Diamond Head, NSW, Australia (exercise walk)

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2015 August: Diamond Head headland walk in Crowdy Bay National Park, NSW northern coast, Australia

Prolog

Spending a few days relaxing at Port Macquarie ... hence doing a quick headland walk at Diamond Head on the NSW northern coast for exercise.

But a better walk is ...

If you intend to take a walk here, I strongly urge you to read my blog:
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/diamond-head-nsw-australia-2015-11.html
and do the walk described there instead. It will take you to explore some nooks and crannies of the headland.

Diamond Head

To reach Diamond Head, best is get to the town of Laurieton, then drive south.

There is a 114-meter high hill at the headland. A concrete cairn marks its summit, otherwise nothing much there, and no view due to the trees. However, 40 meters to the west of the summit, there is a marvellous 180 degree view of:
- Kylies Beach to the south
- The flat coastal area to the west
- And Dunbogan Beach to the north
(See Photo #6.)

Map

1:25,000 scale 9434-1S Laurieton

Below is the 1:25,000 scale map of Diamond Head.
- Diamond Head camping ground is the small light grey circle marked as "camping ground" near the top of the pic.
- Indian Head camping ground is at the south-eastern end of Indian Head Road.
- Kylie's Hut is the small turquoise dot about 400 meters south-west of Indian Head camping ground.

GPS tracklog file & Route

My GPX tracklog file can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSTVR1T3V4VHVuSkk/view?usp=sharing

Below is my route (brown colour) in the 1:25,000 map.
- Diamond Head camping ground is the small light grey circle marked as "camping ground" near the top of the pic.
- Indian Head camping ground is at the south-eastern end of Indian Head Road.
- Kylie's Hut is the small turquoise dot about 400 meters south-west of Indian Head camping ground.

In summary, my walk is:
- Start at Diamond Head camping ground.
- Walk in a clockwise direction to Diamond Head trig point on top of 114-meter high hill.
- Then to Indian Head camping ground.
- To Kylie's Hut.
- To a 45-meter high hill east of Kylie's Hut.
- Retrace steps back to Indian Head camping ground.
- Clockwise to Diamond Head camping ground.

Timeline & Distance

07:08  0.1 km  Start at Diamond Head camping ground
07:36  1.2 km  At lookout with view to Kylies Beach, North Brother Mountain and Dunbogan Beach

07:41  1.3 km  Leave lookout
07:42  1.3 km  At top of 114-meter high hill marked by a concrete cairn

07:44  1.3 km  Leave hill
08:05  2.6 km  At junction: to Indian Head camping ground or to Kylies Beach
08:07  3.0 km  At Indian Head camping ground
08:12  3.4 km  At Kylie's Hut

08:15  3.4 km  Leave Kylie's Hut
08:17  3.6 km  At what I think is a water tank
08:20  3.8 km  At top of a 45-meter high hill

08:22  3.8 km  Leave hill
08:25  4.0 km  At what I think is a water tank
08:27  4.2 km  At Kylie's Hut
08:29  4.6 km  At Indian Head camping ground

Try to find foot track through the hill to Diamond Head camping ground.
Can't find it.

08:32  4.7 km  Leave Indian Head camping ground
08:37  5.3 km  At junction of Indian Head Rd and firetrail to Diamond Head campground
09:01  6.8 km  At Diamond Head camping ground

==============================================

Total:  1 hrs 53 mins
           6.8 km  Distance is from Google Earth
           7.2 km  Distance is from Garmin GPS

Pictures

1)  Diamond Head camping ground

2)  Kangaroos at the camping ground

3)  Coastal heathland basking in the early morning sun

4)  The walking track is leading to the top of the 114-meter high hill at the centre of this pic.

5)  Closer to the hill

6)  40 meters prior to reaching the top of the hill is this marvellous panoramic view. (Click on the pic to enlarge it.)
- The 5 red arrows point to, from left to right:
    •  South Brother Mountain
    •  Middle Brother Mountain
    •  The clearing is Diamond Head camping ground
    •  North Brother Mountain
    •  Jolly Nose Hill
- The bay & beach on the left edge is Crowdy Bay & Kylies Beach.
- The beach on the right is Dunbogan Beach.
- The very narrow strip of water between Middle Brother & North Brother Mtns is Watson Taylors Lake.

