Bush Archives - Adventure, baby!

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nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/america-bay-walking-track

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Exploring the America Bay Track Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Sydney Australia

September 27, 2020 / Bush, Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Exploring the America Bay Track Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

America Bay track in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a short, moderate walk with waterfalls, Aboriginal engravings and a stunning picnic spot at the end of the track.

The track is 1km return, starting from West Head Road off McCarrs Creek Road. Look for the large sign on the side of the road. There is parking on the roadside available.

There are no bathrooms nearby, so make sure you go before you start the trail.

While the walk is quite short, it’s a winding walk with plenty to look at along the way, over uneven surfaces. There are plenty of rocks to climb and little water cascades to explore. Right near the entrance there is a a detour to see the Aboriginal rock engravings. The detour is not sign posted so we actually missed it, even though we were looking for it.

Walking quite slowly, the trail took us 45 minutes to reach the rock platform overlooking America Bay, which is located near the mouth of the Hawksburry River. It used to extend further, however the next park is closed due to hazards.

There is a little waterfall at the rock platform and plenty of shady wide rocks to sit on. We brought a picnic blanket and lunch to enjoy at the lookout.

Be sure to bring good walking shoes, a hat and sunscreen when doing this walk.

The walking track is one of many on offer in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, so you could very easily do this short walk in conjunction with others.

Entry to the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is $12, so I would definitely advise making a day of it.

Along the walking trail you’ll encounter woodlands of scribbly gum and bloodwood, and a little creek with crystal clear water. In August and September the wildflowers bloom bright yellow and pink throughout the bush.

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is open sunrise to sunset.

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Fagan Park & Playground Galston Sydney

September 15, 2020 / Bush, Outdoor Play, Playgrounds, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Fagan Park & Playground Galston Sydney

Fagan Park in Sydney’s Hornsby shire is a 55 hectare park with themed gardens, playgrounds, historic Netherby Cottage and an Eco Garden to explore.

Fagan Park history

The Darug people hunted and fished in the region for thousands of years, and were the original inhabitants of the land where Fagan Park sits. The Darug people were forced to leave the land by white settlers as detail above.

Fagan Park is located on a piece of land originally granted to George Hall. After being purchased by the Fagan family it was developed as a citrus orchard and later a cattle property. The land was donated by the Fagan family for use as a recreational and culture centre. Hornsby Shire Council was appointed as sole trustee for the park, which officially opened in November 1988.

Things to do in Fagan Park

Picnics & Barbecues

Enjoy a picnic or barbecue, with a number of shelters and electric barbecues that accept $1 coins scattered throughout the grounds. (Remember to bring change!)

Gardens of Many Nations

Take an ambling stroll around the Gardens of Many Nations, which covers 10 hectares and has 11 themed gardens.

The gardens include Japanese, Dutch, Chinese, Australian, African and Mediterranean. The Chinese and Japanese gardens are particularly beautiful in spring with cherry blossom trees blooming.

Netherby Homestead and Rural Museum

The original Fagan home, Netherby Cottage, was donated to the Crown under Hornsby Shire Council’s care, control and management in 1979. The cottage and adjoining Rural Museum are a great place to learn about colonial life and local history.

The cottage and museum are open evert Tuesday and second Sunday of each month.

Playgrounds

There are two large playgrounds in Fagan Park, one at the Arcadia Road entrance and one at the Carrs Road entrance.

Arcadia Road playground

The Arcadia Road playground is a modern space with small and large climbing frames, flying fox, swings, including a Liberty Swing, water play, sand play, slides and turning disc.

There are picnic shelters and barbecues surrounding the playground, as well as a large toilet block featuring a disabled toilet.

The proximity to the car park, playground, toilets and play equipment makes this a popular spot for children’s parties. The picnic shelters are often booked out on weekends for parties.

Carrs Bush playground

The Carr Bush playground is located in the Carrs Bush area of Fagan Park. The nature-themed playground blends into the surrounding bush landscape.

Features include climbing logs, a water play feature, swings including a basket swing and disabled swing, an all-abilities carousel and a climbing frame.

There are picnic tables and toilets nearby.

Eco Garden

The Eco Garden is an educational, sustainable garden. The Council-driven community initiative features over 36 different types of fruit and vegetables, as well as showcasing environmentally friendly gardening techniques.

The Eco Garden is a great spot for kids, too, with fun features to explore including a scarecrow, sandpit and fairy garden.

Get active

Fagan Park is the perfect place to get some exercise. There are long, sealed paths perfect for riding bikes or scooters, large graded areas for ball sports, frisbees or kite-flying and bushland with short bushwalking trails.

Dogs are welcome, however must remain on a lead at all times.

