Sunday 7 February 2021

Snug River - A little bit further up 2021

 Today Bob is leading us on an extended walk up Snug River, but first we're going to walk around Electrona/Peggys Beach just to get warmed up.

We park at Snug Beach just near the caravan park.


Almost ready for the off

After gaining the attention of the group so Bob can brief them, we set off north towards the mouth of the river. However, we're not going to walk up the river now, but cross over and take a track around the coast.


Over the bridge

Looking up Snug River

Snug Beach

Onto a new track

Heading down to unnamed beach

Children of all ages enjoy a tyre swing at the beach


Heading north

Looking at part of a fish farm

Perhaps this one of the ones involved with the great escape of Atlantic Salmon in the last couple of weeks and is being repaired.


Typical Salmon Farm from the air

 It's a very small beach and soon comes to Peggys Beach and marina where we turn inland for Morning Tea.


Peggys Beach

Morning Tea



We're heading south towards the river

Soon we enter some bushland to follow tracks back to Snug.






Crossing a gully


Up a slope and we're on an original stretch of the Channel Highway

No cars travel this section now and it's used as a cycle path heading north to Margate.

We go down, heading for the start of our river section.


Over the bridge to Snug with the Primary School on the right

Start of the track

There were some large blackberry bushes laden with large, juicy berries that were popular with some of the group. Unfortunately, the sign below was put up on a tree after the bushes. Hope everyone felt well after the walk!


Oh well, enjoy it while you can.


Start of the track

Looking back

The river's to our left and down

Being summer, there's little water flow

About to go down

The river below

A fairly steep descent where...

...some find the bottom technique to be the best option


We can see the river now, such as it is

Another obstacle to overcome

In among the Manferns (Dicksonia antarctica)

It's flat walking now and we run into a young couple walking their shy dog.

On we go through very pleasant bush.

Crossing the river. I did say it was dry!

Mendelt hoping for an exciting photo



The river, on our right, is blocked from view by this large, long pile of boulders

I may be quite wrong, but I wonder if this was the result of the cleaning of Snug River due to flooding back in 1973. If you have a spare couple of days you can download a study done by Kingborough Council in 2019 showing the flood problems they had back then with photos. If you need help to fall asleep just

CLICK HERE and read the pdf file.



We're getting close to our lunch and turnaround spot

Lunch

By a pleasant pool


Ron has found a comfortable stone armchair for lunch

After lunch, I walk upstream for a short, rock hopping distance just to have a look



Everyone is ready to leave so I hurry back to join them on the trek to Snug.


Start of the return journey

We pick up a track on the southern side of the river which will take us back to the Channel Highway.


New track


Goodbye to Snug River

Bracket fungus

 Back to civilization, we turnoff and head up a right of way leading up to Taranaki Place through fairly new houses to Snug Tiers Road. We cut through St. Marys Church Cemetery to reach the Channel Highway again. Here we head south to the Esplanade next to the Service Station which will take us back to the cars.

On the way we stop while Bob checks out a track close to the water, but the tide's too high for us to take it, so we continue on to reach a set of steps that leads us down to where the cars are parked.

Looking towards Lower Snug

Waiting for Bob

 

This is where Bob disappeared to check out the coastal track. While waiting, some unkind person suggested we should disappear while he's out of sight, but I'll conceal their identity just to spare the sensitive.

End of the trail

We had 15 walkers and covered 9.69km in 3:33hrs on a very nice walk thanks to Bob.

Just as a matter of interest we only had to walk roughly (VERY roughly) about 3.5-4km upstream to reach Snug Falls.

Click here to download GPX file

 






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