Pittwater Life January 2024 Issue

Summer Guide
Rock Platforms
When the tide retreats a secret
world of marine ecosystems
opens up with clusters of
mini aquariums, teeming
with tiny creatures. Explore
the flat, expansive, eroded
regions at the bottom of
our rocky headlands. You’ll
find they’re home to a huge
variety of plants, animals and
invertebrates such as starfish,
crabs and shellfish. Locals’ Tip:
Visit the Coastal Environment
Centre at Narrabeen to learn
more about our rocky shores.
Warriewood Wetlands
Covering 26 hectares
Warriewood Wetlands is the
largest remaining sand plain
wetland in northern Sydney.
There’s a boardwalk stretching
2.4km and trails that can lead
you to waterfalls (see below).
You can take a self-guided tour
starting from Katoa Close by
following the new signs and
scanning the QR codes to learn
about the plants and animals
and history that make up this
area. The wetlands are easy to
find (just behind Warriewood
Square) and it’s an easy walk
that will take you 45 minutes to
an hour.
Irrawong Waterfall
The track to the waterfall is
accessible from Garden Street
or the end of Irrawong Road,
corner of Epworth Avenue
Warriewood. It takes about
20 minutes from the Garden
Street entrance and is relatively
manageable by most fitness
levels as much of the walk
is quite flat along cleared
paths or wooden boardwalks.
However, there are steps in
sections, so not suitable for
wheelchairs or strollers. You
will see lots of rainforest
and if you are lucky, local
wildlife. The waterfall clearing
is a popular picnic spot, but
the size of the clearing (and the
6m waterfall flow) depends on
recent rainfall. It can also be a
little muddy. There are tracks
beyond the waterfall but be
careful as the track is steep.
Narrabeen Lagoon
State Park
Step out and walk, enjoy
numerous water sports, or
simply find a spot to relax
near the water’s edge. There
is an 8.6-kilometre trail with
no inclines around the lagoon,
which will take you 2-3 hours
on foot if you want to enjoy
the beautiful ecosystems,
cultural heritage and historical
sites. The well-formed track
is a shared trail popular with
joggers, hikers, cyclists, dogs
on leads, mums with prams,
and bike riders. Cyclists are
asked to stick to the left and
pedestrians have right of way.
There are places to peel off
to rest, and picnic areas with
toilet facilities dotted along
the circuit. If you don’t want to
tackle the loop in one go, there
are five short walk options
(Middle Creek to Bilarong
Reserve – 2.2km; Bilarong
Reserve to Berry Reserve –
1.2km; Jamieson Park to South
Creek – 2.3km and South Creek
to Middle Creek – 1.2km).
Angophora Reserve
Located in the suburbs of
Avalon Beach and Clareville,
this 18.5-hectare space
provides a small taste of the
peninsula similar to what
it was like pre-settlement
with significant samples of
vegetation and fauna habitats
that are under threat. The
reserve was intended to
preserve a giant Angophora
tree. It also contains one of
the most archaeologically
significant Aboriginal shelter
sites in the Sydney region.
Two main walking tracks
extend through the reserve,
one from the Palmgrove Road
to Wandeen Road entrances
and one from Hilltop Road to
Chisholm Avenue.
WALK THIS WAY
From challenging hikes for
you to sink your boots into,
boardwalks signposted for selfguided
tours and gentle strolls
along well-formed paths, here
are just a few of the walks you
can take to make the best of
our great outdoors. Some can
be found close to home, others
a little further afield. You can
discover many more walks and
more details on the AllTrails
app, at nationalparks.nsw.gov.
au and Council website. Locals’
Tip: Protect yourself from
ticks and mozzie bites – warm,
wet weather means more are
breeding and biting, including
the ones that can carry disease.
Barrenjoey Lighthouse
Barrenjoey Lighthouse sits at
Sydney’s most northern point
– Barrenjoey Head at Palm
Beach. Positioned 91 metres
above sea level the lighthouse,
its oil room and keepers’
cottages were built in 1881
from sandstone quarried on
site. There are two routes to
the top; the more gentle 1km
Access Trail or the shorter,
steeper Smugglers Track. When
you get to the top you will be
rewarded with glorious views of
Broken Bay, Ku-ring-gai Chase
National Park as well as the
Central Coast (main pic above).
Locals’ Tip: The inside of the
lighthouse is only accessible by
guided tour on Sundays.
McKay Reserve
If you’re up for a challenge take
the ‘stairway to heaven’ from
Barrenjoey Road near Iluka
Road at Palm Beach. The walk
up through McKay Reserve
with its 700-plus stairs and
steep slopes, stunning views
and native bushland will take
40 JANUARY 2024
The Local Voice Since 1991