Reflections at Jellybean pool
Thirteen of us arrived at the nominated carpark, on a bright sunny morning ready for a long delayed walk in the Blue Mountains. Even though it was only the Lower Mountains we knew we were in for a treat - well, at least the leaders did as they had done the recce on a similar day earlier in the week. The reconnaissance had shown that some of the programmed route was unsuitable for our group, with fallen trees and rock scrambles a feature of the route from Jellybean Pool to the Glenbrook Creek road crossing. This part of the walk was omitted, but we did visit the lovely Jellybean Pool en route to the re-arranged carpark at the Red Hands track head. It is a lovely spot, and we saw it at its best with bright sunlight and perfectly still water with great reflections.
After morning tea at the Euroka Track turn-off, we commenced a walk through some absolutely fabulous bush, with a profusion of wildflowers freshened by recent rain. The most spectacular sight was an extensive area of Acacia sp. (rush leaf wattle?), growing densely as an understorey to the eucalypt forest, but we were delighted by a continuing profusion of colour as we walked. We were interested to learn later that a helicopter we saw working in the area was on bushfire drills.
After reaching the Euroka Clearing, which is now an attractive camping and picnic location, we proceeded to the Nepean River Circuit. This begins with a rubbly fire trail along Bennetts Ridge, almost to the Nepean River. The return to Euroka Clearing is via a walking track that generally follows Euroka Creek, and a short distance along it there is a turn-off to a track that descends to the bank of the Nepean. The descent is short but quite steep and one of the recce people counted 184 steps. The leaders had declared this section optional, and most of us waited while a small group went down to have a look. There are distant, and quite beautiful, views of the river, but several walkers noted the proliferation of weeds for quite some distance above the banks. We concluded that this is due to floods carrying weeds from upstream urban areas.
Back at Euroka Clearing for lunch we found that the kookaburras had noticed our lunching intentions and had taken station in nearby trees. Despite warnings, one of our number lost a sandwich to a diving kooka, after which a sundry collection of white cockatoos, corellas, crows and a lyrebird (identified by Lindy so it must have been one) joined in.
The return walk was again a delight, traversing that beautiful country. Then it was into the cars and off to Glenbrook, where the whole party was accommodated in proper Covid19 style at two of the many outside tables – but ours were the best located – right down the back near the chooks (very elegant black and white ones).
Welcoming wattle at Park entrance Happy group at Jellybean Pool
Morning tea at Euroka Track-head First splash of gold - Eutaxia (bacon & egg plant) On to more gold - Acacia this time
Absolutely spectacular display of Acacia understorey for several hundred metres, with multiple wildflower displays along much of the track
Leader Eucalypts near Euroka clearing Glimpse of the Nepean Peaceful resting spot on Nepean beach Leader
Group waiting on Nepean viewers Euroka Clearing
Kookaburra waiting to pounce Fed kookaburra and colleagues waiting for more
Eutaxia, Homo sapiens, Xanthorrhoea - a pleasing confluence!
Leaders: Don Wo, Lydia
Walkers: Helen A, Sue B, Annette and David, Michael F, Rosie, Lilian, Cherry, Lyndy, Tim and Elizabeth P
Photos: Helen A (1), Lilian (4,6,10,14,17), Don Wo (2,3,5,7,9,11,12,13,15,16,18,19), Lydia (8),