Actually Watson Taylors Lake is not so narrow as depicted by the above pic. It only looks narrow from where I am standing.

The three Brothers Mountains are named after three aboriginal brothers. Two of them were slain and eaten by a witch. The youngest, returning from a visit to his parents, killed the witch and buried his brothers' bones on North and Middle Brother, then killed himself on South Brother.

The parents searching for their sons heard a voice telling them that each mountain held the spirit of one of their sons. And so the name of the "Three Brothers Mountains" was perpetuated.

This dreamtime story was retold by the old men of the Birpai Tribe when they met for a tribal initiation in the Kempsey area.

PS: It is easy to reach the top of  North Brother Mountain. Three months later I was there. Photos and an account of the trip are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/north-brother-mountain-nsw-australia.html

It is also easy to reach the top of Middle Brother Mountain ... a road goes right through the summit. One day, I'll go there to have a look.

But the top of South Brother Mountain is a different matter. From maps, there is no track to the summit. Furthermore, the mountain seems to be surrounded on all sides by private properties. If anyone knows a public accessible route to go past the private properties, please let me know ... I like to climb it :-)

7)  Zooming to the right side of the above pic ~~~
North Brother Mountain and Dunbogan Beach

8)  This concrete cairn marks the summit of the 114-meter high hill at Diamond Head.

9)  I've passed over the hill, now looking back at it.

10)  Looking back at the hill

Now walking southward towards Kylies Beach

11)  Rugged and scenic Pacific coast line ~~~
Three months later, I went down there to explore. Photos and an account of the trip are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/diamond-head-nsw-australia-2015-11.html

12)  Down there is a natural rock arch. Three months later, I climbed down to take some photos ... you can see them in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/diamond-head-nsw-australia-2015-11.html
The arch is interesting. You should go there to take a look too  :-)

13)  Rugged and scenic Pacific coast line ~~~
This is the same arch area as the previous pic, but from a different angle.

14)  Crowdy Bay & Kylies Beach come into view. The mountain on the right is South Brother Mountain.

15)  Approaching Kylies Beach

16)  Instead of descending down to Kylies Beach, I turn west and head towards Indian Head camping ground.

17)  This is Indian Head camping ground ... not a car in sight ... maybe because it is still winter.

18)  Now at Kylie's Hut, about 400 meters south-west of Indian Head camping ground

Kylie Tennant, author, spent 11 years in Laurieton as a school master's wife. Diamond Head inspired her to write the book "The Man and the Headland". The book tells her love for Diamond Head and of its wild and natural beauty.

She bought the land and built this hut.

In 1976, she donated the land to Crowdy Bay National Park.

19)  This place is 200 meters east of Kylie's Hut.  But what is it for?  Is it a water tank?

At where the previous photo was taken, follow a faint foot track east for another 200 meters and it leads to ...

20)  ... it leads to the top of a small hill - about 45 meters above sea level.  Peering through the scrubs is Kylies Beach.

I didn't bushbash down to the beach ... maybe next time when I'm here again.

Instead, I call it a day and return to the car.  So I retrace the steps back to Kylie's Hut, then back to Indian Head camping ground.

At Indian Head camping ground, there should be a foot track northward through the forest back to Diamond Head camping ground. I have a quick look around but can't find the track ...

21)  ... So I follow the Indian Head Road heading west.

22)  550 meters west of Indian Head camping ground, there is fire trail that branches off towards the north.  The southern section of the firetrail is eucalypt forest, like in this pic.

23)  The northern part of the firetrail is more open. A controlled burning on the north-east side of trail must have taken place recently.  (This photos is looking backwards.)

24)  Burnt out scrubs on the north-east side of the firetrail.

25)  Close to Diamond Head camping ground now ~~~
North Brother Mountain is the mountain in the photo, the same as the one in Photo #7.

Flowers encountered during the walk

26)  Does anyone know the name of this pink flower?

27)  Plenty of Actinotus helianthi (Flannel Flowers) around

28)  Does anyone know the name of this flower?