Carrs Bush

A beautiful 8.5 hectare area of bushland within Fagan Park, Carrs Bush features several short trails with interpretive signage, picnic areas, barbecues and a playground.

There are over 120 species of native plants in Carrs Bush, including the endangered Sydney Turpentine – Ironbark. Birds, marsupials, amphibians, mammals and invertebrates take refuge here.

Important info about Fagan Park

There are two accessible / disabled toilets inside Fagan Park. One is located at the Arcadia Road main amenities block; and the other is located at the Carrs Road amenities block.

Small portable barbeques including charcoal are permitted under strict conditions.

There is a privately run kiosk selling light refreshments (open weekends and selected weekdays only). I would highly recommend that you bring your own food and water. The park is perfect for a long, luxurious picnic.

All barbeques within the park require $1 coins to operate.

There are two car parks, one off Arcadia Road at the main park entrance, and another off Carrs Road. Parking costs $6 per vehicle.

Dogs are permitted but must stay on a leash at all times.

There are many water birds living in Fagan Park. Please don’t feed them.

Fagan Park
38-48 Arcadia Rd, Galston
Hours: Daily, 7am-6:30pm
hornsby.nsw.gov.au

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Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden: Sydney’s Best Parks & Gardens

August 18, 2020 / Bush, Outdoor Play, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden: Sydney’s Best Parks & Gardens

The Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden is a 123-hectare garden on Sydney’s north shore. Established in 1968, the garden is dedicated to preserving and showcasing Australian plants.

Located adjacent to the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, the garden is home to two endangered ecological communities; Duffys Forest and Coastal Upland Swamp as well as 18 threatened species of flora and fauna.

The Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden is a beautiful spot to picnic, bushwalk and learn about Australian flora and fauna.

While some areas of the garden have been cleared from bush such as Lambert’s Clearing, which has a large grassed area with picnic tables and a children’s playground, most of the garden is in a natural bush state.

The Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden is tended by volunteers from the Australian Plants Society, who cut samples of common wildflowers in bloom and place them on a labelled stand in front of the St Ives Visitor Centre.

When visiting the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden, your first stop should be the aforementioned St Ives Visitor Centre to collect a map, and take a quick look at the stick insects and snake on display inside. The visitors centre sells cold drinks and ice blocks.

There is no cafe inside the garden so bring a picnic lunch and plenty of water. There are lots of picnic tables dotted around the gardens for use.

There are bathroom facilities in several places around the garden, including at the visitors centre.

While most of the garden is quite wild, there are a few features of interest: The Knoll Garden
(a display garden containing native plants from around Australia), the Fern House, Caley’s Pavilion Gardens (featuring a wide variety of showy native flowers, rainforest trees and bush foods such as macadamia, Davidson’s Plum and native ginger).

Use the map to take one of many walks around the garden. We took the Solander Trail which took about 40 minutes to complete and had plenty of lovely wildflowers along the path.

Plenty of the trails are step-free and paved, suitable for strollers or wheelchairs. Other “adventure tracks” offer an off-road trekking experience.

Step-free paths
The Senses Track
The Senses Track is located at the top of the Wildflower Garden opposite the Visitor Centre.

There are two loops of 400m and 500m respectively, which each take ten minutes or so at a steady pace. Interpretive signage reveals interesting facts about the bushland. This is a great track for kids to enjoy.

The Solander Trail
The Solander Trail is an almost 2km circuit that takes visitors past some of the best wildflowers in the garden. It takes about 40 minutes to an hour to complete.

The Brown Trail
The Brown Trail is a short detour off the Solander Trail route that offers a view of Donnelly’s Swamp and access to the Mueller Track.

There is also a short, step-free path that winds through Caley’s Pavilion Gardens and boardwalk over the wetland area.

All of these paths are adjacent to accessible picnic areas and toilets.

Short adventure tracks
Banks Track
The Banks Track is 200m in length and takes about 5 minutes.

Smith Track
Smith’s Track is 400m in length and takes 10-15 minutes.

Bentham Track
The Bentham Track is 400m long and takes about 10 minutes.

Caley Track
Caley Track is 200m long and takes about 5 minutes.

Wilderness path
Mueller Track
A strenuous walk of 4km in length.

I really enjoyed looking around the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Nursery, located inside the Visitors Centre. The nursery specialises in local indigenous plants. It also stocks a variety of native plants suitable for planting in Sydney gardens.

Garden runs programs for kids throughout the year. You can see what’s coming up online.

Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden,
420 Mona Vale Road, St Ives (entry off Richmond Avenue).
kmc.nsw.gov.au

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Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney.

Find the best high teas in Sydney.

