| January 2016 | There was no walk in December 2015. THERE WILL BE NO ORGANISED WALK JANUARY 2016 (due to Australia Day public holiday immediately after the usual walk day and in the school holidays). FUTURE WALKS Monday 22nd February - Walk through the Darlinghurst/Paddington/Edgecliff area. Monday 21st March (third Monday) - Walk from Woolwich to Hunters Hill. It will be great to be joined by new walkers……bring along friends or family members |
| February 2016 | There was no walk in January primarily due to Australia Day public holiday immediately after the usual walk day and this day was also in the school holidays). Monday 22nd February - Walk from Town Hall to Edgecliff, via Darlinghurst and Paddington Heathcote 8.38am / Engadine 8.41am / Loftus 8.45am / Sutherland 8.48am The plan is to catch the train to Town Hall, and then walk through Hyde Park South, along Oxford Street to Taylors Square, Darlinghurst. From there we will be taking a zigzag route to walk past or through such places as the Supreme Courthouse, Darlinghurst Gaol (now the National Art School and formerly East Sydney Technical College), the Jewish Museum, St. Vincent’s Hospital, The Victor Chang Institute, Paddington Village, Victoria Barracks, Paddington Town Hall, Juniper Hall, the Scottish Hospital, the Royal Hotel, Paddington, and Trumper Oval. We will have lunch at Rushcutters Bay Park before catching the train home from Edgecliff Station. The walk is about 5 kilometres with some up hills and but more down hills, and importantly….. no stairs. This should be another great day out for $2.50. FUTURE WALKS Monday 21st March (third Monday) - Walk from Woolwich to Huntleys Point near Gladesville Bridge (The fourth Monday is Easter Monday) There will be no walk in April as the fourth Monday is Anzac Day It will be great to be joined by new walkers……bring along friends or family members. |
| March 2016 |
On the fine and sunny 22nd February a small group of 8 of us (I had received apologies from 7 ‘regulars’) took the train to Town Hall station. We walked through Hyde Park South, along Oxford Street to Taylors Square, Darlinghurst. Then we walked past a number of historic buildings and points of interest including the Supreme Courthouse, the Darlinghurst Gaol, the Jewish Museum, St. Vincent’s Hospital, The Victor Chang Institute, The Cutlers Crossing, Paddington Village, Victoria Barracks, Paddington Town Hall, Juniper Hall, the Scottish Hospital, the Royal Hotel (Paddington) and Trumper Oval. John Jarvis advised that this district is the largest area of Victorian terrace houses in the southern hemisphere. We lunched at Rushcutters Bay Park before catching the train home from Edgecliff Station. The walk is about 4.5 kilometres and arrived back at Engadine about 2.00pm. We will be joining the train at Heathcote 8.38am / Engadine 8.41am / Loftus 8.45am/ Sutherland 8.48am . |
| April 2016 | The weather could have been kinder for the 8 optimistic walkers (I had received 5 advanced apologies) who embarked on our planned walk for 21st April. The day was cloudy with some threatening weather towards the coast. When we arrived at Circular Quay it was drizzling and after a little confusion we boarded the Rivercat ferry and headed to Huntleys Point. On nearing Huntleys Point it started to drizzle and we noticed a heavy shower was drifting in from the south. A decision was made to stay on the ferry, keep dry, and continue on to Parramatta. On arrival at Parramatta it was cloudy but fine. Although there was a light shower at one stage we successfully walked along the river bank to the Lennox Bridge, and then through Church Street to the railway station and bus interchange. The decision was made to catch a Metro bus to Sutherland and after an interesting route through many suburbs of southern Sydney we arrived at Sutherland in little over an hour. Some of us caught the train and some of us caught the 993 bus back to Engadine arriving at about 2.00pm. There will be no walk in April as our ‘walk Monday’ is Anzac Day. Future Walks: Monday 23rd May Walk from Huntleys Point near Gladesville Bridge to Woolwich Monday 27th June Concord Foreshore Walk (Rhodes to Cabarita) including the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway As always it will be great to be joined by new walkers……bring along friends or family members. |
