ku-ring-gai chase NP

Start driving north from downtown Sydney, and within an hour you’ll find yourself at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.  This amazing landscape is situated where the Hawkesbury river meets the Pacific (Tasman Sea to be precise), and is an absolute treasure to Sydneysiders.

We started our exploration at the western inland region of the park.  First we walked the nature trail at Kalkari Discovery Centre, a large enclosed area.  We encountered the Australian Brushturkey, and our first semi-wild kangaroos!  They weren’t easy to spot, but we managed to catch a glimpse off the trail on our second go-around.  There were also spectacular views of our next destination down by the river, called Bobbin Head.  There we explored the mangrove boardwalk.

Next, we headed out to the West Head region (which is the east side of the park) with a spectacular drive along the spine of the peninsula all the way to the tip.  There, we caught the tail end of a wedding (quite the backdrop!), and took in the outstanding view.  Then we backed up down the road to hike the America Bay track that brought us to the top of a small waterfall and yet another amazing vista.  We had quite the time listening to and recording some bird calls on this hike.  We wrapped up the day with another gaze out at West Head.  Then it was back to Sydney, but not before stopping to enjoy dinner with one of Andrea’s work mates who lives nearby in the Mona Vale area.

Photos taken 29 Dec 2011

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