Bushwalking Archives - Page 20 of 42

20 January 20225 January 2022

The Swinging Bridge Cooranbong

Originally built in 1934 to allow access for workers to the nearby Sanitarium factory, the Swinging Bridge replaced rowing or swimming as the means to get to work. Crossing Dora Creek at Cooranbong the bridge can be tricky to find because it is located behind residential houses. We parked in Victory Street and walked down the public access track between Nos. 19 and 29. Once behind the houses the bridge is in front of you.

Crossing the bridge is fun as it bounces slightly as you walk. On the far side of Dora Creek, the old private access road to the Sanitarium Factory leads along the creek. Lined with palm and flowering trees, the old road looks great, especially as the trees were in bloom.

Pathway after leaving the bridge The Swinging Bridge Cooranbong — Old Private Road to the factory

Following the creek, we saw palm trees lining the far bank which was unexpected. The creek passes the old factory which has been closed and changed hands. Visible through the surrounding fence, the old entrance would be nice to see up close. We made do with looking over the fence, because access is not allowed.

Sandy Creek Trail

Returning to the bridge, we decided to walk the Sandy Creek Trail, because it follows two creeks and goes through regrowth woodland. A sign showed other walks in the area, but this one held more interest for us. This walk is in yellow on the photo below. The well-maintained track follows Jigadee Creek until it meets Dora Creek. At this point the M1 Motorway from Sydney to Newcastle crosses the creeks several hundred meters down Dora Creek.

The track then follows Dora Creek back to the swinging bridge, where we crossed the creek and returned to our car.

What Did We Think?

This was a great little walk, with some industrial heritage as well as the bridge and bush walking.

14 January 202230 December 2021

Bass Point Reserve

Bass Point Reserve

A place of significant cultural value, Bass Point Reserve is Heritage Listed, due to extensive Aboriginal and Colonial use of the area. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Elouera people lived here at least 20,000 years ago. Colonial settlers arrived 1803, although European explorers had passed through before this. Settled by cedar cutters and graziers, much of the area was cleared. Land clearing, disease and hostility by Europeans resulted in the collapse of the Aboriginal population.

The Gravel Loader

One of the first sites you see at Bass Point is the gravel loader which services the local basalt quarry. It forms an interesting contrast to the other more natural heritage areas because of its industrial use.

Bass Point

Walking through the Reserve, we saw some small lizards, but no other wildlife, although larger native animals inhabit the area. The eroded basalt on the shore has places where colourful orange algae grow, adding some colour to the otherwise dull rocks.

Bass Point Reserve — Lizard at Bass Point

US Cities Service Boston & 6th Machine Gun Battalion Memorial

On 16 May 1943, the US oil tanker US Cities Service Boston grounded here during a storm. Australian soldiers from the 6th Australian Machine Gun Battalion camping nearby assisted in the rescue of the 62 crew on board. All lives from the Boston were saved but four Australian soldiers perished in the rescue. Each year, a remembrance service commemorates the loss.

"US Cities Service Boston" & 6th Machine Gun Battalion Memorial — 6th Machine Gun Battalion Memorial

Bushrangers Bay

At the end of Bass Point Tourist Road is a small carpark that services Bushrangers Bay. This beautiful bay has vegetation growing down to the water line. A well-maintained wooden walkway provides access down to the pebble beach.

A viewing platform designed to provide views over the bay sits above and to the left of the steps but was overgrown when we visited. This obscured what would otherwise have been a great view.

Bushrangers Bay is a Marine Reserve, so fishing or removing anything from the area is prohibited.

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

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3 January 202227 December 2021

Minnamurra Rainforest

Minnamurra Rainforest

Part of Budderoo National Park west of Kiama, Minnamurra Rainforest is a subtropical, dry, riparian and temperate rainforest. Only a 30-minute drive from Wollongong, it’s a great place to experience the Australian bush.

Parking is available near the visitor centre, for a small fee. Alternatively, if you have an annual pass for NSW National Parks and Wildlife, parking and entry are free. Advice on the walks and information on the area is available at the visitor centre.

Two walks are available, the Lyrebird and Falls walks. It is possible to do Lyrebird and extend it to the Falls. Each takes around an hour to complete, so two hours for both. Unfortunately on our visit, heavy rain had closed the Falls Walk, so we only did Lyrebird.

The track follows the Minnamurra River, crossing it four times as you walk along its valley. The majority of the track is board walk to is easy to walk, although it is steep in places. The track also has up and down grades as you move along the valley and is rarely flat. Even so, we found it an easy walk, taking us under an hour, even with constant stops to admire the scenery.

At two points suspension bridges cross the river, providing great photo opportunities and views along the river.

Don’t rush the walk, but look at the plants growing along the path. We found some amazing looking mushrooms growing there.