See Sydney's secret national park in full bloom

See Sydney's secret national park

Open to the public for only six weekends a year in late winter and spring, Muogamarra Nature Reserve is a floral paradise, and one of the best places in Sydney to see waratahs.

Over spring, Sydneysiders are given a rare treat, being allowed into Muogamarra Nature Reserve. Overflowing with flowers, wildlife and incredible Aboriginal engravings, this park is delight to visit for a picnic and a bit of an explore. It also has some unusual volcanic remnants and extraordinary European history.
Volunteers and national parks staff offer guided walks during the six weekends that it is open, as well as detailed information on the native wildflowers that you will see, including the location of some of the best waratahs in the reserve. NSW waratahs, our state's floral emblem, used to be quite prolific in the sandstone country around Sydney, but so many have been picked, built-over, vandalised and stolen that they are a wonderful treat now when you find them in the wild.

Where is it?

The unsealed track entrance is just south of the legendary Pie in the Sky bakery at Cowan, on the old Pacific Highway between Hornsby and the Hawkesbury River.

When is it open?

Usually weekends in August to the beginning of October, ie, now! To check, call the park office on 9472 9300 or 9472 9301. There is a small charge, and a national parks sticker does NOT get you in for free. 

What's there?

Excellent flat picnic area, shed with interpretive information and often an indigenous guide. Some of the shorter walks are flat, and lead to stunning lookouts over the Hawkesbury River.

Best walk?

There are walks here for every level of walker, from flat, 10-minute strolls, to more rugged ascents of some of the hills. The free guided walks are highly recommended. 

In my recently released book, Top Walks in NSW,  I describe a longer 11km loop walk that links together many of the best features of the reserve. It requires about four hours but is rated moderate. The following text is an extract from that book.

"Pick up from the Visitor Centre the extensive laminated track notes, and a map if they have one available. It’s also worth checking with the volunteers where the best locations to see waratahs are. 

Head out on the Point Loop, passing the first of many of the 900 species of flowering plant in the botanically rich reserve. For starters there are Sydney red gums, grey gums, bloodwoods, scribbly gums, drumsticks, banksias, peas, pink waxflowers and boronias. After 500m or so, the track reaches an airy rock platform, with great views down the valley to the Hawkesbury River (where you will be walking) and down to your right you will see the very different vegetation and terrain of Peat’s Crater.

The next bit of the walk is the hardest to follow. About 30 m back from the rock platform, a scramble down some rocks (to the left, facing away from the lookout) leads to a faint track. The footpad ducks and weaves downhill, sometimes with small cairns to mark the way across rock platforms. Volunteers may have trimmed bushes and put some flagging tape in places to help follow this route, but it basically heads downhill almost due north, directly towards Peats Crater, through a wildflower wonderland, disgorging walkers on the Peats Track fire trail. Turn left (downhill).

Most of this road was built in the first half of the 19^th century, and you’ll see historic dry stone walls and culverts.

Soon you’ll hit Peats Crater, one of an estimated 25 volcanic diatremes in the Sydney basin, but one of the most obvious to spot. With particularly rich, volcanic soil, it was highly suitable to cultivation, and so all the original vegetation has been lost, now replaced with introduced grasses, favoured by kangaroos and wallabies, towering Sally wattles, bracken, and a long line of Osage orange trees, which were planted as a hedge between two portions of farming land. These introduced trees are now considered important for their heritage value.

The track out to Peats Bite heads out from the left of the crater (downhill again), staying on the same side of the creek. It’s here you’ll enter a small but lovely cool section of rainforest, with lilly pillies, cabbage tree palms, coachwoods and water gums.

As the track flattens out, you’ll be serenaded by frogs and whipbirds, and then find the stone ruins of a farmhouse, which stood here 1886–1939. The mangroves are quite scenic, and at low tide you’ll see the defined channel along which boats once transported goods.

Gradually the water views of the Hawkesbury improve, and you’ll reach a point just beyond the mangrove trees with the remains of an old stone jetty and an uninterrupted vista across the water. It’s a great spot to sit and take a break before heading back.

On the way back, continue along the fire trail past the crater for a few more kilometres, keeping an eye out for goannas, snakes and other reptiles.

At a T-junction at the top of a rise, the fire trail hits another fire trail, the Bight Fire Trail or Deerubbin Extension Walk. Turn left, and almost immediately, a small marked track on the left leads up to Lloyd Trig. This delightful little side trip will take you up to 230m above sea level, with splendid views down onto Brooklyn, Long Island Nature Reserve, and across Pittwater to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse. It’s a great spot for lunch.

The final stretch is back down the Lloyd Trig track, then turning right and up the fire trail, which is likely to be quite populated. A long series of sandstone platforms have Aboriginal engravings, and sharpening grooves, most of which are best revealed and explained on the guided walks. However, a large engraving of a whale on the right-hand side of the track (marked off with ropes) is certainly worth admiring.

Not far past this, a small marked track to the right leads up to the flat JD Tipper Loop and back to the Visitor Centre. Turn right when you hit this loop and you’ll quickly find the JD Tipper Lookout, with again some brilliant views over the Hawkesbury, out to Brooklyn Bridge and beyond.

A very short stroll along this track leads back to the Visitor Centre and a picnic area with proper tables and bench seats."

Hope you get to this special spot and enjoy it while you can.

Ken Eastwood

www.kensbigbackyard.com.au