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Oatley Park: Playground, Baths, Cycling Tracks & Picnic Facilities

June 15, 2020 / Bush, Oatley, Outdoor Play, Playgrounds, Southern Sydney, Sydney, Sydney Life / 0 comment

Oatley Park: Playground, Baths, Cycling Tracks & Picnic Facilities

Oatley Park is a 45-hectare bushland reserve on the northern side of the Georges River. It is bounded by the Georges River, Lime Kiln Bay, and Jew Fish Bay. Oatley Park features an inclusive adventure playground, a netted swimming bath, short, easy bush walking tracks, picnic areas and other free amenities for the local community to enjoy.

The park was created on the headland in 1887, and over the years has been upgraded to create a spot for locals to enjoy recreational sports, cycling, walking, swimming and playing.

Navigating Oatley Park

There is a one-way driving loop around the park that is shared by cars, cyclists and pedestrians. The maximum speed of the road is 20km/h. Free all-day car parking is available

Oatley Park Inclusive Adventure Playground

The Oatley Park Inclusive Adventure Playground is an adventure playground designed to blend into its bush setting, incorporating nature-based play elements and built with predominantly natural materials.

The Oatley Park Adventure playground design incorporates community feedback and ideas and follows the NSW Government’s ‘Everyone Can Play’ inclusive play space guidelines to create accessible play elements for children of all abilities in over 80 per cent of the playground.

Read more about the Oatley Park Inclusive Adventure Playground.

Oatley Park Bird Life

There have been 145 species of birds recorded in the bushland of Oatley Park, including its tidal mud flaps, mangroves and Lime Kiln wetlands. We spotted a huge amount of sulfur-crested cockatoos but keep your eyes peeled for the many other species that live in this sanctuary.

Websters and Hills Peak Lookouts

The lookouts are accessed by the road (you can pull your car over and hop out to take a look) and feature stunning views over Jew Fish Bay and Lime Kiln Bay.

Oatley Castle

Oatley Castle is a surprising feature of Oatley Park. Built around 1935, the castle was created as a kind of “beach house” that would resemble an old British castle, give views over Oatley Bay and become an attraction for visitors to enjoy.

The castle is accessed by walking/cycling from the playground, or driving. There is a car park next to the base of the castle for easy access, and a ramp from the base of the castle to top for wheelchairs/strollers.

Oatley Castle has bbq facilities inside it and can be hired for events.

Oatley Park Walking Tracks

Oatley Park features seven walking tracks of varying length and difficulty, and a 2km cycling/driving/walking loop on paved road in a shared car/bike/pedestrian zone. The road is one direction only, so if you overshoot a spot where you want to park/turn off, you will need to keep driving around the loop and return to the spot again. There is a maximum speed of 20km/h around the park.

The Myra Wall Garden has a wheelchair accessible bushwalking path.

You can read about the walking trail options here.

Sandy Bay – Oatley Park Baths – Jew Fish Bay Baths

On the easterly section of the headland is Jew Fish Bay. Featuring a 320m long shark-proof net, the bay is home to an area called Sandy Bay, featuring Oatley Park Baths / Jew Fish Bay Baths. Oatley Baths was constructed in 1909 and has been the home of the Oatley Amateur Swimming Club since 1927. A popular swimming spot in warmer months, the baths feature one of only a few suspended net enclosures in Sydney, and are one of only two baths/pools in the region to be formed by enclosing a natural shoreline.

The water is a bit muddy when shallow, but is a calm, serene place to swim, with stunning views over the Georges River. The original change rooms are still in operation on the site of the baths.

To reach the baths, drive down to the carpark and walk the rest of the way. There is a ramp and stairs to access the baths.

Myra Wall Garden

The circular Myra Wall Garden was constructed in 1964 to honour a local conservationist. Parking is beside the garden which is located 300m on the left from the main entrance, along
the main road.

Oatley Park – Important Information

There are no direct public transport links to the park. It is a 1.7km walk from Oatley Station. The 954 bus service from Oatley Station drops you 700 metres from the entry to Oatley Park.

Entry to the park via Oatley Park Avenue is narrow and means that often, only one car at a time can pass through. AVOID entry and exit to the park during school drop off and pick up. You can also drive in via Douglas Haig St.

There is a car park at the playground. If this is full, try Myra Wall Garden, Frog Hollows and the Oval – they function as overflow carparks.

The park closes at sunset and the vehicle gates are locked. Make sure if you have driven in, to leave before the gates are locked as there is a fee to retrieve your car.

There are free BBQ and picnic facilities available throughout the park, including next to the playground.

Oatley Park
1 Dame Mary Gilmore Drive, Oatley NSW
Get Directions

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