Saturday 3 Aug 24. Sydney Harbour foreshore - Circular Quay to Wollstonecraft.

From our meeting point at The Rocks end of George St, we made our way up various sets of steps to our mighty Sydney Harbour Bridge. Dodging walkers, runners and joggers, we made our way across and then back to ground level at Milsons Point Station.

Once past the yet-to-be-completed North Sydney Pool we took the boardwalk alongside Luna Park. After skirting Lavender Bay there was a morning tea stop at Blues Point. Next was the track along the upper section of Sawmillers Reserve and Berrys Bay, thence to Balls Head Reserve for lunch. Our break attracted some cheeky birds keen to share our food.

Soon after lunch, five walkers peeled off and headed for Waverton Station, while the rest of the group carried on around Oyster Cove then Badangi Reserve finishing at Wollstonecraft Station.

Altogether we had 19 walkers in the group today, including a couple of members who don't join us often. We especially thank Chris who planned and led the walk.

Star of the day was our sparkling Sydney Harbour - a gold medal performance on a magic day!

Friday 26 Jul 2024 to Monday 29 Jul 2024. XC Summit Tour

We had 22 skiers on the 2024 Summit Tour. This year we tried a new format, departing on Friday night and returning on Monday night. This arrangement is a better fit with the lodge bookings, and gives the skiers Saturday night in Thredbo.

There was good skiing on Saturday with a group heading towards Kosci and the Ramsheads.

The weather turned on Sunday and only one group managed to get up the mountain before the chairlift was put on windhold. It was a very testing day for XC skiing.

Monday was much better and provided a good day skiing between the Pass and Perisher.

Our backup accommodation at the KAC lodge was excellent with many thanks to their managers Stephan & Jules.

Sunday 14 Jul 2024. Kamay Botany NP. La Perouse to Cape Banks.

Russell Barnes led our group on a delightful walk around the northern foreshore of Botany Bay. Leaving the popular La Perouse tourist area, our group of fifteen first headed part-way down the Brown’s Rock track to a point where we had views over Botany Bay and the nearby Bare Island. This small islet is the site of a heritage-listed military fort and tunnels and is connected by a footbridge to La Perouse.

Further on, from Henry Head, we watched with interest huge container ships leaving and entering Botany Bay. We also spotted a couple of surfboard riders who had been towed out by jet ski, attempting (unsuccessfully) to catch the large swell.

Our morning tea stop was at the sheltered Cruwee Cove beach.

Skirting the New South Wales Golf Club grounds, we were able to reach Cape Banks proper. From there is was possible to look north along the sandstone coastal cliffs and admire the power of the swell and the pounding waves. Some of us speculated what the sea conditions might have been when Captain Cook came to the bay entrance in April 1770.

About a kilometre north from the Cape, we took an extended lunch break, scanning the ocean for whales. Unfortunately it was not a terribly good day for spouting-spotting, and there was little cause for excitement.

From there it was a return on the same track back to our staring point.

All told, with perfect weather and a perfect location, this was an excellent way to spend Bastille Day 2024.

Many thanks for Russell for organising the walk.

Tuesday 4 Jun 2024. Mid-year lunch at Drummoyne Sailing Club.

On Tuesday 4 Jun, thirty-six members met at the Drummoyne Sailing Club for our annual mid-year lunch. This is a great opportunity to catch up with many of our cross-country and bushwalking members.

The sailing club provides a beautiful outlook over the Parramatta River with plenty of room for our ever-expanding group.

This year we were honoured to help Andy Cairns celebrate his 90th birthday.

Many thanks to all who attended especially those who took time off work to attend.

Saturday 1 Jun 2024. Barren Grounds Nature Reserve.

Nine walkers journeyed to Barren Grounds Nature Reserve, about 20 km west of Kiama, and just off the Jamberoo Mountain Road. The Reserve is renowned for bird-watching and there is an accommodation block there for groups wishing to visit.

In overcast conditions, our leader Geoff took us on a loop walk, the Griffiths Trail.

