Sydney Outdoors Meetup Group

Epic Newcastle Trip: Coastal Walks, whales, dolphins, National Parks! Medium

Let's have a weekend in Newcastle. It Rocks!

Saturday: We bus to Belmont North and commence a 20KM walk along coastal tracks with epic views, hidden beaches with a grandstand finish at Nobby's Light House, before heading to Newcastle CBD for refreshments!

Sunday: We bus to One Mile Beach in Port Stephens (north of Newcastle) for a full day adventure through Tomaree National Park with a grandstand finish on the Tomaree Head Summit Walk with epic views across to the Mid North Coast settlements of Hawks Nest and Myall Lakes.

The national parks and ocean views across this weekend are not to be missed. Newcastle is the perfect base for this adventure. Hopefully we will spot Humpback whales and their delightful friends, Pacific Dolphins, who habituate this part of the NSW coastline. We will enjoy some great bus trips and a ferry ride! There are many accommodations options so get booking! There are many great choices for food and a team dinner in Newcastle, which is a beautiful city!!

I RECOMMEND MEMBERS PLAN TO ARRIVE NEWCASTLE BY FRIDAY NIGHT, FOR OUR 8AM START FROM CUSTOMS HOUSE, NEWCASTLE, SATURDAY MORNING.

Distance: 20KM each day

Difficulty: Medium, because of the distance and some headland climbs. We have plenty of time of both days to complete the walking.

Walking Pace: We will average 4.5 km per hour.

Meeting Place and Transport: Saturday: Customs House, Watt Street at 8:00AM to catch the bus departing 8:10AM. Sunday: Newcastle Station Interchange at 8:00AM to catch the bus departing 8:09AM to Fingal Bay.

What to bring: Good walking shoes/trail runners; 1.5 litres of water, refill available along the way; hydrolytes; one snack and one lunch; light rain jacket depending on conditions; sunscreen and a cap or hat with a wide brim. BRING A PACKED LUNCH EACH DAY!

Suggested Donation: $75

Pub: TBA

By RSVPing to this event, you (and your guests) agree to and are bound by the terms and conditions of SOMG which you can view here:

Blue Mountains: Glenbrook, Red Hands Cave Nepean River Euroka Campsite 23km Hard

This epic day of walking on the Blue Mountains starts and finishes a Glenbrook Train Station. To kick the day off we walk the 2km access road into Glenbrook Creek causeway and find Red Hands Cave walking track. At 3.2km in we stop for morning tea at Red Hands Cave which has one of the best Aboriginal stencil galleries in Australia; these paintings may be as much as 1,600 years old.

Back on track, 6km of fire trail takes us to Oaks Picnic Area where we find a toilet and have a short food break. The following section is a 7.2km mix of fire trail and bush tracks which take us to the Nepean River, about 6km upstream from Penrith. We stop at Euroka Campground for our late lunch break and hang out to see if we can catch sight of the local kangaroos and other delightful creatures.

Breaking camp at Euroka it is a 4.6km walk back to Glenbrook Train Station. There are good options for a post-walk beer and dinner, if members are interested, in this delightful mountain village.

Distance: 22.8 km

Type of Walk: This full day of mountain walking is filled with great variation, from historic sites to the magnificent beauty of the bush. The climbing is moderate. I have allowed plenty of time to complete this walk without pushing too hard on the uphill sections.

Difficulty: Hard. We will maintain a moderate pace and stop here and there to check out what's happening. There are no get out points.

Walking Pace: We will average about 4 km per hour. I aim to finish by no later than 5pm, but may well finish around 4.30pm, depending on conditions.

Meeting Place and Transport: We meet at Glenbrook Train Station by 9:00am. The Blue Mountains train service, departing CENTRAL TRAIN STATION at 7:54AM arrives Glenbrook at 8:56AM. MEMBERS DRIVING: THERE IS A FREE PUBLIC CAR PARK AT GLENBROOK TRAIN STATION.

What to bring/wear: Trail runners/good walking shoes; 2-3 litres of water, no refills; hydrolytes; lunch; snacks, light rain jacket depending on conditions; sunscreen and a cap or hat with a wide brim. MEMBERS MUST BRING ALL WATER, AND FOOD: THIS IS A MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS WALK.

