Sydney Outdoors Meetup Group

Mixed up History: Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, Concord - 18KM Medium

At 10:00AM we meet outside the ticket barrier at Parramatta Train Station main exit (gather outside the Woolworths Metro store/Pie Face) and commence our walk to Parramatta River. Heading East, we pass the Ferry Wharf and cross to the North Bank, where we join the Parramatta River Walk, passing through Western Sydney University Campus and Australia's first Orphanage, finally crossing to the South Bank, at Silverwater.

Avoiding the large prison, we follow the river to historic Newington Armoury Park, where 8KM in, we head for Newington and our lunch stop. MEMBERS CAN PURCHASE LUNCH AT NEWINGTON VILLAGE!

Back on track, we head back into Sydney Olympic Park where we head for the Brick Pit, from which 3 billion bricks were made to help build Sydney, and walk a spectacular raised walkway which protects the local frogs and myriad bird life. Leaving the Brick Pit, we go through Wentworth Common and into the Olympic Park Wetlands Reserve.

We finish the day off with a tour of Sydney Bicentennial Park and the Treillage Tower which we climb to take in final views of the entire Sydney Olympic Park complex. From here, we head to the Eastern Park Boundary and find the exit to Concord West, where we enjoy a tasty post-walk beer at Hotel Concord. Concord West Train Station is directly across the road.

I aim to complete this walk by no later than 4:00 pm

Distance: 18 km.

Type of Walk: A scenic 6-hour adventure. Mostly flat with riverside promenades, parks and a few Scrolls to climb!

Difficulty: Medium. We will be averaging 4.5KM/hr with breaks to take in the sights!

Meeting Place and Transport: Meet at Parramatta Train Station; see above. Trains from Concord West at the end.

What to bring: Good walking shoes/trail runners; 1.5 litre of water, refill available; hydrolytes; a snack; light rain jacket depending on conditions; sunscreen and a cap or hat with a wide brim.

NICE FOOD SHOPS AT OUR LUNCH STOP, OR MEMBERS MAY EAT THEIR OWN FOOD IN THE ADJACENT PARK.

Suggested Donation: $10

Pub: Hotel Concord

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:

Sydney Outdoors Meetup Group Discussions

I shall update and provide my mobile number closer to the date.

Cheers,

Ted :)

Classic Summer Sydney! Bondi Junction - Watsons Bay! 14KM Medium

Sure, there will still be a week to go until Summer is official, but who cares!

We meet at Bondi Junction Train/Bus Interchange, at Bus Stand C, by no later than 10:30AM to commence our walk down to Bondi Beach. We check out Ben Buckler Point and a host of parks spread through Dover Heights before pulling up, 7KM in, at Diamond Bay Bowling Club for lunch and clean bathrooms.

After lunch we re-join the Federation Walk, with a slight detour through South Head Cemetery, before passing Macquarie Lighthouse, and South Head Signal Station on our way to the Gap. We climb out via the Bluff walking track and skirt around Naval Warfare Training Base Watson to find South Head and the (newly painted!) historic Hornby Lighthouse.

We return to Watsons Bay Ferry Wharf via Lady Jane Beach, Camp Cove and Green Point Reserve.

What to Bring: Snacks and lunch, hat, sunscreen, plenty of water. Members can purchase food at our lunch stop, Diamond Bay Bowling Club, or eat your own food lunch.

Pub: Watsons Bay Hotel

Suggested Donation: $10

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:

Sydney Outdoors Meetup Group Discussions

Questions? Leave a comment below. I will post my mobile number closer to the day.

Ted :)

Oz's Highest Mountain - Kosciusko Summit - Thredbo Ski Lift + Hume Hwy Magic!! 20 km (Medium + Magical!)

STRICT LIMIT of 40 MEMBERS: DO NOT SIGN UP UNLESS DEFINITELY ATTENDING

At 8:00AM in the morning of Saturday 29 November, we meet in the car park of the Snowy Region Visitors Centre, which is in the centre of Jindabyne, and easy to find. From Jindabyne we drive to Thredbo, deep in the Snowy Mountains, entering Kosciusko National Park, which has an entry fee of $17. The entry fee can be paid at the fee collection booth which is halfway along the road to Thredbo.

On the outskirts of Thredbo, Members can park for free on Friday Flat car park where we will gather for the walk into Thredbo village square where we can grab coffees and a tasty treat from the village bakery! We then cross the footbridge over Thredbo River and purchase our Chairlift tickets which costs about $50 (pricing varies) and can be used all day.

PLEASE BE AWARE, WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY CLOSE THE CHAIRLIFT. IF SO, I WILL RE-ROUTE OUR APPROACH TO KOZIOSKO VIA CHARLOTTE'S PASS.

