Duke of Edinburgh Gold Hike
Two weeks ago, ten Gold Duke of Edinburgh students headed to the Port Stephens area for a three-day, two night practice hike along the new Tomaree Coastal Walk. We were accompanied by Mrs Thompson, SSO Rose Dooley and Mrs Thompson’s husband, Michael, who acted as the standby emergency driver.
Friday (Day 1) saw us travel by train from Central Station to Broadmeadow Station in Newcastle, then by bus to Nelson Bay. From the Nelson Bay marina we set out on foot towards Tomaree Headland via Shoal Bay. The views from the top of the headland were magnificent and the WWII gun emplacements were interesting from a historical perspective, but the steep climb to and from the summit was challenging for all. After a quick bite for lunch at the base of the headland, we then entered first section of the recently opened Tomaree Coastal Walk. This track took us through the hinterland at the back of Zenith, Wreck and Box beaches and into Fingal Bay Holiday Park where everyone was able to set up camp, shower and relax over some tasty, dehydrated meals and a few games of Mafia in the early evening.
Day 2 saw each group head out of camp over staggered times from 8am, winding our way through detours and road closures to find the entrance to the stunning second section of the walk. An abundance of flannel flowers, angophora forests, and Gymea lilies along with incredible vistas across heathlands and beaches were the standouts from this part of the walk which wrapped up around lunch time on Saturday at the Middle Rock Ingenia Caravan Park. Once camp was set, we headed next door to the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary where we were learnt that koalas only exist on Australia’s eastern seaboard, and that baby koalas eat poop! We were also able to view the work done at the Koala hospital and visit the long-term koala residents on the treetop walk. That evening more tasty, dehydrated meals were enjoyed, as were more games of Mafia, and we were also visited by a number of possums eager to share our dehydrated meals with us.
On Day 3 we set off from camp along One Mile Beach to rejoin the Tomaree Coastal Walk. This was the shortest section of the walk, but challenging nonetheless due to lots of stairs, and feet that were already significantly sore and tired. The terrain here was diverse and changed rapidly between beaches, rocky areas, forested paths, and urban areas. There were some stunning natural features such as the Slot Canyon close to Boat Harbour, and small, remote beaches that emerged along the way, not to mention the stunning sand dunes of our end point at the Worimi Conservation Lands, that stretch all the way back down to Stockton in Newcastle. Once we had all arrived at the Birubi Point Surf Club, we rested and ate some great café food before travelling back to Sydney by bus and train. All in all, this was a really successful hike and a great practice for our upcoming Qualifying hike which we’re hoping to participate in early next a little further up along the NSW Mid North Coast year between Seal Rocks and Hawkes Nest.
