Wentworth Falls today, and the surprisingly wonderful Darwin's Walk that leads to the Wentworth Falls (WWF). Yes, the great man walked here over a century ago. The top part is "under revegetation," and probably needs a rubbish/silt trap to improve the top end from silting up [and help from the Blue Mountains Council and Trees for Life (or similar) to hasten the weed removal and reveg work], BUT it has some fabulous tea-tree thickets, some amazing plants - I saw my first waratah...about a week from fully flowering - and certainly lower down it's absolutely beautiful. Walk it, and stick with it. It's worth it.
But the best part on Darwin's Walk are the birds: white-browed scrubwrens (lots), crimson rosellas, superb blue wrens, thornbills, grey fantails, eastern spinebills, grey currawongs, kookaburra (heard), eastern whipbird (heard), grey shrike thrush (heard), a gerygone (heard), and some fabulous songsters that I have no idea what they are. But I did catch a glimpse of jewel: an eastern yellow robin!
At the southern end of Darwin's Walk is the delightful "Weeping Rock," which must have been named in late summer (see the photo). The WWF themselves are breathtakingly STEEP and yes, I watched others go down the National Pass to the under-falls walk.
When I said "no more stairs," I should've added "and no more narrow cliff ledges without handrails." Yes, I thought I could hike the Undercliff Track with no problems because others were doing it. It was fine, until bits with the narrow and muddy under cliff ledges, with the two hundred metre drop and no handrail...but that did (thankfully) have some vegetation to cling to (might be stripped, the way I clutched it). I admitted defeat at the first turn off up to the WWF car park (about half-way). The view is certainly spectacular, but I didn't take my eyes off the track for long enough to really enjoy it. Pity.
A fun and easy walk: the "Short Cut" track to Conservation Hut with its exquisite range of tiny flowers, banksias, tea-trees and plants I'll have to dig out my "Flowers of the Blue Mountains" book to identify. And there's a Cafe at the end, and more walks to the Valley of the Waters for those not bone tired.
Tomorrow: A couple of easy walks in the morning (bird "hunting" mostly), then it's over to Varuna and the hard work.
NOTE: The "unidentified" B&W bird is possibly an immature grey butcherbird - off there tomorrow to find out. The red-tailed black cockatoos I mentioned are probably glossy black cockatoos. Apologies, I don't have my binoculars or field guide with me. Of course, the birds could come in to where I can see them (about the end of my nose) AND stay still...
But the best part on Darwin's Walk are the birds: white-browed scrubwrens (lots), crimson rosellas, superb blue wrens, thornbills, grey fantails, eastern spinebills, grey currawongs, kookaburra (heard), eastern whipbird (heard), grey shrike thrush (heard), a gerygone (heard), and some fabulous songsters that I have no idea what they are. But I did catch a glimpse of jewel: an eastern yellow robin!
At the southern end of Darwin's Walk is the delightful "Weeping Rock," which must have been named in late summer (see the photo). The WWF themselves are breathtakingly STEEP and yes, I watched others go down the National Pass to the under-falls walk.
When I said "no more stairs," I should've added "and no more narrow cliff ledges without handrails." Yes, I thought I could hike the Undercliff Track with no problems because others were doing it. It was fine, until bits with the narrow and muddy under cliff ledges, with the two hundred metre drop and no handrail...but that did (thankfully) have some vegetation to cling to (might be stripped, the way I clutched it). I admitted defeat at the first turn off up to the WWF car park (about half-way). The view is certainly spectacular, but I didn't take my eyes off the track for long enough to really enjoy it. Pity.
A fun and easy walk: the "Short Cut" track to Conservation Hut with its exquisite range of tiny flowers, banksias, tea-trees and plants I'll have to dig out my "Flowers of the Blue Mountains" book to identify. And there's a Cafe at the end, and more walks to the Valley of the Waters for those not bone tired.
Tomorrow: A couple of easy walks in the morning (bird "hunting" mostly), then it's over to Varuna and the hard work.
NOTE: The "unidentified" B&W bird is possibly an immature grey butcherbird - off there tomorrow to find out. The red-tailed black cockatoos I mentioned are probably glossy black cockatoos. Apologies, I don't have my binoculars or field guide with me. Of course, the birds could come in to where I can see them (about the end of my nose) AND stay still...