29)  Is this Boronia???  Please let me know !
Zieria and Boronia look similar to each other. From Wikipedia:
    - Ziera: Each flower has 4 sepals, 4 petals, 4 stamens
    - Boronia: Each flower has 5 sepals, 5 petals, 8 stamens
This flower has 4 petals and 8 stamens !

30)  Patersonia glabrata (Native Iris) ... thanks Ken

31)  Multi-coloured Banksia !
Is it Banksia integrifolia (Coastal Banksia)?  Please let me know.

Well, that is a pleasant 2 hour exercise walk.  And amazingly, I didn't meet a single soul ... where is everyone !!!

Post Script

Three months later, I was here again to explore the nooks an crannies of the headland ... for example, the natural arch in photo #12. Photos and a write up on the trip are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/diamond-head-nsw-australia-2015-11.html

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Kings Canyon, NT, Australia

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2015 July: Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park, NT, Australia

A leg injury prevented me from going to Kings Canyon in July last year, 2014. No such mishaps this year; and so, at last, I am here!

Kings Canyon

Kings Canyon is at the western end of the George Gill Range, in Watarrka National Park in the Northern Territory, Australia. Due to its remoteness, it is not as well visited as Uluru (Ayers Rock). But the scenery is fantastic. If you travel all the way to Uluru, you really should make the extra effort to visit Kings Canyon.

The tourist area at Kings Canyon comprises of the Kings Creek and the cliffs around it. The 2 walking tracks are:

(1) A 7-km clockwise circuit, called the Kings Canyon Rim Walk, traces the cliff tops of the canyon and takes 3 to 5 hours to complete. Near the start of the walk, there is a steep climb which the locals call "Heartbreak Hill" or "Heart Attack Hill". It takes you up to the cliff top, with spectacular views of the surrounding landscape and the gorge below. Afterwards, one goes through a maze of weathered sandstone domes, reminiscent of the Bungle Bungle in Western Australia. Along the walk, one can detour to Garden of Eden, a permanent waterhole surrounded by lush plant life.

(2) A 2-km return walk along the Kings Creek Walk takes you through the bottom of the gorge. At the end of the walk is a platform, with views of the canyon walls above.

For more adventurous hikers, there is a 22 km Giles Track that connects Kings Canyon to Kathleen Springs. We don't have time for it, but one day, I would like to walk through it, provided I can solve the problem of how to do a car shuffle with only one car between Kings Canyon and Kathleen Springs :-)

Map

Map for the Rim Walk and Creek Walk:
- The red arrow on the left points to Heartbreak Hill.
- The two red arrows on the right point to Cotterills Lookout.

GPS tracklog files & Route

You don't need a GPS.  The tracks are well marked and sign posted.

For what it is worth, my GPX tracklog files can be downloaded from:
•  Kings Canyon Rim Walk:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSVFNyVWhPZ1FnaWc/view?usp=sharing

•  Kings Canyon Creek Walk:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSNjY5WVE3R2FHdjg/view?usp=sharing

Below is our route in Google Earth. (North is towards the top left hand corner.)
- Our GPS tracklog is in turquoise colour.
- Carpark is at the bottom of the pic.
- The bottom red arrow points to Heartbreak Hill.
- The middle red arrow points to Cotterills Lookout.
- The top red arrow points to Garden of Eden.

Tilted view of the above

In summary, our route is:
- Do a clockwise circuit of the Rim Walk.
      Also detour to Cotterills Lookout & Garden of Eden.
- Back to the car to pick up our lunch.
- Do the Creek Walk and have lunch at where the Creek Walk ends.

