The Coastal walk from Kurnell to Cronulla is special, it was not without it's challenges but we are a resilient bunch so the pack that started was the pack that staggered up that last, weirdly steep sand hill.
Kurnell the name is possibly a corruption of a Dharug term "cunthal", "kundle" or "koondool", perhaps meaning "place of or where the wild carrot grows".
We took the train from Redfern to Cronulla - Carriage 4 - and then the 987 bus that leaves opposite the train station for the Kurnell loop.
A quick wander down the foreshore of Kurnell to the Endeavour Coffee and Ice Cream Cafe (no getting away from Cook here) where Phillipe will make you a coffee strong enough to get you to Cronulla.
follow the Monument Track along the south coast of Botany Bay until it veers inland and south towards the visitor’s center. Sydney Airport is on the north coast of Botany Bay. No Plane noise .... at all!
From the visitor’s center, there are several short tracks you can take that all lead through the northern part of Kamay Botany Bay National Park and end approximately at Cape Solander. This is where something went horribly wrong and we lost Dear Leader...who claimed to be reading all he could about Cook!
We regrouped and finally found our way to Cape Solander where we were reunited. Then it started to rain!
And then there were the puddles – oh lord, the puddles! Even out on the exposed rock there were loads of puddles, despite there not having been any big rains recently. It was far worse on the dirt trails inland, where sometimes the only option was to walk straight through the mud puddles.
We ran into this group of Coastrekkers who came together virtually for an epic day of fun, fitness, friends and fundraising, supported all the way by the team at Wild Women On Top, for the annual Coast Trek to raise money for mental health.
BOAT HARBOUR - Sydney shanty town ‘paradise’, where residents have no electricity or running water, could soon be wiped out.
The tight-knit community of beachside shacks, built on Sydney’s only privately owned beach, has existed “off the books” since it first emerged next to the towering sand dunes of the Kurnell Peninsula, in Sydney’s south, during the Depression.
At it’s height there were as many as 200 homes there.
Since then it has dwindled to around 25 basic cabins that have passed from one generation to the next, picking up a few mod cons such as solar panels along the way.
We rounded the bend and the Golden Arches of Cronulla lite up the horizon, only 15kms to go and the odd sand dune....we could smell the fish and chips and taste the beer....
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Comments 9
Loved following your walk and the pics are great. I agree with the Leader, I was surprised when there not so long ago to find the detailed interpretive panels about the first contact. It is both more than I expected and better informed and informative.
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Yes I think some of us may have to do a revisit Tony, too interesting not to dive a bit deeper.
Such beautiful photos Lorrie. So enjoying your blog recaps – almost as much as the walks themselves!
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thanks Jules xx
In a Fanshen moment of futile self-defence, can I say I tarried because the NP&WS signage and interpretation spread around the site of Cook’s first landing at Kurnell is wonderful. It is very low key about Cook and Banks, but detailed about the military encounter between Cook and the locals, the first use of firearms against Aboriginal people on the east coast of Australia. There are extensive quotes from Gadigal elders about Aboriginal life in and around the site before and since European occupation. People from the Mission at La Perouse would catch the public ferry (till it was closed down) across the bay to Kurnell for the weekend. There they would fish, gather shellfish and vegetables, walk and talk while their kids played. The signage is extended and discreet, the site is very beautiful, and will probably need to be defended against Morrison’s plans for what he sees as a more fitting monument to celebrate Cook’s achievement in claiming Australia for Britain.
Author
All is forgiven …. and thank you for this, missed completely by those of us that could smell the coast!
And the fish and chips 15km away. But yes Fearless Leader comments are important and despite having to run the tunnel of shame on the day as we waited in the rain, all is forgiven.
On and upwards to future adventures.
What a great walk this is. A few places that were somewhat challenging to decrepit knees but many highlights. The bush flowers on the cliff top section were exquisite. As was the vast open Wanda Sandhills and beach after Boat Harbour. About 5 kilometres of head sand with crystal clear water lapping onto the beach.
A 20 km walk was rewarded with terrific fish (flathead) and chips and a cold Furphy beer before boarding the return train from Cronulla.
Great days doing these walks with good company and plenty of conversation along the way.
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I agree go soon the wild flowers are breathtaking!