| May 2016 | There was no walk in April as our ‘walk Monday’ was Anzac Day. NEXT WALK : Monday May 23rd Walk from Huntleys Point near Gladesville Bridge to Woolwich Hopefully next Monday will be fine and there will be no need to put in place a backup plan as we did back in March. We will be joining the train as usual at Heathcote 8.38am / Engadine 8.41am / Loftus 8.45am / Sutherland 8.48am . Once again the plan is catch a ferry from Circular Quay to Huntleys Point. We will walk the local historic walk along Church Street and Woolwich Road to Woolwich Dock and then on to Woolwich wharf. We will have lunch there before returning to Circular Quay by ferry. This walk main point of interest is the number of magnificent sandstone homes and buildings in the area, and Woolwich Dock (the base for Wild Oats 11). In this walk of approximately 4.5 kilometres there are a number of steps during this walk particularly at the Huntleys Point wharf and at Woolwich Dock. Future Walks Monday 27th June - Concord Foreshore Walk (Rhodes to Cabarita) including the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway Monday 25th July - Mosman to Clifton Gardens As always it will be great to be joined by new walkers……bring along friends or family members. |
| June 2016 | On May 23 a group of nineteen walkers set out from The Shire on a fine autumn day. We caught the usual-time train to the city to then catch the ferry from Circular Quay to Huntleys Point, near the Gladesville Bridge. At the Huntleys Point ferry wharf we climbed the temporary stairs whilst admiring the soon-to-be finished passenger lift structure before walking the local historic walk along Church Street and Woolwich Road admiring the number of magnificent historic sandstone homes and buildings. Having walked through Kellys Bush, the site of the first building unions “green bans”, we arrived at Clarkes Reserve by the Parramatta River at Woolwich where we had lunch whilst admiring the views of the city and Cockatoo Island. After lunch we then walked around the Woolwich Dock past some very expensive nautical ‘items’ and then on to Woolwich ferry wharf before returning to Circular Quay by ferry. The walk was approximately 4.5 kilometres and we arrived back at Engadine at 3.00pm. NEXT WALK : Monday 27th June Concord Foreshore Walk (Rhodes to Cabarita) including the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway We will be joining the second last carriage of the train as usual at Heathcote 8.38am / Engadine 8.41am / Loftus 8.45am / Sutherland 8.48am The plan is to catch the catch the train to Redfern to change to then catch a train to Rhodes railway station on the T1 northern line. We will then walk through the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway before walking around Concord Repatriation Hospital, past the mangrove swamps and the historic Yaralla House towards Concord and Mortlake. The final leg of our journey will be to walk around the foreshore at Breakfast Point to Cabarita. Here we will have lunch before catching a ferry back to Circular Quay for the train journey home. This is a longer than usual walk of approximately 8 kilometres. For those who may wish to take in only part of the walk there bus stops near Concord Hospital, Concord and Mortlake that connect with Strathfield or Burwood railway stations. FOLLOWING WALK : Monday 25th July Kurraba Point to Taronga Zoo We will be joining the second last carriage of the train as usual at Heathcote 8.38am / Engadine 8.41am / Loftus 8.45am / Sutherland 8.48am The plan is to catch the catch the train to the City to join a ferry to Kurraba Point from where will walk the streets and foreshore walks around Neutral Bay, Cremorne Point, Mosman and on to Taronga Zoo ferry wharf. We will be hoping to have lunch at Little Sirius Cove before joining the Taronga Zoo ferry back to Circular Quay. The areas we will be walking through are and there are a number of places where stairs up and stairs down will need to be negotiated. Along the way there will be a number of opportunities to catch a ferry service back to Circular Quay for those who may need a rest. Future Walks Monday 22nd August: Kurnell Monday 26th September: Hyde Park, Macquarie Street, the Botanic Gardens and NSW Art Gallery As always it will be great to be joined by new walkers……bring along friends or family members. |
