North Head Walk
After heavy rain the night before, the sky was clear and the sun was shining: a perfect morning for a walk!
Sue Terry, our Minister for fun who arranges and manages so many great activities for the club arranged for 8 of us to meet at 9am in the car park behind the Bella Vista café at North Head.
We then walked along the Avenue of Honour – our Australian servicemen and women have been remembered, their names, service information & rank placed on a paver beautifully arranged with large stone pavers, from their battalions or areas of service.
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Along the path there are information stations with information about our wars and conflicts. The stations, made from Sydney sandstone and in excellent condition.
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| The Colonial Era station |
Moments like these makes one so proud to be Australian and respect the dedication
and sacrifices that so many brave people have made to allow us our freedom.
It is a beautifully thought out walk honouring our servicmen and women in a scenic setting.
I agree with an article about the
area which said "Having lived most of my life in Sydney, I never knew we had
such history at our doors."
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| The original pine tree from Gallipoli was burnt & died from the October 2020 fire. The replacement is now growing nicely. |
Next we walked along the dirt road that goes towards the lookout near Fairfax Trail. The canopy of the bush had not regenerated and may take many years; leaving many ground dwelling animals and native fauna easy prey to predators and birds.
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Xanthorrhoea ‘Johnson’s Grass Tree’ |
The Harbour Trust, in conjunction with Australian Wildlife Conservancy has installed biodegradable 'flat-pack' shelters along North Head Sanctuary to protect vulnerable animals
Capable of being rapidly installed, these innovative habitat pods help address the high mortality rate amongst wild animals due to the impact of the bushfires on food sources and shelter. The pods offer small animals short term refuge from threats & predators like feral cats, which have been known to take advantage of easier hunting conditions post-fire. (taken from info provided by Sue)
Normally the path to the cliff face is well wooded with many trees giving good ground cover; it will take years for the bush to regenerate. This allows predatory birds easy pickings to hunt smaller prey like the Eastern Pygmy Possum and the Bush Rat. The pods are a truly innovative design to conserve the native wildlife.
On the way back, John O'Brien took us to view his paver.
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| John's tile - Warrant officer Photographer, Royal Australian Navy. Thank you for your service!! |
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| John next to his tile, the barrel from Gun Emplacement No2 is at the end of the path, behind Sue. |
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| View towards the city from the cafe. |
Over coffee we all agreed it was an wonderful experience and a most informative and very moving walk. Thanks again Sue!
NEXT MEETING:
February 15th 2022
Balgowlah Rotary Club Meeting
Balgowlah RSL Wine Room from 7pm and via Zoom
Guest Speakers: Barbara Stenhouse/Jane Dartanian - from Lifeline
Dinner available in Bistro from 6 pm
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