Check out the latest updates and adventures as we explore this amazing country of ours.
Freediving with Grey Nurse Sharks
I was fortunate enough to free dive with these beautiful creatures today. The Grey Nurse Shark, also known as the sand tiger shark or spotted ragged-tooth shark are found along Australia's east coast at a number of popular dive sites. These sharks are predominantly found in inshore coastal waters and are likely to be seen cruising around sandy bottoms and rocky caves, and close to reefs and islands. Hook and line fishing in areas important for the survival of threatened species has been identified as a key threatening process affecting Greynurse Sharks. * Grey nurse sharks are now protected under fisheries legislation in New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia
Shellharbour to Minnamurra via Bass Point Loop + Killalea
What started out as a solo adventure from Shellharbour to Minnamurra, eventually turned sour with what I would consider one of the most challenging walks I have taken on in a long time. The day was around 38degrees and the plan was to take in the Bass Point loop trail on my way to Minnamurra, following the map I had uploaded from AllTrails. Unfortunately I did the cardinal sin going out on my own and not doing enough research before heading out, not realising that most of the Bass point loop would be rock hopping. Take note that the southern half of this loop, from Bushranger Bay to Killalea, is the hardest and can be dangerous in places and certainly requires the energy and confidence to pass. Top this off with the most difficult section of the loop, approx 1.5km of dense high overgrown shrubs with lots of thorns. Being to far into the walk to return, I was left with no other option than to very slowly make my way through, regularly being trapped and cut by thorns, trying the find my way out. Had moments in this section when I considered setting off the emergency button, but thankfully kept my head and eventually made it back to the beach. Definitely only for experienced walkers wanting a bit of an adventure, as there is so much beauty to be seen around this headland
Shellharbour to Port Kembla
The weather was perfect today for our walk from Shellharbour to Port Kembla. We began this walk with a train ride to Shellharbour Junction station which sort of felt like we were being dropped off in the middle of nowhere. It was around a 2km walk to the beautiful seaside town of Shellharbour, known for its small harbour, stunning beaches and diving. From here we headed north along the coast, walking along the absolutely gorgeous Lake Illawarra and some of the best, mostly deserted, beaches along the Illawarra coastline. Our original plan was to walk all the way to Wollongong, however I totally under calculated the distance that would have ended up being around 40+ km. With legs beginning to feel a bit weary from long beach walks and rock hopping, we decided to end our 29km journey at the very small Port Kembla North station * Port Kembla does also have some beautiful beaches and great views overlooking Five Islands Nature Reserve, however being a coastal walk, I would totally recommend avoiding the massive industrial area of Port Kembla, unless of course you are wanting to continue on to Wollongong. We ended our walk at the small Port Kembla North station but the better option would be the main station at Port Kembla with trains stopping more frequently.
Kiama Coast Walk - Kiama to Gerringong
What an incredibly crazy day it turned out to be when I took on the Kiama Coastal walk, from Kiama to Gerringong. This walk had everything one could only dream about, spotting dozens of whales with lots of breaching, tail and pectoral slapping. Top this off with dolphins wave riding, a lazy fur seal lapping up the rays, heaps of reptiles soaking up the sun and some of the best coastal views in the world and you have the perfect day out. This section of walk is around 12-13km from Kiama Blowhole to Werri Beach in Gerringong. Add another 3.5km to Gerringong train station. There are a number of hills on this walks and a certain level of fitness is required. I highly recommend this walk just for the stunning coastal views alone.
Kiama Coast Walk - Minnamurra to Kiama
Today I took on Minnamurra to Kiama. For this walk, I caught the train 🚂 in to my starting point, the beautiful village of Minnamurra. From here you are blown away with stunning views along our coastline looking North to Wollongong and South to Kiama. Top this off with seeing a number of whales breaching along the way, needless to say it was the perfect day out. The walk is only around 8 km and easily accessed by train.
Wheeny Gap Falls
Wheeny Gap Falls is a bit of an adventure that takes you to two stunning swimming holes. North Wheeny Gap trail is accessed from Mountain Lagoon Road which leads off Bells Line of Road at Bilpin. Access to Wheeny Gap falls is via a 6km rough dirt North Wheeny Gap trail. Although this would normally be considered a 4WD trail, dry conditions made it suitable for me to drive most of the way in my 2WD reducing our walk to around 6km return. Note we could have driven further along to reduce the distance but we felt we needed to stretch our legs and not be too lazy 😊 Warnings The walk down to Wheeny Gap Falls is steep and at points very slippery. It would be treacherous during or directly after heavy rain. Some navigational skills required as the descent is not marked and difficult to find and can create problems entering and returning if missed. I did rely on my AllTrails app for GPS plotting for this part of the walk. For this reason I would rate this walk as hard and for experienced bushwalkers only.
