Royal National Park 21-22 August 2014

With some nice stormy weather around I thought it worth heading back to Royal National Park for some more photo opportunities.

I had never been on a walk starting or finishing at Helensburgh, nor had I walked along the Burgh Track before – so I thought that may be a good place to start.

I travelled by train to Helensburgh, and then had to work out where the track actually start from. I found a track near the railway line and followed that to the tip. Then I went around the tip fence-line on a reasonable track. But there were lots of side tracks heading off it, and I turns off one side trial too soon and found myself on steep track that went down to the railway line again. I could not follow the line since it went onto a tunnel s short way along. So I had to retrace my steps back up to the tip. I continued around the perimeter track and soon found the correct way. It was not a track – but a road! It would have probably made more sense to reach it from the far side of the tip rather  than the way I came.

I followed this road almost all the way to the Hacking River. A shote way before you reach the river, there is a turn off track (The Burgh Track) – which goes steeply down through a lovely area of rainforest to the river.

At the Hacking River, the water level was up a bit, so I took off my shoes and socks and waded across. The more nice rainforest, a quick crossing of the road and more nice walking along the track to Garawarra Farm. Then I descended down the spur to the old shanty town of Era.

At Era Beach, there were lots of dead blue bottles that had been washed up in recent storms. It was hard not to pop them as you walked along. The rock platforms between north and south Era are always a plea ant place to stop and take a few photos. Lots of interesting cracks and weathering.

Then over the headland and down to Garie. This beach too was covered in blue bottles.

Then a stiff climb up to Garie Head and some nice heath walking to Curra Creek and then Curracurrong Creek.

The wild flower season was starting!

I spent a fair bit of time on the cliffs near Eagle Rock waiting for good light for photographs. Curracurrong Creek was nicely up and the twin waterfall into the seas was really spectacular.

I had an encounter with a fox at Curracurrong. It walked past me – looked at me and then sauntered off. It did not seem to be very shy or worried.

Next, I climbed up the Curra Moors Trail to the main road, and then a short way along that to the Wallumarra Trail. I passed Garie Trig and continued on the trail till it joins the Bola Creek Track.

Bola Creek was also quite high, but easy to cross. Not very much fungi was out compared to Autumn. I thought recent rain may have given some fungi one last spurt?

I then followed the long way round the Forest Track to where it joins the Couranga Track. Then another bare feet crossing of the Hacking River and a nice climb up the Couranga Track (an old logging road) to Waterfall.

More photographs are on my website here.