If the long weekend rolls around and you’re the kind of person that gathers their mates and heads for the bush, Bungonia Gorge is an adventure just for you. Located in Bungonia National Park, the hike is an easy 2.5-hour drive from Sydney. The National Park covers 15km² of bushland, starting up in the southern highlands and running all the way down to the Pacific Ocean near Nowra. To access the Bungonia Gorge hike, enter the park by passing through the small town of Bungonia. Stop off at the visitor’s center to log your trip in the visitor’s book, fill up your water bladders, grab a map and check for fire bans. 

The track starts at David Reid car park. From here, take the white track headed past Mt Ayre and descend down to the Shoalhaven River. The track is clearly signposted and relatively easy, but becomes a bit of a scramble as you head down into the gorge. Take it slowly. If your knees are on the wobbly side, I would recommend grabbing a sturdy stick as the slate makes it very slippery. When you get to the bottom, head round to the right to find the flat camping area. Pitch up for the day and enjoy swimming in the creek. The campsite is a great spot to spend the afternoon relaxing, boiling the billy and reading a book. Keep your eye peeled for the local inhabitants. We had a close encounter with the resident red-belly black snake. As night rolls in get cosy by the fire and enjoy the spectacle of the twinkle of millions of stars above you. 

Start fresh the next day by heading up into the gorge. Here you’ll have to do some rock hopping up the creek. There isn’t a trail but just follow the creek up until you join up with the red track at the start of the slot canyon. Here you’ll find one of nature’s best playgrounds. Channel your inner mountain goat while scrambling over the boulders and finding the best route up the canyon. There are lots of hidden water holes to cool off in and you might even stumble across a herd of goats, a red belly black snake or an echidna like we did. Once you reach the top of the boulders double back on yourself and head to camp for another swim in the river. 

Note: if you don’t have as much time on your hands and want to make this a two day hike, you can exit by taking the red track up to Mt Ayre and all the way back to the car park. Just drop your packs before entering the slot canyon. 

If you have the luxury of three days, spend the last morning back at Shoalhaven River before walking out on the same white track you walked in on. Then head for home, I’d recommend stopping on you way back at Berrima for a well-deserved pie and a bevvy to top of your adventure.

By Pia Grace

2018

Map Here.

Aboriginal Name - Not found

Original owners of the illawarra region - The Dharawal or Tharawal people

Affectionately known by the older locals as “The Ladders”, the Sublime Point Walking Track is a well known and loved hike in this area. The 2km return track is a long series of steps and ladders that take folk from the ocean in Austinmer to the top of the Illawarra escarpment. 

Officially, the hike starts at Foothills Rd Austinmer, which is just near the Austinmer train station. Hikers can also access this track from various fires trails in the area, including the one starting at the top of Sylvan way, Thirroul. Both the Gibson track (from the bottom of the escarpment) and the Woodward track (from the top) join up with this one and are quieter options for those after a more peaceful, longer day out. 

On a clear day, you can enjoy the views from the top of the Illawarra escarpment that are, well, sublime. According to my Nana Jones (a local of 90 years) this track was originally formed to take 1920’s farming families on foot, from the beach to their home on the back of the escarpment, while the wagon master took the horse and cart up Bulli Pass.  At that time, “The Ladders” was just one long timber ladder, which later became four shorter ladders and today there are eight metal ladders to take the brave hearted to the top. 

On the way up I saw sunlight speckled fern gullies and ancient fig trees covered in stags and vines. Black cockatoos squealed and squawked me to the top and the hike will turned my belly button turn into a lap pool for ants. 

My advice, take some ice cream money as there’s a café at the top – you’ll have earnt it. Also, if you don’t like crowds or pulling over to let speedy folk pass, avoid this track on the weekends and very early mornings. Oh, and be on the look out for snakes, like me they love the sun in this part of the world. 

by Rachelle Jones 

www.rachellesjones.com 

Map:

https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/sublime-point-walking-track

Illawong Walk 

The Illawong Walk begins in Guthega, a small ski village in southern Kosciuszko National park accessed by gravel road which is the only way in or out. I drive into Guthega on the last day of the year, the end of a week spent camping in and around the NSW high country and seeing the power stations and Snowy-Hydro infrastructure dotted across the landscape. 

Coming in from Jindabyne, the road runs along the Snowy River and past Guthega Power Station which generates electricity from water diverted at Guthega Pondage. Even in summer, snow lingers in patches on nearby peaks. 

I find the beginning of the trail by accident trying to get closer to the Guthega Dam spillway - a solid concrete structure sitting within an almost otherworldly alpine landscape. (Spoilers: spillway is accessible to management vehicles only.) 

From Guthega, the trail makes its way through alpine heath and over Blue Cow Creek by way of a small bridge. Or flying fox, if you prefer. 

Once over the ridge and through a patch of snowgums the trail flattens out, following the Snowy River upstream all the way to Illawong Lodge - which can be booked in advance - and a small suspension bridge which leads to nowhere. 

The walk is 5km return and can be completed in around 2-3 hours. Setting out in late afternoon, I encounter only one other group of walkers coming back from the Lodge - a perfect way to round out the year. 

For those wishing to camp, Island Bend is the closest campground and that is where I find myself for New Year's Eve, surrounded by eucalypts and the woodsmoke smell of a few dozen campfires, in the company of a bunch of humans who'd had the same idea to see in the New Year under the stars, away from the big city. 

By Rita Liao

Dec 2017 

Map Here

ritaxliao.tumblr.com

Aboriginal Name - Several different Aboriginal names for Kosciuzko exist that far out date the 1840 naming of it, they are Jagungal, Jar-gan-gil, Tar-gan-gil, Tackingal.

