You will find the Sandstone Caves on the Newell Highway just north of Coonabarabran in the Pilliga National Park. To get to the Sandstone Caves, follow the Yaminba Trail signpost. This will take you to a car park where you will find a map board showing you the local walks available.
The well-formed tracks take you around the sandstone outcrop that the caves are located in. As well as the caves the sandstone has eroded into some fascinating shapes. Several of the caves are sealed off to protect aboriginal artifacts, such as grinding grooves and rock carvings. There are boards explaining the importance of these artifacts to the local indigenous groups.
We took around 45 minutes to walk around the track at a relaxed pace. there were some steps to climb but overall it was an easy walk, highly recommended.
The Maitland Bay Track is in the Bouddi National Park near Gosford on the New South Wales Central Coast. This is one of many walks available locally. We chose this one because it goes down to a beautiful beach with some amazing rock formations.
Maitland Bay Track Information Centre
The car park is large but becomes full on busy days. Nearby is a visitor centre which has information about the local area, from the bush walks available to the local fauna and flora. At the back of the building is a room with the history of the SS Maitland , which sank here on May 6, 1898. Of the 36 passengers aboard the Maitland, 24 lost their lives.
SS Maitland Memorial
Outside the information centre is a small memorial to the Maitland and those who lost their lives. The centre piece of the memorial is the Bell from the Maitland.
Bell from the SS Maitland Bay
Maitland Bay Track
The Maitland Bay Track starts from the car park and then descends down a series of pathways and steps to the beach. Rated grade 3, the track is well maintained, but you will need a reasonable level of fitness at the track is quite steep. Over its one kilometre length, the track descends 146 metres. This might not sound like much until you have to walk back up.
Bush Walking TrackMaitland Bay Track Steps Going Up
The scenery as you walk along the track is very nice Australian bush, with eucalypts and ferns everywhere.
Maitland Bay Beach
The walking track ends at Maitland Bay Beach. This is a lovely sandy 500m long stretch of beach that is great for a swim or relaxing on. Have a look at the rocks and small cliff faces and you will find some interesting weathering patterns.
Maitland Bay BeachRock WeatheringRock WeatheringWaves at Maitland Bay BeachHoneycomb Rock Weathering
At the north end of the beach is Bouddi Point. This is the area where the SS Maitland came to grief. We had a look and could not see any wreckage. The volunteer at the Information Centre told us later that it would have to be a very low tide to see much. Still, the rocks were fun to climb over.
Bouddi PointBouddi Point
Walking Back to the Car Park
The walk back up took us twice as long as walking down because of the uphill grade. We decided to take a detour along the Bouddi Coastal Walk, which takes off to the left as you go uphill. There was some really nice coastal views along this walk and made the detour worthwhile.
We enjoyed the Maitland Bay Walk and will be going back to walk some of the other tracks in the area.
We decided to go on a Kayaking Tour of the Hunter Wetlands National Park with the School of Yak and had an amazing time. This is a small local tour company specializing in kayaking which gives you a great personalized experience of the wetlands. Glenn the owner grew up in the area and spend much of his childhood kayaking through the mangroves. His knowledge of the swamp and it’s environment was brilliant giving us details of the local bird life, trees and the local ecosystem.
Safety on the Water
The tour starts with a detailed safety briefing, to ensure that you understand what to do. This was great for beginners who had very limited experience on kayaks. Glenn ensured we all had the correct footwear and provided some for those who didn’t. You will also get wet from paddling and the spray from the water, so dress appropriately.
Safety on the water is very important and Glenn provides life jackets and makes sure they are correctly fastened. If you forgot your own sunscreen and hats, Glenn can provide those too.
The first lesson starts on land, where you are shown how to use the paddle correctly. You then get into you kayak (single or double seat, depending on what you want) and away you go. As you paddle around, your guide stays close so you have him if you need help. He also gets you to practise your skills around the entry area to make sure you are happy and confident before the tour begins.
Kayaking in the Wetlands
The guide is always watching the surrounding trees and waterways and giving local information. He has a vast knowledge of bird life and species as well as the areas we toured around. From spotting eagles in trees, to sandbanks and old causeways, they are all pointed out to you and explained.
We stopped on a small sandy beach for afternoon tea. Glenn helped us out of our double kayak, to make sure there were no slips into the water, he helps again to get back in safely. The food was excellent and we enjoyed our stop there along with a look of an old ship wreck and old ruins from World War 2.
Glenn pointed out the importance of not damaging the fragile wetlands and helped minimized the impact we had by leaving no rubbish behind. In addition, he collected plastic garbage that had washed up on the shore.
Pace of the Tour
If you are a beginner, or novice kayaker, Glenn will tailor the tour to your ability. Glenn can also tailor tour to suit what you want to see, ensuring that you get the most enjoyment out of your time on the water. The tour is undertaken at a relaxed pace, so there is plenty of time to look around and enjoy the scenery.
You will not be paddling for the full tour as the water often gently moves you forward. Glenn used the tides to advantage to help take us in the direction of travel.
What did we Think?
The tour was excellent and we came away feeling we had gained a lot of knowledge about an area we drive by regularly. We soon became confident in our ability to kayak and manoeuvre through islands. One of the highlights of our Hunter Wetlands National Park kayaking tour was going down very narrow waterways, through overhanging trees and feeling completely enclosed by the mangroves.
Hunter Wetlands Mangroves Small Channel by Kayak Mangroves in the Hunter Wetlands Hunter Wetlands
We had a fantastic day, finishing late in the evening which enabled us to get great pictures of the sunset.
Remains of the Ajax
School of Yak’s local knowledge of the swamp areas and other locations in the Hunter Valley gave us a great insight into the Hunter Wetlands, its fragile ecology and beauty.
Our Hunter Wetlands National Park Kayaking Tour was an amazing experience and we came away thinking about another adventure we would go on with him.
The Hunter Wetlands at Sunset Pelican at Sunset
To see what else there is to do in the Hunter Valley, please see some of our other stories.