We walk from Thredbo Top Station-Mount Koziosko Summit, passing the headwaters of the Snowy River and Lake Catapatoomba with a stop at Rawsons Pass to use the bathroom. We will have lunch on the Summit, before heading back to Top Station and the spectacular Chairlift ride back down to Thredbo Village.

Members can then use their Chairlift tickets (they are valid for the whole day) to ride Merritt's Gondola for more spectacular views and explore Merritts Nature Track or head to the 'The Local Pub' (that's its name!) for a beer or other refreshment before heading back to Jindabyne.

On the trip back to Sydney, I encourage Members to drive via Snowy Mountains Highway/Hume Highway and consider homeward-bound stops at classic Australian country locations such as Gundagai (best meat pies in the world!), the Dog on the Tucker Box, Yass, Goulburn, Mittagong or Bowral!

Please note, I have deliberately timed this walk so we are likely to see quite a bit of snow. However, the tracks should be either clear or navigable. To cover for the likely conditions, Members should bring good (preferably waterproof) boots.

Distance: 20 km

Type of Walk: Great natural beauty, well-formed tracks through the only true Alpine eco-system in Australia. Some moderate climbs.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard, because of the altitude and we must maintain a good pace all day to finish on time

Meeting Place and Transport: Snowy Region Visitors Centre, Jindabyne. Members will have to carpool (public transport is not practicable) and should plan to arrive in Jindabyne on Friday night to acclimatise overnight, with Mount Kosciusko summit right on the edge of possible altitude sickness.

There is a wide variety of reasonably priced accommodation in Jindabyne, at this time of year! Hotels such as Alpine Gables have large comfy rooms that sleep 4 or more people; so, get chatting between yourselves, organise your carpool and a group booking.

What to bring: Good walking boots; 2 litres of water (no refills on the walk); hydrolytes; two snacks and one lunch; rain jacket depending on conditions; one warm (down) jacket; sunscreen and a cap or hat with a wide brim.

Suggested Donation: $60

Pub: The Local Pub, Thredbo

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

Sydney Outdoors Meetup Group Discussions

Questions? Please leave a comment below. I will post my mobile number closer to the day.

Ted :)

Summer Wonderland!

Royal National Park Coast Walk (Amended) - 28.5 km

This is SYDNEY'S PREMIER COASTAL WALK, taking us through the world's second oldest national park, the magnificent Royal National Park, Sydney. There are long term track closures in the southern areas of the RNP. But there is a way through so let's do it!

From Otford Station we have a steep climb out to the RNP entrance, at Otford Lookout. Our first stop is Garawarra Farm where there are toilets. Fire trail and a local road take us Curra Moors Trail via which we re-join the Coast Track. for the rest of the day.

We push on to Wattamolla Beach, another 1.5 hours walk, for late lunch and 30 minutes break. Good bathrooms at this location. From Wattamolla, it’s a solid 3 hours walk to Bundeena, where we can catch the Ferry across Port Hacking to Cronulla Railway Station.

Distance: 28.5 km

Type of Walk: Full day adventure filled with great natural beauty, coastal tracks, rich diversity of pristine eco-systems and abandoned beaches. Some moderate climbs.

Difficulty: Hard, for distance. We will be winding through forest, up and down headlands and crossing long beaches. A good level of fitness and personal commitment is required. NO get out points for this walk; you must finish the entire walk.

Walking Pace: We must average 4KMH and will pick up pace where track conditions allow.

Meeting Place and Transport: Our train leaves Central Station Platform 25 at 6.29AM. OTFORD STATION HAS A SHORT PLATFORM SO BE SURE TO TRAVEL IN AND ALIGHT FROM ONE OF THE LAST 4 CARRIAGES. We arrive at Otford Station at 7.28AM. Transport back is by Ferry ($8.30) across Port Hacking to Cronulla Railway Station for 45-minute train service back to the City.

What to bring: Good walking shoes/trail runners; 2-3 litres of water; hydrolytes; two snacks and one lunch; light rain jacket depending on conditions; sunscreen and a cap or hat with a wide brim.

YOU MUST BRING ALL WATER AND FOOD; I CARRY 3 LITRES OF FLUID FOR THIS WALK, SO PLEASE BRING PLENTY; NO REFILLS.

Suggested Donation: $10

Pub: Bundeena RSL - Photo ID Required

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:

Sydney Outdoors Meetup Group Discussions

NUMBERS STRICTLY LIMITED TO 30, RE RNP RULES. DO NOT RSVP UNLESS DEFINITELY ATTENDING.

Questions? Please leave a comment below.

Ted :)