Farewell Sydney

After one hundred and twenty four weeks my six week Sydney secondment had finally come to an end. It didn't take long for me to pack two years of my life into my car, I said goodbye to the worlds smallest car park and battled the traffic one last time out of the city.

I had made the drive a few times before, heading inland along the New England Highway to miss the worst of the traffic and construction. The country roads passed uneventfully, I made it all the way to the Queensland border before stopping for the night.

The temperatures were in the single digits not long after dark, I found a camp site in Wallangarra and quickly put up my tent. I wrapped myself in down and kept nice and warm while the cold set in. It reached a low of -5 degrees overnight, but I was well prepared for the cold..

I woke early, shook the frost from my tent, wiped the ice off my windscreen and began the final leg of my journey home. The day warmed with the rising of the sun, and I was treated to a gorgeous winters day in south east Queensland. It was good to be home...

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Sydney to LAX

Bags were packed and I was ready to go. 4o kilograms, 160 litres of bag space, camping gear, climbing gear, slightly less than the kitchen sink. I stayed up late on Friday night to try and get a head start on recovering from jet lag, set four alarms for the space of thirty minutes so I wouldn't dream of oversleeping alarms.

I was lucky enough to get a very early lift to the airport from a good mate, I checked in my baggage and watched the sun come up from Sydney international airport. Coffee to keep me awake passed the time until it was time to board, and before long I was in the air. Over five years since my last holiday, I was way overdue.

I watched Sydney pass beneath me, soon it was endless oceans and the occasional coral island. Night arrived, the hours ticked by, little sleep was had, and before I knew it we were descending into Los Angeles. The sun was coming up as I passed through customs, I had my bags and I was out. It was two hours earlier than I left Australia, consequence of passing the international time zone.

To no avail I ran around trying to find wifi to contact my friend, by the time I sorted out a new SIM card and called she was already in the arrival lounge looking for me. We jumped in her car to escape LA before the traffic set in, and made our way back to Corona Del Mar. I dumped my bags and the adventure began...

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The Coastal Track

After telling a workmate about my previous hike in the Royal National Park, he was inspired to try to walk the complete coastal track so we arranged to meet at the entrance to the park early on Saturday morning and attempt the 30km one way trip while the weather was fine.

After he unsurprisingly canceled last minute I decided to hike it anyway and drove to Bundeena where I would start my journey from the northern end of the trail. It was shaping up to be a stunning day, clear skies but very cold in the early morning light. 

I parked near the Bundeena ferry and after fifteen minutes walking through the small coastal township I arrived at the trail head. The early morning sun bathed the path in a gorgeous golden hue, and the sight of the rugged coastal headlands being battered by a rough swell was stunning.

I hiked past the Balconies and Wedding Cake rock, and in just over an hour I was at Marley Beach, the northernmost point of my trip the previous week. I was back on familiar ground, making good time while still taking time to enjoy the spectacular scenery.

I passed Wattamolla beach and only stopped for morning tea when I reached Eagle Rock. I ate some cheese and crackers while watching the salt spray from the pounding ocean flow up over the cliffs due to the strong winds. It had taken two hours and forty-five minutes for me to reach the half way point of the hike, I had barely seen anyone else on the trail and was enjoying the serenity.

Continuing on past a deserted Garie Beach (quite a change from last week) the track meandered through some small beach shack villages to rise and fall with the undulating headlands. Fatigue was starting to set in a little as the track became sandier the further south I went, but I was on the home stretch and was still making good progress.

The popular 'Figure Eight' pools were still underwater due to the high tide, so I continued on into the 'Burning Palms' section where the track started to steepen. I was nearing the end of the trail, and five and a half hours and thirty kilometers after I started I made it to the Otford Lookout, the end of the hike!


I took the long way to the station, only to realize I had just missed the train and the next one wouldn't arrive for another two hours! It eventually arrived and I took the service to Cronulla as the day was getting late.

The sun was setting by the time I caught the last ferry from Cronulla wharf and I enjoyed the leisurely ride back to Bundeena. I was glad to have parked close the the ferry that morning, shortly after darkness set in an I was in my car heading back to Sydney, tired but content.

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Return to the Royal National Park

The weather was in my favour as I awoke to a proper Australian winters day, and a chance to hit the outdoors under crisp sunny blue skies was too good to pass up!

