12 walkers arrived at Meadowbank Station.
The group proceeded across the Parramatta River on the John Whitton Bridge,
which is the original Concord Rail Bridge, decommissioned a while ago and then turned into an interesting walking and cycling river crossing.
We followed the waterfront at Rhodes to cross over Bennelong Bridge
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Opened in May 2016, the Bennelong Bridge connects the new and rapidly growing suburb of Wentworth Point with Rhodes and is only for pedestrians, cyclists and buses.
After crossing the bridge and walking through Wentworth Point shopping area, the group entered the Olympic Park and took the Louise Sauvage Pathway
through bushland around the southern parts of Newington Nature Reserve, past the Golden Bell Frog habitat. before heading north to Newington Armoury.
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Newington Nature Reserve is a 48-hectare nature reserve which protects rare remnant forest and wetland habitats that collectively support over 240 native plant species and over 200 native bird and animal species.
The Reserve also preserves a rare example of a complete estuarine zonal succession
– a gradation of mudflats, mangrove forest, saltmarsh meadows, Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest and Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest is revealed as the land slopes upwards from the Parramatta River.
The nature reserve was once part of a large armament depot that was managed by the Australian Department of Defence until its closure in 2000.
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Explosives storehouses, laboratories, roads and rail were constructed across the depot throughout its 100-year history, and undergrowth in remnant forest was controlled to reduce weed risk.
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We enjoyed seats near The Armoury café for morning tea.
Heading west to the new Cricket NSW headquarters we crossed Silverwater Bridge
returning east along the north side of the river back to Meadowbank. We had lunch in a small reserve
Walkers: Barb R, Carol, Chris B, Cleona, Colleen, Deidre, Helen A, Pragati, Tony
Dae (Tail-ender)
Led by: Annette Ell, Anne G.
Photos:Barbara 1,3,9 Helen A 2,4,5,8 Annette E 6,7,10 Deidre 11
Words: Anne