17 walkers met for a last minute substitute walk organised when the published walks had to be cancelled due to Park closures.
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.Luckily for us the day was sunny and warm. Two of our walkers sported limb fractures, not from walking, and not disabling them from joining the group.
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After a short walk from Summer Hill Station we walked along the Hawthorne Canal through parkland beside the heritage suburb of Haberfield where we enjoyed Morning Tea.
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We then followed the foreshore of Iron Cove walking through parks and gardens with views across Iron Cove to Rodd Island and Rodd Point to Iron Cove Bridge and Birkenhead Point.
The Pump House on the waterfront is all that remains of the Balmain Power Station and apartments stand on the site of the Balmain Chemical Works.
Soon we climbed and descended the first of many steep steps leading up and down through a mix of homes of all sizes some with Victorian iron lace others large blocks of Housing Commission flats.
We returned to the waterfront before winding our way behind homes and flats through to Dawn Fraser pool and Elkington Park with views of Snapper, Spectacle and Cockatoo Islands.
We stopped for lunch at the rotunda in Elkington Park.
As the day was quite hot and we were a mixed group, some decided to take a direct route to the ferry along Darling St
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Some headed along the foreshore to Mort Bay the site of the Mort Bay Dry Dock where Mort’s Engineering Company built steam trains, mining machines and countless other engineering equipment
Balmain was then a workers town and one of the most important industrial suburbs in Sydney. During WW11 naval vessels were manufactured here. Now within Mort Bay Park the outline of the dry dock can be seen.
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One of our party explored more of the waterfront through Ballast Point formerly a fuel depot, manufacturing and packaging facility for CALTEX
From the park it was up again as we re-entered Balmain walking along beside terraces a reminder of the old Balmain, some taking the ferry from Thames St wharf and the rest once more to Darling Street where the longer walk had a cool drink and the shorter walkers joined after their coffee stop to walk together to the Balmain East Wharf, ferry and train home.
Walkers: Helen A, Annette Ell, Annette Elp, John and Ros, Cherry, Lyndy, Robyn Ma, Elizabeth, Guenter, Lyn, Cleona, Pauline, Don Wo Visitor: Rick
Leaders: Anne G, Phyllis
Words: Anne G Photos: Elizabeth 2, Don 5,6 Helen 1,9,10,13 Phyllis 3,7,8, 11,12