Timeline & Distance

Kings Canyon Rim Walk:
07:46  0.0 km  Start walking from carpark
09:29  2.4 km  At junction of main trail & detour to Cotterills Lookout
09:56  2.9 km  At end of Cotterills Lookout
10:08  3.3 km  Back at junction of main trail & detour to Cotterills Lookout
10:28  3.7 km  At junction of main trail & detour to Garden of Eden
10:37  4.0 km  At pool in Garden of Eden

Morning Tea

10:47  4.0 km  Start to retrace steps
10:55  4.3 km  Back at junction of main trail & detour to Garden of Eden
12:32  7.4 km  Back at carpark

Total:  4 hr 46 mins  at leisurely pace
           7.4 km  Distance is from Google Earth
           9.0 km  Distance is from Garmin GPS

Kings Canyon Creek Walk:
12:38  0.0 km  Start walking from carpark
13:03  1.2 km  At viewing platform - end of Creek Walk

Lunch

13:28  1.2 km  Start to retrace steps
13:47  2.4 km  Back at carpark

Total:  1 hr 9 mins  at leisurely pace
           2.4 km  Distance is from Google Earth
           2.6 km  Distance is from Garmin GPS

Pictures - the day before

1)  Driving near Kings Canyon, we notice plenty of these Citrullus lanatus, desert watermelon, growing wild by the road side. So we stop the car to investigate. David, my companion on this trip, is holding one in his hand. It originated from West Africa and has become naturalized in semi-arid regions of several continents. In parts of Australia, it is declared as a pest plant.
(The red car is our hired Hyundai.)

2)  In the same area, there are plenty of camels. They are behind the fence, but are they feral? (Ricky, a friend of mine, says they are definitely feral.)

Kings Canyon Rim Walk

The next day:

3)  We are up early and are now on the Kings Canyon Rim Walk. Near the start of the walk is this Heartbreak Hill or Heart Attack Hill. It is steep. Once you are at the top ...

4)  ... Once you are at the top, you get a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside.
You should be able to just make out the carpark which is to the right of where the big shadow ends.

5)  Going through a narrow passage which will lead to ...

6)  ... it leads to here, a small open area surrounded by cliffs.
David, my companion, is the guy in the photo.

7)  Standing at the same spot as where the previous photo was taken, and looking back at where we just came from.

8)  This red cliff is the cliff at the centre of the previous pic.

9)  The cliff walls around where photos #6 & #7 were taken ~~~
400 million years ago, Central Australia was a windswept plain covered with sand dunes. Under all the weight of the sand, the region gradually subsided, compressing and compacting the bottom layers. Silica-rich water inundated the sand and cemented the grains together to form layers of rocks.

10)  Going through an even narrower passage ~~~
The entrance to this passage in on the right side of Photo #6.
David is the guy in the photo.

11)  Further along the narrow passage

12)  The narrow passage leads to this fantastic view of weathered sandstone domes.

13)  Scenery as we walk further along the Rim Walk.

14)  Kings Creek - which is the canyon ~~~
The carpark is at the centre of the pic.
The shadows belong to David and I.

15)  South Rim cliffs and Kings Creek, the canyon ~~~
We are walking towards the left side of these pics. Later on we will cross the creek upstream and will end up on top of the South Rim cliffs on the other side of the canyon - the cliffs that dominate these pics.

16)  Walking pass the weathered sandstone domes

17)  Weathered sandstone domes

Detour to Cotterills Lookout

18)  Cotterills Lookout is a fantastic place, as you will see!

19)  We've crossed the bridge and looking back at where we just came from - wonderful view of the weathered sandstone domes.

20)  While I was standing on the bridge of the previous pic ...
- At one side of the bridge is a narrow slit.
- The other side is the canyon formed by Kings Creek.

21)  Around Cotterills Lookout looking down the length of Kings Creek, the canyon.

22)  Around Cotterills Lookout

23)  I hop on top of one of the weathered sandstone domes and snap this photo of other domes.

24)  South Rim cliffs and weathered sandstone domes around Cotterills Lookout ~~~
The lower photo is continuation to the right of the upper photo.

25)  More weathered sandstone domes

26)  Cliffs & weathered sandstone domes

27)  Still around Cotterills Lookout

28)  Looking down on the trail leading to Garden of Eden ... but I love the sandstone domes!

29)  All this is natural, even though it looks like an ancient citadel.

Back on the main Rim Walk

We've left Cotterills Lookout, now back on the main Rim Walk.

30)  A poem by Australian poet Judith Wright ...
    "A long curved wash of ripple
    left there its fingerprint
    one long-before-time lost day.
    I turned a dead sea’s leaves
    and touch that day and look."
400 million years ago, Central Australia was a windswept plain covered with sand dunes. The climate was dry, but the ripples in this photo are evidence that shallow lakes had dotted the landscape.