Kanuka Brook and Blue Pool Loop
This 17 km loop walk near Glenbrook, takes you through some pretty impressive locations in the Blue Mountains National Park, including Blue Pool and Kanuka Brook. I’m glad we took the advice to walk this track anti clockwise, taking on the most challenging section while the legs were still fresh. This is a hard walk and definitely for experienced bushwalkers only with good navigational skills, as the track is almost no existent in many places. I did find myself relying a lot on the AllTrails app for this walk, needing to back track a few times, struggling to find a track. Be prepared to do a bit of scrambling and bush bashing, especially on the climb out from Kanuka Brook. Thankfully there were a few blue markings along this difficult section and the occasional arrow to guide us on this climb out. Our walk did take around 7 hrs allowing us time to take in the beauty Once again thanks to trusty Keen boots - Feet survived 😁👌 ** Experienced bushwalkers only
Asgard Swamp Track
Temperatures were just right today for a first time walk along the Asgard Swamp Track near Mount Victoria, in the Blue Mountains. This is a 8.7km out and back trail packed with surprises, including stunning views overlooking Grose Valley, an interesting disused Coal mine to explore and of course the namesake of this trail, Asgard Swamp. Top the day off with masses of wattle in full bloom making this the perfect most enjoyable walk. I would rate this walk as medium, although I believe some may have rated it as med-hard. As always know your limits before heading out on any of these walks and extreme care to be taken around any of the scenic viewing points.
Ruined Castle - via Golden Stairs
With so many walks closed in the Blue Mountains, we decided to take on the iconic Ruined Castle, where this adventure takes you deep into the heart of the Blue Mountains. We began this 11km return walk at Narrow Neck lookout due to a closure of the road leading to the Golden Stairs. The early morning start was a bit cool on the fingertips with a temperature near Zero, however the body quickly warmed up not long into our hike. Once we arrived at the Golden Stairs, we began our rocky uneven descent to Jamieson Valley, giving us some stunning views along the way. As you get closer to Ruined Castle, you will see several boulders that look like they don’t belong there at all, and that’s precisely what makes the Ruined Castle so fascinating. It’s an unusual rock formation in the middle of nowhere, located on top of a ridge, giving you magnificent 360 degree views overlooking this stunning mountain range. *This walk is rated hard and is probably due to all the uneven steep steps and elevation.
Dalpura Canyon
Dalpura Canyon is a beautiful canyon that lies between Dalpura Ridge and Jinki Ridge. Our walk began at Bells Line of Road, with the trail taking us to our first misty views overlooking Grose Valley and Blue Gum Forest. From here, the trail eventually took us down to the stunning Dalpura Canyon. This is a canyon that can involve a bit of abseiling for those keen enough, however we were pleasantly surprised with just how long and relatively easy it was to access this natural wonder. Although our walk was originally planned to be a loop trail, we did have a lot of trouble finding the exit point, forcing us to go back the way we came. Out and back can vary depending on how far you want go. Our adventure was around 7km return and took us approx 4hrs to complete allowing us plenty of time to take it all in. **There are no signs on this walk so do your research before going as you can easily get lost on any of these trails. IMPORTANT!!!! NEVER ENTER A CANYON WHEN HEAVY RAIN IS FORECAST. DALPURA CANYON HAS LARGE SECTIONS WITH NO EXIT SAFETY POINTS.
Centennial Pass Loop via Colliers Causeway
Centennial Pass Loop is one of those walks that has just about everything you could possibly ask for. From the Blue mountains escarpment to the windswept heath, rainforest, gums and a very cool slot canyon to explore. The only thing missing on our day was the view overlooking Megalong valley. At times the low clouds did clear giving us that million dollar view. Just magic.
Lockleys Pylon to Perrys Lookdown via Blue Gum Forest has to be up there with one of the most challenging yet most rewarding walks I have been on in the Blue Mountains. This 10km one way walk, began along Lockleys Pylon walking track offering stunning scenic 360-degree views overlooking Grose Valley. From here our walk took on the next level of excitement with a steep descent into Blue Gum Forest via Shortridge Pass. (not for the faint hearted) Once in the valley we were surrounded by magnificent Blue Gum trees and dozens of Waratahs eventually reaching Govetts Creek. We finished the walk with a steep heart pumping 2km walk back out along Perrys Track to another car we had previously dropped off. I would definitely rate this level 4 hard and for the experienced bushwalkers only.
LAWSON NORTH to HAZELBROOK via 8 Waterfalls. 💦
It was a cold wet day but the waterfalls were certainly at their best. This 12km walk began at Lawson North were we entered the Blue Mountains National park. It wasn't long before we came across the first of many stunning waterfalls, Fairy Falls. We then continued on this lush rainforest trail that mostly followed a creek leading us to the next waterfall. Our walk included 2 separate tracks in Lawson North and Hazelbrook. The track are divided by approx 2km of suburbia requiring a bit of navigating to find the next point of entrance. Our walk finished with a short train ride from Hazelbrook station back to our car at Lawson station.
