Travelling WormDobroyd Head walk in Sydney Harbour
In this post: The scenic track from Balgowlah to Dobroyd Head, part of the Spit Bridge to Manly Walk.
This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 40-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).
Today’s travel notes
Me and the TC (bless her cotton socks) have often ambled down Forty Baskets Track in Balgowlah, braving the beach crossing to continue along Reef Beach Track and up the steep steps of Dobroyd Head Track. At the top of the head, near Tania Park, we do an about turn and take the welcome downhill track back to Balgowlah. This post shares some of the beauty of the area and a few bits of local interest.
The book I’m in
Shadow Captain by Alastair Reynolds. I’m chomping through this book at the speed of light. It’s a fast-paced space opera in the best tradition of the genre. Shadow Captain follows on directly from part one of the series, Revenger. This worm will be urging the TC to get hold of the next book in the series.
Travel tips
Put on your walking shoes (all six of them, in my case) and take a walk on the bright side.
The photos
Me and Peg finding a firm footing at Reef Beach, alongside the Dobroyd Head walking track on the shores of Sydney Harbour:
Like many of Sydney’s beaches, Reef Beach is often reshaped by the tides. The sand moves from one end of the beach to the other, covering and uncovering rocks, exposing channels, and generally changing the area’s appearance. Sometimes it’s quite a leap from the last step down onto the sand. At other times you scratch your head and think, “I could have sworn there were more steps going down to the beach”.
If the TC gets up early, as is her wont, we catch the sunrise over Forty Baskets Beach:
“Forty Baskets” is an odd name for a beach. The tale that this worm has heard most often is this: the name refers to 40 baskets of fish that the local fishermen collected way back in 1885. Their goal was to feed a large group of soldiers who’d returned from war in Sudan, only to be hustled into the nearby quarantine station to recover from various infectious diseases that they’d acquired while overseas.
However, that lovely tale of baskets, fish, and deserving troopers might not be true. The Daily Telegraph has conducted some in-depth research and discovered that the beach was referred to as Forty Basket Beach even before the fishermen’s generous collection. And yes, observant reader, it was Forty Basket (singular) not Forty Baskets. After further digging, the Daily Telegraph finds that the word “basket” was in those days used as a measurement (like the word bushel). We often use the singular when referring to a measurement. For example, a two metre pole or a ten tonne truck. The article is worth a read.
The harbour views on this walk are spectacular. This photo shows a passenger liner making its way into Sydney harbour through the gateway formed by North Head (on the left) and South Head (on the right):
Let’s take a closer look at the passenger ship. Behind it stands Hornby Lighthouse on South Head. The lighthouse opened in 1858, the third lighthouse to be built in New South Wales. A few of the ship’s inhabitants group together in the viewing platform on top of the ship’s tiers to experience the harbour entry:
Sydney city seen from Dobroyd Head, with the sun burning off the early morning mist:
The path is steep at times. Irregular steps provide good exercise for those quads and calves — for those of you with fewer than six legs, anyway:
If you need a breather, turn around and take in the view. You might see the Manly ferries passing as they make their way between Manly and the city. The two in this picture are the privately-run Manly Fast Ferries (as opposed to the slightly slower and more traditional yellow and green boats of the Manly Ferry public service):
After the steep climb, a more leisurely path awaits you, sometimes open to the views and at other times walled by bushes and flowers:
The viewing point just below Tania Park offers another stunning view of the harbour entrance. In the next picture, just North Head is showing in the background, with Dobroyd Head stretching out in the foreground. Down below, those with an eagle eye can spot the historic huts of Crater Cove:
Let’s take a closer look at some of the huts of Crater Cove:
Russ Grayson has published an intriguing account of his experiences with the huts over the years: Hidden paths: the lost settlement at Crater Cove. The first of the huts were built in the 1920s, and various groups of people have inhabited them over the decades. Now, however, the huts are boarded up. You can walk down and look through the windows, and stand on the rocks to gain a feeling for the place. The path down is somewhat hard to find, and the track disappears in places. But it’s well worth the scramble.
This worm won’t go into the ins and outs of the huts’ story. Russ Grayson does that very well. Suffice it to say that the cottages have a long and interesting history.
What else will you see on the Dobroyd Head Walk? Plenty of native vegetation, including this Grey Spider Flower (Grevillea buxifolia). This worm doesn’t see the spider reference. Rather, the flower looks to me like a cluster of tentacled aliens who’ve landed on Earth and are screaming in horror:
There’s a plethora of birds, like this Corella:
And this New Holland Honeyeater:
The TC, bless her clever grey cells, knows a lot about birds. Hence yours truly’s ability to name our feathered acquaintances so precisely. It goes without saying that yours truly stays well hidden during the bird-watching part of the expedition. Well away from all those scary beaks!
For the brave souls amongst you: If you’d like to see more of the birds of this area, take a look at the TC’s blog, Sydney Birder. In particular, check out her posts about the birds she’s spotted at Forty Baskets and Dobroyd Head.
Lizzie the Legless Lizard is much more my kind of person. We met her quite a few years back on Dobroyd Head. Although you might be tempted to yell snake, you’d be wrong. At some stage in the distant past, her kith and kin decided that legs were overrated. A close look reveals the stubs of legs that she’s left with:
The lucky walker will also see wallabies, water dragons, butterflies and beetles, the occasional falcon, parrots and many many more birds, and perhaps even a snake or two.
Have a good walk!
That’s all for today, folks
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