Party: Bjorn and relations
Muogamarra Nature Reserve is one of those treasures so close to Sydney that I’d never given it a second glance. But this spring the family agreed that its location half way between the family home and the city was ideal for a birthday meet up that just happened to fall in the 3 week period for which the park is open to the public. (The rest of the year it is only accessible for groups on educational tours).
During these 3 weeks the park must collect the same total visitor numbers as most national parks do throughout the year. Being so accustomed to being the only group at a parking lot/campsite/etc it was quite a shock getting to the car park to find 30+ other vehicles and half a dozen N.P. volunteers directing traffic.
Our claustrophobia quickly eased though as we cleared the first few hundred meters from the visitor centers. After that it was lovely walking through classic Hawkesbury sandstone country with dry scrub intermixed with squat gums and many varieties of flowers.
As we made our way down to the Hawkesbury there were beautiful patches of cabbage tree palms and before then the unmistakable smell of mangroves foretold of the bay at low tide.
After a relaxing lie down on the boulders and some birthday cake we made our way back to the tops enjoying the afternoon light.
All in all the loop (which was one of the longest on offer) wasn’t much over 6 kms but made for a very interesting, varied and beautiful excursion.
My only regret is not bringing a better camera to better capture this once-a-year phenomenon!