This was another walk with the National Parks Association of NSW organised by Brian Everingham. This time in the party were Brian, Sue, Esther, Lydia, Ron, Sue 2, Sue 3, James, Gary and myself.
Some of us met up on the Manly Ferry and we were joined by others in the party at Manly.
Once there, we walked to the beach and then set off along the coastal path to Shelly Beach. This is a short but quite beautiful walk. Along the way we saw an Australasian Darter drying its wings in the sun.
There were also quite a few swimmers and skin divers around the back area. We continued on up the hill onto North Head. On the way we paused to admire quite a few wild flowers –
One that was interesting was Leucopogon microphylla. This was a species that on a previous trip in Royal National Park, Brian had noticed had a very interesting floor structure – no real petals but rather a wholly appearance. To see this you need a hand lens or a good macro lens on your camera. I had previously attempted to get photos of the flowers but with only limited success. This time I took a few of the tiny flowers home and then used focus stacking techniques to get some better images at home –
Nearby was a swampy area – the rocks around it were a good place for a rest.
We then reached the barracks, where we continued on the path towards the swamp. On the way, Brian pointed out the remains of the old obstacle course used by Vietnam War trainees.
We the walked through the swampy area – conditions being very dry.
After this we reached some aloe artillery batteries and continued down to Lady Fairfax Lookout. Here there are fine views of the cliffs of North Head and extensive views of the harbour. We were astonished to see the Manly Ferry out past the heads.
As we watched, the Manly Ferry travelled back into the harbour, circled around a bit, and then came back out through the heads. We could also see two other Manly Ferrys on the usual route between Circular Quay and Manly Wharf.
The Manly Ferry that left the heads was the “Collaroy”. it was a strange site to see it with the cliffs of Dover Heights behind it.
Later a few military aircraft flew out to observe it. Perhaps this was all part of a military exercise?
After admiring the views, we walked to the Visitor Centre area, where we had lunch. The to the old cemetery – where we had look at the old graves. Interesting.
We headed back to Manly Wharf via Collins Beach – a beautiful small cove.
From there it was aa short walk to the wharf, where we had refreshments before catching the ferry back to the city.
More photos of the walk are online here on my website.