| July 2016 | Concord Foreshore Walk (Rhodes to Cabarita) including the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway On June 27 a small group of hardy walkers braved the cloudy and at sometimes drizzling day to make the walk from Rhodes to Cabarita. We changed trains at Redfern go to Rhodes railway station before walking through the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway towards Concord Repatriation Hospital and then doing the loop around the historic Rivendell (the Thomas Walker Convalescent Hospital) which is easily viewed when passing on the ferry trip up the Parramatta River. Going past the mangrove swamps on the edge Yaralla Bay we walked through the enormous grounds of the historic Yaralla House towards Concord and Mortlake where we went through the Breakfast Point development on the former AGL site. As the weather was not the best for picnicking we had lunch under cover on the Cabarita ferry wharf before catching a ferry back to Darling Harbour for the train journey home arriving at Engadine at 3pm. This was a longer than usual walk of approximately 8 kilometres. Kurraba Point to Taronga Zoo On the fine and sunny July 25 a group of 13 walkers caught the train to Circular Quay before taking the ferry to Kurraba Point on the eastern side of Neutral Bay. From there we climbed up and down the stairs and walked the hills, streets and foreshore paths around Neutral Bay, Cremorne Point, Mosman and on to the Taronga Zoo ferry wharf , whilst we took in great views of the harbour. The magnificent houses along the way in the suburbs of Mosman and Cremorne need to be seen to be believed. A number of bush turkeys greeted us at various places in the scrub besides the paths. We had our lunch in the park at Little Sirius Cove before joining the Taronga Zoo ferry back to Circular Quay. By the time we arrived back at Engadine at 3.00pm we had walked approximately 6 kilometres. NEXT WALK : Monday 22nd August - Kurnell We will be joining the second last carriage of the train as usual at Heathcote 8.38am / Engadine 8.41am / Loftus 8.45am/ Sutherland 8.48am . The plan is to catch the train to Sutherland and change at Sutherland to travel to Cronulla station. We will then travel to Kurnell on the 987 bus and walk through parts of the Kamay Botany Bay National Park including Captain Cook’s landing place. Following lunch we will then return in the reverse manner. Future Walk Monday 26th September Hyde Park, Macquarie Street POI’s, the Botanic Gardens and NSW Art Gallery As always it will be great to be joined by new walkers……bring along friends or family members. |
| August 2016 | NEXT WALK : Monday 22nd August - Kurnell We will be joining the second last carriage of the train as usual at Heathcote 8.38am / Engadine 8.41am / Loftus 8.45am/ Sutherland 8.48am . The plan is to catch the train to Sutherland and change at Sutherland to travel to Cronulla station. We will then travel to Kurnell on the 987 bus and walk through parts of the Kamay Botany Bay National Park including Captain Cook’s landing place. Following lunch we will then return in the reverse manner. Future Walks Monday 26th September - Hyde Park, Macquarie Street POI’s, Botanic Gardens & Art Gallery Monday 24th October - Parramatta Heritage Walk Monday 28th November - Coogee to Maroubra As always it will be great to be joined by new walkers……bring along friends or family members. |
| September 2016 |
On the cloudy morning of August 22 thirteen walkers, including one visitor, caught the train to Sutherland where we changed trains to travel to Cronulla station. There we had time for a short morning tea break at Cronulla. We then travelled to Kurnell on the 987 bus and walked through parts of the Kamay Botany Bay National Park past Captain Cook’s landing place to Cape Solander. To no surprise nor with any disappointment there were no whales nor whale watchers to be seen. Monday 24th October - Parramatta Heritage Walk |
| October 2016 | The 26th September was a fine and sunny day when 13 walkers, including two visitors, set off from The Shire to the city by train. We left the railway system at Town Hall station and firstly went to the Shrine of Remembrance in Hyde Park South to pay homage and to see the information on the proposal to upgrade and expand the monument on the southern and western sides. We then set off to College Street and headed to St. Mary’s Cathedral where time was spent admiring the interior. After passing through the prescient of the Hyde Park Barracks and The Mint a morning tea break was taken in Queens Square. This was followed by a visit to St. James Anglican Church where we viewed items relating to early Sydney history. The next stop was the State Library of NSW where the ‘Planting Dreams’ exhibition of landscape gardens and the famous main Reading Room were seen. Following this we headed to The Royal Botanical Gardens we had lunch before continuing