Burwood Road to Howden 2017

Today we're parking at the corner of Burwood and Brightwater Roads where Bob will lead us around various tracks and trails of the Peter Murrell Reserve then over to Howden and back. It promises to be a very warm day.

Starting out

Shortly after starting, we start to tease Bob about looking out for orchids. Little did we know what would happen later!

Mt. Wellington

 I went up to the top of Mt. Wellington the next day with the Probus group from Woodbridge (on a bus with Val) and it was warm and sunny up there, but the wind would nearly blow you off. Fortunately, it only took a few tourists. I wonder what it would feel like on a cable car?

Narrow, but clear and well-used track

Not the confusion it appears

There are various short unsigned fences that appear to be to stop mountain bikers from using the smaller tracks.

We make our way around or over to continue towards the Pony Club area where we'll have Morning Tea.

We reach the main Howden Fire Trail, cross and squeeze through the three wire boundary fence. This brings us onto one of the horse trails and jumps just on the other side. Much evidence of horses on the ground. I wonder what plant life that could introduce to the reserve?

Through the fence and over the jump. The others are behind us, just on the other side of the fence

Morning Tea in comfort

 Tea finished we reluctantly leave the sheltered comfort and continue past the ring towards another track.

Following in the track of the horses...

...but bypassing the jumps

The track to Alanwood Road is just this side of the new house

The track takes us to another leading to the end of Alanwood Road. Here, we begin walking down past properties towards Howden Road.


This looks all too familiar, I think we were here not too long ago, at least a week.

Howden Road

 And it's getting warmer.

Margate boat shed

We walk along Howden Road until we turn off at the start of Wingara Gully Track. This takes us along a remnant of what it used to be like in this area before building and farming.

Wingara Gully Track

It's much more overgrown than the first time I saw the gully

We turn a corner and stop in the shade to hydrate before moving out into the sun again.

A shaded island before baking again

We make our way down Draper Road to Wingara Road and lunch

We decide to stop just behind the Howden Free Library featured in our last walk here.

Lunch

Lunch finished we move on, retracing out steps back to the Peter Murrell Reserve.

Good day for it

Back up Alanwood to the reserve

No shade here

We reach the reserve again and follow tracks that lead us back to the cars.

Yes, that's a track and larger than it appears

Now, cast your mind back to the beginning when I mentioned teasing Bob about looking out for orchids.

Well, guess who found the only ones we saw? That's right, Bob.

I apologise for the poor quality of the photo, but I just had to include it.

Bob's Orchid

We had 16 walkers, initially, and covered 13.14 hot kms in 4:08 hot hours.

Despite the heat and other things, it was a good walk and one I would repeat at anytime.

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