While some people were fishing off watercraft, others were fishing off land. This father and son pair are fishing off a jetty in Oatley Bay, next to the bathing area. In summer, the baths are certainly more popular, but now that the temperature’s dropped the jetty would be a spot to snap up on a weekend.
The track eventually descends 50m or so down to the Georges River. It is cooler and wetter here, so there are a few ferns growing along with the grass trees.
The wildflowers that grow here are different to the ones on top of the ridge. Flannel flowers are absent here. Instead we see the first spray of wattle…
A type of pea flower…
And another one of my favourites, heath bell flowers, which are making their first appearance.
The track around Oatley Park peninsula is a simple, sandy affair. It starts by following the ridge line above the water through dry eucalypt forest. In the shady spots you can see plenty of grass trees growing (of substantial size).
And in the sunny spots a few flannel flowers are starting to bloom. I really like these flowers and want them in my garden – if only I can find a nursery that sells them.
Well, there was a little activity. A few dog walkers on the track, and on the water, two fishermen in a dinghy enjoying the mid-morning tranquility.
Sometimes you don’t know how much you miss something until you experience it again. When I lived in Mortdale I visited Oatley Park several times a month – sometimes several times a week. But now that I’m a whole 7.8km away (according to Google Maps) my visits have become more scarce.
Yesterday’s visit was the first in almost a year (or perhaps more). It was on a glorious morning. I walked my usual circuit around the Oatley Park peninsula. Half way, I sat down on ‘my’ rock overlooking Lime Kiln Bay, an inlet that flows into Georges River further on. It was so still, although not quiet due to some cockatoos nearby. The sun was so warm that even at 9.30am I was able to sunbathe with only a t-shirt.
Back at the top of the ridge we got our reward – a magnificent view back over Broken Bay.
The line of sandstone cliffs all the way back to Lions Head and Barrenjoey Head.
And since it was a clear day, we could see Manly, even all the way down to the city.
And that’s the end of the walk in Bouddi National Park. Hope you enjoyed it.
As we ascended slowly back up the ridge, we saw plenty of flowers and interesting plants.
We saw plenty of banksias, this one a low coastal variety.
In the cooler spots, the first of the fuchsia bells were starting to bloom.
But most interestingly were these palm fruits, which we first mistaken as red capsicum. Quite amazing in colour and shape.
We walked along the length of the beach. It’s not so long, perhaps a kilometre or so in length, but it was one pretty stretch of coastline.
After half an hour downhill, we arrived at Maitland Bay Beach. The bay was named after the steamer, Maitland, which was wrecked off the coast one stormy night in 1898. 24 people died that night, but the weather was calm on this early April Sunday, meaning there were a few groups on the pristine beach and a few boats on the water beyond.
The craggy headland I think is very interesting to look at, too. The sandstone is cracked and coloured by the elements. The bay faces due south so it would get its fair share of wind and rain.
Recently we had a group of overseas visitors stay with us at Umina, and took them on a walk in neighbouring Bouddi National Park. BB had been told of an ‘easy’ walk with ‘great views’, and had been hankering to explore it for weeks. Being male, he of course had no idea of the actual length or difficulty of the walk – I never quite believe it when an Aussie says a walk is ‘easy’ (not when you’ve got little legs and dodgy feet) – and in the end it was a 3 hour affair with quite a few sizeable, undulating hills, and the last bit along a busy road.
You, however, get an armchair ride. And the first stage was the walk downhill from Killcare to Maitland Beach. We walked through an area that had been very recently back burned. Our visitors being European, we discussed the lack of back burning in the Mediterranean areas of the continent – the consequences being large, uncontrollable fires every summer.
The result of back burning might be ugly, but I’m sure new life would sprout up very soon here.
Static and Silence 