Hawthorne Reserve, Darley Road, Leichhardt.
We used the 500X bus which dropped us off only a 10-minute walk away from the sculpture. It’s a easy walk along the banks of the Parramatta, with great views. From here we walked along the shore to the old power station pump house, again an easy 10-minute walk.