Detour to Garden of Eden

31)  We make a detour to Garden of Eden where there is a permanent waterhole surrounded by lush plant life. On the right of the photo is a Macdonnell Ranges Cycad (Macrozamia macdonnellii)

32)  Macdonnell Ranges Cycad (Macrozamia macdonnellii) is one of 17 relic species that have survived in the Watarrka National Park since dinosaurs roamed the Earth and the climate was wetter.
In the last 20 million years, Australia has become drier. However, some of these primitive plants have been able to survive in moist refuges such as Garden of Eden.
Cycads grow very slowly. Scientists can estimate their age by counting the old leaf bases. Some of the cycad in the Watarrka are a few hundred years old.

33)  We leave the Gardens of Eden and are now heading back to the main Rim Walk.

Back on the main Rim Walk

34)  On the main Rim Walk ~~~
The lower photos are zooming into sections of the upper photo.

35)  Weathered sandstone domes that are like a lost city

36)  How the domes are formed
(Click on the pic to enlarge it.)

37)  Scenery along the Rim Walk

38)  Further along the Rim Walk

39)  We've just crossed Kings Creek.

40)  A few of this Grevillea wickhamii (Holly Leaf Grevillea) are found growing from cracks in the rocks.

41)  Red cliffs of the North Rim ~~~
We came from the top of it not too long ago ... see Photo #26.

42)  Looking back at North Rim and at where we crossed Kings Creek ~~~
We had walked all the way around the top of the cliffs on the opposite side of the canyon.

43)  Further along on the Rim Walk - weathered sandstone domes

44)  More weathered sandstone domes

45)  And more weathered sandstone domes

46)  Taking a break from looking at the desert landscape  :-)   ~~~
Love these coloured shoes of the young lady in front of me  :-)
They stand out against the brown colours surrounding us  :-)

47)  Back to the scenery

48)  Walking towards the carpark now - the spectacular rock formations never end !

49)  We are now at Kestrel Lookout - another spectacular rock formation ~~~
- The red arrow on the left points to the dry Kestrel Fall. It will become a spectacular waterfall after heavy rain. It is named after the Australian Kestrels that roost in the cliffs in this photo.
- The middle arrow points to white stains made by kestrel's droppings.
- The right arrow points to stands of Hill Mulga (Acacia macdonnelliensis) ... smaller waterfalls pour enough water onto this dry slope to support them.
- Else where only hardy mallees, eremophilas and spinifex can survive.

50)  Descending towards the carpark.

After the Rim Walk, we go back to the car, put our lunch into the backpack, then go for the Creek Walk which is along the valley of the canyon.

Kings Canyon Creek Walk

51)  How Kings Creek, the canyon, is formed

52)  Well formed track along the valley of the canyon - the dry Kings Creek ...
(Are the trees with white trunks River Red Gums? ... please let me know.)

53)  Some trees are protected from graffiti artists by cloths wrapped around the trunks.

54)  A square rock halfway through the walk

55)  Looking up at the canyon rim

56)  25 minutes from the carpark, we come to a viewing platform.

57)  The viewing platform is the end of the Creek Walk.
Beyond the platform is sacred to the Lurtja people, the local aborigines. Only men fully initiated in Luritja culture can venture further up the creek from here.

Contrast the lush vegetation of the above scene with the arid landscape at the top of the canyon ... Here, it is an oasis. When it rains, water and nutrients wash down the slopes and collect in rocky crevices, remaining long after reserves in the rest of the landscape have disappeared.

58)  At the viewing platform - cliffs of the canyon rim ~~~
The left pic is to the left of the previous photo. And similarly, the right pic is to the right of the previous photo. (Click on the pic to enlarge it.)

We have lunch at the viewing platform, and that is the end of my trip to the red centre of Australia. After lunch, we'll drive to Uluru (Ayers Rock). From there, I'll fly back to Sydney. David will spend an extra 2 days to climb Uluru, the rock, and to do some hiking around the Olga Rocks area (Kata Tjuta).

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