After some cheeky visitors dropped by to keep me company during breakfast, I decided to visit the Royal National Park to visit a section of the coastal track I hadn’t hiked before.

My plan was to start at Bundeena but due to a traffic accident the main road into the park was closed. I was forced to drive further south before I could cut in towards the ocean but happily I arrived at Garie Beach, the furthermost point I had reached on my previous hike. A few surfers were out enjoying the pumping waves as I set off along the beach towards the northern headland.

I made good progress along the track, with stunning views out to sea. Taking a snack break looking out towards ‘Eagle Rock’ I saw several whales playing off the coast, occasionally breaching the surface accompanied by a huge plume of sea spray. Pods of whales closer to the cliffs could occasionally be heard as they came up for air, in between the constant sounds of the abundant local bird life.

Knowing that I would have to retrace my steps to my car, I nevertheless wanted to see how much of the track I could cover before I had to turn around before darkness set it. I made good time to Wattamolla Beach, and decided to push on to Marley Beach. I sat on the rocks overlooking the gorgeous empty beach, had another quick bite to eat before I started back towards my car.

I had covered 12kms in two and a half hours, with sunset only 90 minutes away I knew I had to make good time on my way back. I had a warm jacket and a head torch so I wasn’t too concerned about hiking in the dark, but I did have some cold beers waiting for me in the fridge at home which spurred me on.

Darkness had fully descended by the time I reached Garie Beach, I walked the last short section of soft sand under the moonless sky completing the 24km round trip in just over four and a half hours. It was a gorgeous day and the cool sunny day was perfect for hiking.

I plan to return soon and do the complete 32km trip (one way) in a day soon!


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Hiking in the Royal National Park

I caught some bands at the Oxford Art Factory on Friday night, so Saturday was always going to be a slower day. After a week of grey and overcast skies the sun was out in full force for the weekend, so I went for a walk to the Powerhouse Museum to check out what was on offer.

My disinterest in superheros was more than outweighed by my love of Lego, and I enjoyed the DC comics Lego Superhero exhibition. The Batman pieces were the highlight, especially a full size replica of the Bat mobile which used almost half a million Lego pieces. Very impressive. The rest of the museum had some great exhibitions and is definitely worth a visit.

A catch-up with friends later on Saturday meant another late night, and I awoke on Sunday morning surprised at the lateness of the day. After a quick breakfast I filled a camel pack with water, grabbed  handful of chocolates (Fantails) and drove out to the Royal National Park south of Sydney to do some hiking.

It was another brilliant day, I parked my car at the Otford lookout just before midday and set off north along the famous Coastal Track. It was hot out in the sun but the track lead through a thick forest which kept things cool.

The first lookout I came to offered another amazing view over rocky headlands and gorgeous blue waters, looking down on Werrong beach. It was only a few hundred metres into the trek so I quickly continued along my way.

I hiked through the Palm Jungle before exiting into some grassy fields where I made my way down towards the ocean. After a short scramble down a small cliff I joined the crowds at the figure eight rock pools.

It was nice to stop for a swim, but I didn't stay for long and left the crowds to continue my hike. I rounded the point to South Era beach. Past the camp site at North Era then on to Garie Beach. The nine kilometre hike had taken only a few hours but I arrived to a patrolled surf beach and small café ready for a break. Unfortunately I had left my wallet in my car, so the prospect of a hot meal and cold drink would have to wait. I ate the last of my chocolates and readied myself for the long walk home.

Rather than retrace my steps I walked up along the steep windy road to the Governor Game lookout, where I took the Garrawarra Ridge track back to Otford. I had this section of the track to myself, hiking along as the golden sun shone through the forest.

It was late in the day when I arrived back to my car, and after eighteen kilometres I was ready for something to eat! Rather than drive around and try to find a café still open I settled down on a grassy area at the Otford lookout with a beautiful view to the south and cooked up a hearty pasta and salmon meal on my hiking stove I had stored in my car.

With my hunger temporarily sated I got in my car and returned to Sydney. Given some planning the twenty-six kilometre route of the complete Coast Track would be do-able, perhaps before I return to Brisbane I will explore the tracks I didn't see today.

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