Bullawarring Track via Heathcote Creek
This is a beautiful walk in Heathcote National Park that follows Heathcote creek along Bullawaring track. Our walk included a small detour to Lake Toolooma. Lake Toolooma was dammed up on Heathcote creek in 1906 to supply water for the steam engines at Waterfall station. We then continued along Bullawarring track dropping in to some of the pools along the way including Kingfisher pool. This track passes by some stunning bushland including large Gymea Lillies and impressive Grass trees, eventually getting us out to the Pipeline trail. Heading south we exited the Pipeline trail at Mirang fire trail where we began our gruelling 2km steep climb getting us back onto a service trail for around 3km, leading back to the start. I would rate the full trail as hard but can easily be reduced to an out and back rewarding trip to Kingfisher Pool
Mountain biking the Pipeline Trail
I decided to take on the challenge of riding a pretty average Pipeline trail in Heathcote National Park to check out some of the pools affected by the heavy rainfalls we have encountered around Sydney. This is a non-technical trail that is graded as difficult due to some steep climbs along the way. My ride started at Heathcote, taking advantage of a closed Heathcote Rd getting me down to the start of the trail. This ride follows a pipeline access track through Heathcote National Park with many opportunities along the trail to access some of the beautiful pools, including Elbow Pool, Mirang Pool and one of the most popular for campers, Lake Eckersley. Pipeline trail is approx 10 km one way, however I did make a detour to Lower Pipeline trail getting me to the spillover for Woronora Dam. Having committed myself to this ride without much thought that it would end up being a gruelling 30 km loop, I will have to admit that on return I was pretty much wasted. ** Correction Lake Eckersley is one of a number of pools that are on the Woronora River. Elbow Pool and Mirang Pool are pools belonging to Heathcote Creek that eventually flow into Woronora River and are not fed by Woronora River/Dam.
Maroubra Beach to Bondi Beach via 8 Ocean Pools
My mission was to walk from Maroubra Beach to Bondi Beach, stopping off for a swim at all the ocean pools along the way. Starting at Mahon pool, I continued the walk north along our beautiful coastline, jumping in for a refreshing dip at Iver Rowe, Wylee’s, Giles, Ross Jones memorial, Clovelly, Brontë Baths and finishing at Bondi Icebergs formally known as Bondi Baths. The walk was around 12km one way with an easy Uber ride back to Maroubra beach.
La Perouse to Maroubra Beach
This 17km walk begins at LaPerouse on a trail that leads to Henry Head Battery station. Continue on and the track will take you to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter hangar. From here you have a choice to make your way back to the road and find your way on to Malabar Beach where you can continue the coastal track through to Maroubra beach. Alternatively you can carefully continue hugging the coastline, crossing three golf courses along the way, eventually getting you to Malabar beach. * Important to note I’m not sure what the rules are about Crossing golf courses From here you will enter The Malabar Headland track on the Northern end of the beach leading you to Maroubra Beach Be sure to explore some of tracks around this area that will take you on a journey back in time to a number of very interesting WW2 Battery stations.
Wentworth Falls - Empress Falls via Wentworth Pass
We started our walk at Wentworth falls car park, following the trail down to the second tier of Wentworth Falls on what I consider to be the most breathtaking section in the Blue Mountains. From here we headed down to lower Wentworth Falls via Slacks steps. Slacks steps consist of steel steps and 5 extremely interesting but very safe steel ladders. (Definitely one of the highlights of the walk) We then continued along Wentworth Pass eventually heading back up the stunning cascading waterfalls of Empress Falls. This walk is a must but does require a reasonable amount of fitness. As always know your limits and study the trails before doing any of these bushwalks
SADLY THERE HAS BEEN A SERIOUS LANDSLIDE ON THE WENTWORTH PASS TRAIL ONLY TWO DAYS AFTER FILMING THIS VIDEO WITH AT LEAST TWO FATALITIES. 14/4/22
Gosangs Tunnel + Mermaids Inlet
Mermaids Inlet and Gosangs Tunnel is a walk in Currarong that offers stunning views of rock escarpments and blue ocean views just a short drive out from Nowra, NSW. Click on the Gosangs Tunnel link for more information. Gosangs Tunnel
Gorge Heritage Walk + The Horn @ Mt Buffalo VIC
It was the prefect day out from Bright driving up to the very scenic alpine region of Mt Buffalo in Victoria that included a 5km return walk along the breathtaking Gorge Heritage Walk, finishing the day with a short steep climb up to the Horn.