the walk through the gardens to the NSW Art Gallery. Our group dispersed to go a variety of ways including shopping in the CBD and visiting the Archibald Exhibition. Arrival back at Engadine varied around at 3pm. NEXT WALK : Monday October 24 Historic Parramatta We will be joining the second last carriage of the train as usual at Heathcote 8.38am / Engadine 8.41am / Loftus 8.45am/ Sutherland 8.48am . The plan is to change trains at Redfern railway station and travel to Parramatta to walk the Parramatta Heritage Walk to visit some of the many remaining buildings of Sydney’s colonial past. Our walk will take us past Parramatta Stadium and through Parramatta Park. We will also see the massive amount of new building development that is quickly changing the face of Parramatta. A decision will be made on the day for a personal choice to take up a choice of train , bus or ferry and train return trip home. Future Walks Monday 28th November - Clovelly to Maroubra This is the last walk for 2016. As always it will be great to be joined by new walkers……bring along friends or family members. |
| November 2016 | The 24th October was a fine and sunny day when 13 walkers travelled by train to Redfern where we changed trains to travel on to Parramatta. After a morning tea stop in Westfields we then commenced the walk heading to the eastern side of Parramatta where we went past colonial buildings including the Lancer Barracks, Experiment Farm Cottage, Elizabeth Farm House and Hambeldon Cottage that are tucked away amongst suburban houses. We then walked back westwards along the northern side of the Parramatta River past the Lennox Bridge, the Riverside Theatre complex, St.Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta Stadium and into Parramatta Park where we stopped for the lunch break. After lunch we continued on through ParramattaPark to view places of interest including the Dairy Cottage, the Boer War memorial to the Parramatta Lancers, the Bath House and Old Government House. Before returning to the railway station we made a quick visit to the St.John’s Cemetery, the resting place for early settlers including Samuel Marsden, John Batman, and John Blaxland. We had walked about 5 kilometres and arrived back at Engadine around 3pm. NEXT WALK : Monday 28th November Clovelly to Maroubra Coastal Walk We will be joining the second last carriage of the train as usual at Heathcote 8.38am / Engadine 8.41am / Loftus 8.45am/ Sutherland 8.48am . The plan is to catch the train to Bondi Junction and then take a bus to Clovelly. From there we will take in the sunshine, sea air and sights by walking the Coastal Walk past Gordon’s Bay, Coogee Bay, Honeycombe Bay, and on to Maroubra Bay. The return trip will be by bus along Anzac Parade back to Martin Place railway station. Future Walks This is the last walk for 2016. As always it will be great to be joined by new walkers……bring along friends or family members. |
| December 2016 | Monday the 28th November was another fine and sunny day when eleven walkers travelled by train to Bondi Junction before catching a bus to Clovelly Beach. From Clovelly we walked the ‘ups and downs’ of the Coastal Walk past some very expensive looking homes and the sights and views of Gordons Bay, and Coogee Bay, to finish at Maroubra Beach where we had lunch. We then took a bus back to Martin Place Station via Kingsford and Anzac parade to see the progress of construction work on the light rail project. We had walked about 5.5 kilometres and arrived back at Engadine around 3.30pm. NEXT WALK : Monday 27th February 2017 Watsons Bay and South Head We will be joining the second last carriage of the train as usual at Heathcote 8.38am / Engadine 8.41am / Loftus 8.45am/ Sutherland 8.48am The plan is to catch the train to Bondi Junction and then take a bus to Vaucluse. The walk will take us past Macquarie Lighthouse, along the coastal cliff tops past The Gap to the furthest part of South Head/Sydney Harbour National Park and then back to Watsons Bay ferry wharf past Lady Bay Beach, Camp Cove and Laing’s Point. The return trip home will be by ferry from Watsons Bay wharf to Circular Quay. A big thank you to all those Club members who walked with other members to a wide variety of locations throughout 2016. It will be great if even more walkers could join the group on walks in 2017. As always it will be great to be joined by new walkers……bring along friends or family members. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe, prosperous and healthy New year 2017. |