Ku Ring Gai Hiking Day Out!

by Coach Kalina

Driving north, the dawn revealed crystal clear skies signalling perfect hiking weather coming. The clear skies also meant a very chilly start to the day, as my car dashboard snowflake warning light told me, arriving at Apple Tree Bay picnic area in Ku Ring Gai Chase National Park.

It was great to see some new faces in the group of Diamonds setting out that day. After some introductions and a safety briefing, we set off to explore some of the best Ku Ring Gai Chase National Park has to offer.

First up we tackled the Birrawanna track. A steep and rocky climb to warm up took us to a fern and eucalyptus forest. The early morning sun shone through the tall trees and reflected off the dew.

Birrawanna track connects Apple Tree Bay to Bobbin Head where we found ourselves after a steep descent. Bobbin Head is a very popular weekend picnic spot, so we were very lucky to experience it while still quiet and peaceful with only the mist rising over Cowan Creek and a few very keen cyclists around. 

From Bobbin Head we linked to the Warrimoo Track, past the marina. Warrimoo Track snakes along Cowan Creek. Along it, we walked through marshlands, mangroves, reeds, past giant sandstone caves and crossed a rocky creek or two.

A quick stop to regroup and a bit of up signalled the turn-off to the Sphynx track - a steep and long ascent to the Sphynx Memorial. It may seem odd to have a miniature replica of the Great Sphynx of Giza in the middle of the Australian bush. The sculpture is a memorial to Australian soldiers who fought in WW1. It was built in 1920 by a returned soldier, by the name of WT Shirley, who resided at the nearby Lady Davidson Hospital on his return to Australia.

The green lawns around the Sphinx provided the perfect spot for morning tea and coach Clare's yummy dark chocolate and raspberry slice (keep an eye on the blog for the recipe shortly).

After morning tea, a shortcut through North Turramurra, we were back in the bush on our way to the lookout, where we could see where we had been and where we were headed.

One of the things we train for is to expect the unexpected and our training came in handy on this day, discovering that part of the planned walk had been closed due to rock instability in the area. This meant we had to use the alternate route taking the Bobbin Head Track to reach the river again, but the group was ready for this.

We were all well and truly ready for lunch by the time we got back to Bobbin Head.  

With full bellies, we were ready to face the final climb and last section before reaching the cars for some sparkling apple juice to celebrate our achievement.

Whether training for bigger goals, like Oxfam Trailwalker or the NT Jatbula Trek, or having trained for this Diamond Day, I could not be prouder of the team, managing an impressive 25km in 7.5hrs.