Minerva + Jingga Pool - Dharawal National Park
This walk comprises of two out and back tracks totalling around 7km. Minerva Pool, in Dharawal National Park, is a sacred site on the land of the Dharawal People. This is a culturally significant sight to the Tharawal local Aboriginal Land Council. As part of the Aboriginal culture, only women and children are invited to enter these waters. Jingga Pool via Jingga Track is a short but very steep bushwalk in Dharawal National Park that leads to a beautiful natural waterhole and a small waterfall. Unlike Minerva pool, this waterhole is suitable for swimming, which makes this trip an even more enjoyable outdoor adventure on a warm summer’s day.
Lawson South Waterfalls
WATERFALL LOVERS MUST WATCH VIDEO. The rain has been falling and the Waterfalls are at their best so NOW is the best time to check out the many waterfalls around Lawson in the Blue Mountains. Be prepared to get wet as you explore some of the best waterfalls the mountains has to offer. This 13km double loop trail just kept on giving with what I can only describe as the best waterfall adventure I have experienced. With over a dozen waterfalls listed on this walk I would probably estimate it was more close to 20 falls we came across. The distance given on the AllTrails app is 8.7km however we added a few out and back trails on to this walk to check out more waterfalls. **Important to know your limits before heading out on any of these walks. As always I highly recommend downloading the paid version of the AllTrails app to help keep you on track. The paid version of this app will work on satellite similar to GPS once the walk you are doing has been downloaded to your phone.
Box Vale Loop via 40 Foot Falls
This 15.5km walk began at the Box Vale mine track The Box Vale Mine track follows the formation of an historic railway line and passes through cuttings, along embankments and through a tunnel 84 metres in length. The tunnel was cut out around 1890 with a rail line running through the tunnel to transport coal back to Mittagong. From here we trekked the very steep decline with the assistance of a much needed cable running the full 580m down to the Nattai Gorge where the coal was mined. The trail then winds through some very lush fern forest that follow the Nattai river joining onto Forty Foot Falls walking track and eventually getting us back onto the Box Vale mine track. This full loop walk is nothing short of an adventure and requires a good level of fitness with a bit of orienteering
60 Foot Falls
Starting at Lake Alexandra in Mittagong, this walk goes around the western side of Mount Alexandra and above the lovely Gibbergunyah Creek Gully. The trail passes under the Hume motorway at a couple of points, then eventually winds back along a beautiful loop trail that takes you to 60 Foot Falls. You can make your way down to the base of the falls but do so carefully as the rocks can be quite slippery. After returning from the loop continue on and you will begin the steep climb over Mt Alexandra, via the very interesting Coke Tunnel.
40 Foot Falls
40 Foot Falls is a 9-10km return walk that begins at the back of lake Alexandra in Mittagong.The track which is mostly easy takes you through lush fern forest and mostly follows the creek to the falls.This walk is probably up there with one of the most picturesque walks I have come across and most certainly is worth the drive out to Mittagong.
Mountain Biking Woodford to Glenbrook
aThis 30km ride in the Blue Mountains begins at Woodford Station. Just a short 2km ride from here and you enter the Blue Mountain National Park onto a fire trail that leads to Glenbrook. Expect a fair bit of exciting uphill and downhill sections on fire trails until you eventually enter into some pretty interesting single tracks. We actually drove to Glenbrook station and hopped on the train to Woodford station but you can train this ride all the way
Montague Island Fur Seals
I finally got the opportunity to scuba and snorkel with some very playful fur seals off Montague Island which is located only a few km offshore from the South Coast town of Narooma in NSW.
It didn't take long after we entered the water for the first few seals to swim up to us and perform their playful twists and turns while they were checking us out. I even had the occasional seal put its face up against my mask as if it was wanting me to play.
For those interested, I would highly recommend the very professional team of Underwater Safaris based in Narooma to take you on this very exciting experience.
Jump Rock
The walk has appropriately been named Jump Rock because of the many people who jump from a high cliff into the water at this location. It is a popular spot in summer and the walk certainly packs a punch in lush rainforest, epic deep pools, cascades and the famous Jump Rock. Jump rock is around 5km return and good walking shoes are highly recommended. Also worth taking your swimmers because you will more than likely be tempted to jump in for a swim. Jump Rock swimming hole is found at the bottom of Macquarie Pass on the left hand side coming from Albion Park.
Danger: The jump can be dangerous and comes with the risk of serious injury or death
Monster Monitor at Tuross Lake
Surprised and stunned is not an exaggeration when I was kayaking on the Lake at Tuross Head and spotted this monster Lace Monitor crossing sand banks in search of some of the many species of water bird's eggs that inhabit these waterways.
Hooked Up Rays
Sadly, on many occasions I have come across some of our beautiful marine life with full fishing tackle still attached.
See what happens next.