A short leg off the trail took us to Illawarra Lookout. Directly below were the cabins of the Ben Ricketts Environmental Preserve and in the distance, it was just possible to make out the coastline.

Not wanting to tempt the weather gods unduly, we completed the 8 km walk before having lunch back at the picnic shelter. This proved to be a wise move, as it began to rain heavily soon after.

Despite the cool, overcast conditions, and the constant threat of rain, this was a most enjoyable outing, and we thank Geoff for leading our expedition.

Thursday to Tuesday - 29 Feb to 5 Mar 2024. Kahane Walking Weekend.

We had 29 members join us for a fabulous walking weekend at Kahane. The weather was the best we can remember.

It was very windy on Friday but a few hardy souls decided on the walk from Guthega Bridge to Mt Tate. The rest headed for the Waterfall Walk plus the Pallaibo Track, two lovely sheltered walks in the snowgums.

On Saturday we filled the cars and went to The Pass for the scenic walk back to Perisher - a great opportunity for the 'tiger' walkers to stretch their legs.

On Sunday we had 12 members head down to the Dalgety Show (its eightieth year) while Ron Giles took a group from The Pass to the Old Restaurant. One member walked The Pass to Guthega and a few went for a quiet coffee by Rainbow Lake.

On Monday we had two more groups walk the Pass to Guthega track.

It was another great Perisher weekend made even better with the addition of a few new faces and the superb catering of Jacky and Matt.

We'll be back in 2025, ready to tackle the Perisher to Bullocks leg of the 'Iconic Snowies Walk'.

To all who attended, many thanks for your company and support.

Sunday 11 Feb 2024. North Head Loop.

On a very pleasant Sunday, fifteen members met at Manly Wharf for a circuit walk of North Head. We crossed Little Manly Beach and Collins Beach then climbed through the bush passing the Quarantine Station Cemetery then on to North Fort where we stopped for morning tea. We walked out to Fairfax Lookout for the fabulous views out to sea and back to Sydney.

Returning via the Memorial Walk we headed north along the eastern clifftop with a visit to the Hanging Swamp. Then it was down to Shelley Beach via the ‘Hole in the Wall’ track.

We finished the day with some well-earned après-walking on the Manly Corso. It was a great day out with a total of 13 kilometres.

Saturday 21 Oct 2023. Echo Point to Katoomba Falls.

On a beautiful day in the Blue Mountains twelve members met at Echo Point for a picturesque walk along the Prince Henry Cliff walking track. This length of track offers many stops to admire views from the lookouts. At Katoomba Falls we descended the Furber Steps as far as the Witches Leap Falls and returned via Cliff Drive.

Lunch was enjoyed near Orphan Rock Lookout. We finished the day with a well-earned visit to the Blue Mountains Chocolate Company.

Many thanks to Marion and Andy for another great walk in our beautiful Blue Mountains.

Sunday 24 Sep 2023. City Ramble.

We postponed this walk by a week to avoid a clash with the annual Sydney Marathon. This turned out to be a good move as the weather was must kinder on the 24th.

Seventeen members met at the Chalmers Street exit at Central Railway where we inspected the monuments in the Ibero American Plaza. The series of busts and statues commemorate the contribution of Spanish and Portuguese speaking people to the history of Australia.

We then took the light rail to Moore Park where we started our walk. First stop was the entertainment quarter, then we moved on to Centennial Park for a coffee at the Homestead Cafe. Continuing after that, we walked past the Federation Pavilion and into Queens Park.

After some street walking, we arrived at Waverley Cemetery to look for the resting place of a few of its more famous residents such as Henry Lawson and Michael Dwyer "the Wicklow Chief".

We then followed the coastal path to Bronte for lunch overlooking the beach. Our walk finished at Bondi Beach from where the 333 bus took us back to the city.

It was a great day out with great company. It was a pity that Annette could not lead it and provide her expert commentary.

Many thanks to all especially our impromptu 'leaders-on-the-day': Tim, Annabelle and Geoff. Your collective knowledge made the day.