Suggested Donation: $10

Pub: TBA

By RSVPing to this event, you (and your guests) agree to and are bound by the terms and conditions of SOMG which you can view here:

Mixed Up History: Balmain Peninsula to Redfern via Everywhere 15km - Medium

We kick off with a lovely ferry ride from Circular Quay to Balmain Ferry wharf. Off the boat we commence our exploration of the historic Balmain/Birchgrove Peninsula with Mort Bay and Ballast Point, taking in views rarely seen of the CBD. Various parks and points of interest, including Dawn Fraser Swimming Baths, pass us by on our way through to Iron Cove Bay.

At Iron Cove Bay we give Rozelle, Callan Park and Lilyfield the once-over before heading into Pioneer Park at Leichardt, for lunch and a bathroom stop. NO SHOPS AT THIS LUNCH STOP, SO BRING YOUR FOOD!

We muscle out of Leichardt through War Memorial Park and head into the little-known White Creek Valley which drops down to the Glebe Foreshore Parks which we check out before climbing up through the also little-known Johnsons Creek track to Camperdown.

Across Parramatta Road, we take a trip through University of Sydney main campus where I will highlight the best of its grand medieval architecture before we cross City Road and saunter through to Darlington and end our work at the historic (1892) Royal Hotel which is newly refurbished (tastefully!) for a refreshing beer or your refreshment of choice.

Redfern Station is just 600 meters away and King Street with buses into the CBD and other weird places just 300 meters away.

This is a varied walk with lots of history, parks and points of interest plus beer at the end!

Distance: 15 km

Type of Walk: mixed urban trail

Difficulty: Easy/medium.

Walking Pace: We will maintain a steady pace all day and take time to inspect these parts of our wonderful city.

Meeting Place and Transport: 9:40am Circular Quay Wharf 5, Side B for the 9:45 ferry to Balmain Ferry Wharf. Or meet us at Balmain Ferry Wharf by no later than 10:00am.

What to bring: Good walking shoes/boots or trainers; 1.5 – 2 litres of water, refill available along the way; hydrolytes; two snacks and one lunch (THERE ARE NO SHOPS AT OUR LUNCH SPOT); light rain jacket depending on conditions.

Suggested Donation: $10.

Pub: Royal Hotel, Darlington

By RSVPing to this event, you (and your guests) agree to and are bound by the terms and conditions of SOMG which you can view here:

Cowan To Berowra with a Classic Fish & Chips Lunch 14KM Moderate/Hard

We meet at Cowan Train Station by no later than 9:50AM, with the train arriving from Central Station at 9:45AM. MEMBERS MUST TRAVEL IN THE LAST TWO CARRIAGES IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. THE FORWARD TRAIN CARRIAGE DOORS WILL NOT OPEN AT COWAN, WHICH IS A SHORT PLATFORM.

We commence with a short walk to Muogamarra Rural Fire Station which is the beginning of the former Sydney Oxfam Trail Walker Section Two. This is the only grade 5 (highest) section in the entire Oxfam 100KM endurance marathon, so we will be proceeding at a moderate pace so all interested members can come along and enjoy this amazing bush experience!

About halfway through we stop at beautiful Berowra Waters, where the (free!) ferry take us to the opposite side of the river and one of the best fish cafes in Sydney, Berowra Waters Fish Cafe. Members can purchase lunch here or eat your packed lunch.

Following lunch, we ferry back across the river and tackle a tough climb out to Berowra Waters Lookout and engage fire trails which lead to a final assault up and into the village of Berowra itself!

Distance: 14 km

Type of Walk: Rugged bush tracks, fire trails, cumulative climb and descent of approximately 1,000 meters.

Difficulty: Moderate/Hard

What to bring: Good walking shoes/trail runners; 1.5 – 2 litres of water, refill available along the way; hydrolytes; two snacks and one lunch; light rain jacket depending on conditions, torch.

Suggested Donation: $10.

Pub: Berowra RSL.

By RSVPing to this event, you (and your guests) agree to and are bound by the terms and conditions of SOMG which you can view here: