Walk leads to ruins

An interesting walk that leads to the end of Woy Woy Bay, starts at the top of Woy Woy Rd.

It takes in a small waterfall, great scenery and a bit of time travel as well.

Go up Bull's Hill past the right hand turn off to Phegan's Bay and Woy Woy Bay then park at the first 80km speed limit sign a few metres further up the road on the right hand side.

Do not park across the track as this is the Woy Woy Bay fire track.

The track starts with a fairly steep slope down through dry open ground with scattered trees and rocks.

At the bottom of the slope the path crosses three small creeks, the first two may not be running during drier weather.

However, there will still be a little water in the rocky creek beds and there could be yabbies and tadpoles living there.

The section between the creeks is more shaded than at the beginning of the walk and the dense wall of vegetation on the left, mostly native dog rose and banksia makes ideal cover for small birds, mammals and reptiles.

Vegetation is much thicker on the left hand side of the track as NPWS has conducted hazard reduction burn-offs on the right in recent years.

Look for native orchids at the edges of the path, Flying Duck and Bearded Orchids grow along here, and the "flying ducks" really do look like their namesakes.

Before you cross the waterfall at the third creek, follow the water upstream for a few metres on the left hand side through a tunnel in the thick undergrowth to a clear, shallow pool.

There are big flat rocks to sit on here, but there are also lots of mosquitoes during the warmer months.

Return to the main track, cross the creek and top of the waterfall and continue the walk.

The trees are larger here and the ground is quite mossy in parts with lots of leaf litter on the ground that the local lyrebirds and bush turkeys love to turn over in their search for insects.

Turpentine trees grow here, easily recognisable by their usually straight trunks, deeply furrowed bark, leathery leaves and nuts that look like tiny flying saucers.

After another level section, the track starts to descend again through more open grassy ground and casuarina trees, or she-oaks, begin to appear.

This is a good place to see the glossy black cockatoo, sometimes called the casuarina cockatoo because it prefers casuarina nuts over other food.

A pile of chewed nuts under a casuarina means they have been in the area. If they seem fresh, look up into the tree as the birds may still be there.

Unlike most other cockatoos, glossy blacks are quiet, they have a low cawing call, or you may hear a soft cracking noise as they feed on their favourite food.

At the bottom of the fire trail, there is a small clearing with a foot track at the far end that leads down to the water's edge.

If the tide is out, it is possible to turn left here and walk along the shoreline to the mangrove flats in one of the quietest parts of Brisbane Water, but this is a different walk so turn right instead.

There is a rough track that runs parallel to the water or you can walk along the rocks and sand for about 100 metres until you reach a NPWS sign for Brisbane Water National Park.

It may be hard to find so look for a large patch of lantana as well.

Once this horrible weed blocks your path, you have reached your destination.

With your back to the water, search around for a small flight of overgrown stone steps, these lead to the almost hidden ruins of a small house and garden.

Hardly anything remains of the dwelling but some of the garden plants have survived including a few lillies and a pink azalea bush.

The walls of the garden have been made using a dry stone (without mortar) technique and these walls have been continued up past the house to the fire trail above in a series of terraces.

The view from the ruins is much the same as it would have been when the place was built, and it is not hard to imagine what it would have been like living here.

To return, you can go back the way you came, you can climb the hill behind the house back up to the fire trail, or you can extend the walk by continuing along the shoreline.

If you decide to climb back to the fire trail, it is easy to find and you will see a lot more of the dry stone walls, just head straight up the hill behind the house.

Should you be feeling adventurous, go back to the water's edge, turn right and walk towards Woy Woy Bay until you come to a creek, this leads back up to the waterfall at the start of the walk.

If you are reasonably fit this is an easy climb over moss-covered boulders and tree roots to the top and it is well worth doing.

This is such an interesting walk that it is difficult to estimate how long it will take, but as a rough guide you should reach the top of the waterfall from the road in about 15 minutes.

The ruins should take perhaps another 20 minutes and it will take slightly longer coming back up.

If anyone knows more about these ruins, particularly who used to live there and when, Paula would be interested to know. Telephone her on 4342 5146.

Paula Perry, September 3