I have always wanted to do some snow hiking and cold weather camping. Finally convincing a friend of mine Jack to come along for a 3 day road trip to leisurely ascend Australia’s Highest summit, Mt Kosciuszko.

We camped the night in -6ºc at the Thredbo Diggings in the Kosciuszko National Park and set out first thing to ducklings nipping the tent zips and a water bottle that was now a solid ice cube. A couple a stiff coffees down and passing an emu blocking the road, we left the sweet carress of the cars central heating at the base of Thredbo ski village. An 11 minute chairlift out of Thredbo Village slingshotted us to the Eagles Nest where you can start your 14.3km trip through the main range of the snowy mountains to Kosci. The trail cuts through the mountain range, floating on a metal grate that appears and disappears through the snow protecting the tundra. Amazing granite boulders mark the landscape as we progressed through along the trail.

The hike ascends from tall grass and wild flowers, through beautiful creek crossings to where it just becomes a great white expanse. We passed a couple (pictured) who attempted the climb the same time last year, but got caught in a blizzard and had come back again for another taste. Fuelled by peanut m&m’s we kicked on, looking over the rugged western faces on the final leg to reach the summit. The view and feeling was something to behold after a victory beer and successful self timer we set back on the return leg to make it back by nightfall and another night of Trangia cooked delights.

I couldn’t recommend the hike more to anyone, especially in early winter. If departing out of Sydney or Canberra, hot tip is to check out the Bredbo (bizarro Thredbo) pancake restaurant on the Monaro Hwy.

by Anthony Robinson

@tbone_robinsahn

2014

LFRF acknowledges all the Traditional Owners of the land [or country]  and pay our respects to the Elders, past and present of all of New South Wales and urges you to please do the same.

Aboriginal Name -Not found

The Coast Track (Otford to Bundeena)

If you were to tell someone there’s a huge piece of pristine wilderness within walking distance from the southern suburbs of Sydney, they’d probably dismiss you as batshit crazy. While The Coast Track may not be the most isolated trail out there, what it lacks in seclusion it makes up for in sheer beauty.

Spanning 27 kilometres from Otford to Bundeena, this walk weaves through a variety of ecosystems and provides some of the best views of Royal National Park’s rugged coastal landscape. Dense palm forests reminiscent of Jurassic Park give way to breathtaking windblown cliff faces and escarpments, which provide excellent whale watching opportunities from May to August.

Wealthy in cultural heritage, Royal National Park is the second oldest National Park in the world and was one of the first areas in Australia set aside for conservation, due to its high levels of biodiversity. For thousands of years prior to European settlement the Dharawal people inhabited the coastline, prospering in the abundance of food and rich diversity of flora.

Around five kilometers into the walk, as the trail rounds the headland to Burning Palms, a number of beach huts can be seen nestled amid the rolling headlands. While odd to see this sort of development in a National Park, the shacks have been passed down through the families who built them and are now listed on the NSW State Heritage Register. Mostly used by these families as holiday cabins, a few residents can be seen chilling in front of their huts enjoying a tinnie or two at almost any time of the year.

alexpikecreative.com
@alexjpike

2015

LFRF acknowledges all the Traditional Owners of the land [or country]  and pay our respects to the Elders, past and present of all of New South Wales and urges you to please do the same.

Aboriginal Name - Kiarama, which means "Place where the sea makes a noise"

Gerrigong is a 90 Minute drive south of Sydney and, in keeping with the beauty of a small coastal town, only has four thousand residents. Gerringong plays the roll of the charming 'middle child' along the NSW south coast; it's big brother Kiama is to the north, with its much smaller, but equally beautiful, sibling Gerroa to the south. It's a place where the undulating greenery of farming land meets the reliable beauty of the Tasman Sea.

The full Kiama Coast walk is 22km, starting either in the north at Minnamurra River or in the south in Gerringong. However, the walk is split into three very manageable sections, making it fairly easy to join and leave the track every couple of hours.

We completed the third section, starting from the south at Werri Beach (2.5km north of Gerringong town centre) and walked 6km north along the coastal cliff tops to the southern most end of Kiama. The firetail track was super easy to follow. With regards to difficulty level, we decided to walk it on a whim. I wore cons and jeans and apart from a bit of 50+, a couple of muesli bars and 500ml of water, we took nothing special with us and, mostly, we were fine.

Being able to do the walk on a whim was a highlight because it meant easy outdoor time, with no prep and very little post-trek clean-up. The wide, grassy track meant that you could go both
barefoot and really take in the red rock cliffs, the turquoise water near the rocks, spot sea birds, pick flowers and get meditative watching the grasses on the hill getting silky in the wind. I’ve heard you can see migrating whales along here too, when the timing is right. At the higher points on the walk you can see all along the coast and, sea mist pending, back inland toward
the local farms.

If I was to do it again I’d recommend against jeans, take some “Rid” (or similar, for the fliesaround-the-mouth situation) and a raincoat. Being right on the coast and also in a farming area, the onshore winds were quite powerful. The track lacks the usual weather buffers of coastal trees and shrubs. We were surprised with rain and big winds, which, admittedly, left as quickly as they came, but it took a little while for us to dry off and de-frost.

Being a linear track, you’ll either want to arrange to do a there and back or, if you have a spare car, do the dump car at the destination and drive back to the start thing (just don’t do what our mate did and forget the keys to the destination car). The third option, which we took but may not be available to you, is to have your mates drop you back at your car at the start but only after demolishing five bucks worth of chicken salted chips from the local on Manning street, Kiama.

by Rachelle Jones
2016

(apologies but we could not find a map)

rachellesjones.tumblr.com

LFRF acknowledges all the Traditional Owners of the land [or country]  and pay our respects to the Elders, past and present of all of New South Wales and urges you to please do the same.