Ramblings: Burwood Drive-Wingara Gully 2016

Thursday 7 April 2016

Burwood Drive-Wingara Gully 2016

Today we are parking at Burwood Drive and Brightwater Road with the goal of taking a walk through Peter Murrell Reserve to Wingara Gully and back. Bob is our leader.

The weather is a bit funny, overcast with a forecast of warm temperatures later on.

The wide track won't last for long

Told you it wouldn't last

We continue on various tracks, some of which I recognize, some not.

Only little hills today

In the distance, a pensive Bob ponders which track to confuse us with next

I know what Bob's doing. He's killing time by leading us in a very roundabout way until we finally arrive at the place for Morning Tea, at nearly the right time.

Some of our newer walkers are completely confused, but we tell them to keep the faith and trust Bob. As long as he has his hands in his pockets, you're o.k.

Finally we arrive at the spot I suspected all along, the Pony Club. Here we find very comfortable arrangements for our morning break.

You can't ask for a better Morning Tea spot than this

Tea finished, we make our way through the bush until we come to Brightwater Road. After a short walk we go down to the shore of, the lovely named, Stinkpot Bay. The tide is low and leaves us plenty of room to walk on the sandstone shelf.

We do a bit of road walking today

Beautiful Stinkpot Bay

It's an interesting area, geologically speaking

It's a very dull day

We continue around past some boat houses until it's time to climb back up to the road again.

Up to the road again

We reach Brightwater Road again, but almost immediately turnoff onto Wingara Road and look for the start of the track.

But before we do, we have a look at a new feature since the last time we were here.

Unattended, help yourself. It has some good books and a cushion inside where you can sit and read

No time for reading now, we have a track to walk.

Wingara Road

Turning off. That road to the left is a driveway, not the track

The track at this point passes through private properties and is fenced on both sides. This doesn't stop us from passing a concerned local, however.

You're going where?????

After reassuring her or him (the woodpile modesty screen prevents me from knowing which) we continue on and the gully begins to deepen.

Looking back

Now it begins to look like an older area

The gully has rock formations on both sides and a creek (dry) at the bottom. The small cliffs contain small caves and shelters.

The track now

A short diversion below the cliffs. I've not done this before

Relatively large shelter in base of cliff

Not everyone took this diversion and there was a sharp climb up back to the others waiting on the main path. At least there was for some. I looked to my left, saw a track and in about three steps was back on the original path watching. No rock climbing required.

On we go and the photo below shows a short steep down and up. I believe that, from listening to Peter and Geoff, this is referred to as a 'jump up' in certain areas of the north island. I stand to be corrected.

Jump up

Getting near to where the track turns off

The track leads away from the gully and back to Draper Road. Now we walk down past the mostly large houses to Wingara Road again.

We retrace our steps back to the location of the Howden Book Exchange where we find enough comfortable rocks to sit and have lunch.

Down Draper Road

Ron and I found two good rocks next to each other. While eating, Ron sees a large ant heading towards me. I'm not sure if it's a Bull-Ant or a Tasmanian Inchman. But he's big. Fortunately he turns away just as Ron spots one near him.

Ron entices the ant onto a piece of bark and tosses it away. But it's obviously a homing ant as it keeps coming back. Finally we notice a hole next to Ron's rock which explains why the poor insect is so keen on coming back. It's homesick.

Meanwhile, my ant is coming back dragging something through the ground litter. Looks like lunch.