What we’re about
Our community is strictly 40 years and over only - we are ordinary people sharing extraordinary experiences of beautiful epic places and enduring friendships, and we'd love you to join us.
Our events are fun, high quality, inclusive and accessible - the best hikes that you won't see elsewhere, kayaking in stunning places, indoor climbing, camping out, beach bbq picnics, gigs and film nights, photography workshops, and more. It's so easy to turn up and have a great time - so don't be alone and bored watching 'reality' TV at home :-(
We never ever leave anyone behind - this is not a group for competitive adrenalin-junkies racing to the finish. We are a diverse group of women and men of all abilities, we move at the pace of the whole group in the conditions of the day, we encourage, include and support each other, safety is important, and we stop lot's to enjoy the epic scenery and each other's company. If you need to go faster or finish earlier, join another group.
ZERO tolerance for late dropouts and no-shows - we don't like doing this but if you RSVP and drop out in the last 24 hours before an event, you are removed from our group immediately and forever, and your profile is tagged as a no-show for all of the Meetup community to see. In the past 2 years we have deleted over 200 people for this. So only RSVP to an event if you are 100% sure to attend, not just a maybe.
ZERO tolerance for bad behaviour - if you harass, bully, engage in narcissism, cliques or discrimination against anyone, behave dangerously, preach any ideology, smoke, use drugs or are intoxicated at our events, you are out immediately and forever.
.
THE LEGAL STUFF ...
CONDITIONS OF JOINING AND/OR PARTICIPATION IN THIS GROUP
The following conditions, which may be amended or updated from time to time, apply to all current and future members of SydneyAdventurers40+ meetup group, and their guests.
By joining as a member of this group and/or by your RSVP to any event of this group and/or by your participation in any activity or function of this group, you agree to the following conditions:
(i) You acknowledge that you understand and accept the risks associated with the activities and functions of this group, including but not limited to risks stemming from deliberate or non-deliberate exposure to environments with shallow or deep water, water currents or waves, visible or hidden obstructions or snags or constructions, any type of weather conditions, any type of land or aquatic terrain, falls or collisions or other mishaps, equipment use or misuse or failure, injury due to wildlife or vegetation, physical exertion, illness or infection, pre-existing medical conditions, becoming separated or lost, inaccessibility of emergency medical assistance, unavailable mobile phone reception, the actions and/or omissions of any direct or indirect service provider, the actions and/or omissions of organisers or hosts or leaders or other participants or members of the public, and anything that happens in the course of travelling (including transport in any form) to or from or during the event; and
(ii) you acknowledge that, whilst the organiser of this group and hosts or leaders of its activities and functions make all efforts to ensure the safety of all participants, they do not represent an accredited, qualified, expert or equipped guiding service or other type of service provider with any duty of care to you in respect of any of the activities or functions of this group and/or in respect of travel undertaken for the purpose of these activities and functions; and
(iii) you agree to conduct yourself in a responsible, safe, cooperative and ethical manner at all times in relation to travelling for and in your participation in the activities and functions of this group, and in relation to other participants in the group or the public generally as may be a consequence of the activities and functions of this group; and
(iv) you agree that you are entirely responsible for your own safety and wellbeing at all times, including being responsible for planning your travel and participation in the group activities and functions, researching and considering the forecast and actual weather conditions, being responsible for assessing at all times your physical ability to participate, and being responsible for all of your decisions and conduct before, during and after the group's formal or informal events, and for any consequences stemming either fully or in part from the activities and functions of the group and/or from travel in relation to these activities and functions; and
(v) you agree that you indemnify the organisers, hosts, leaders or other participants in these activities or functions of the group for any injury or loss due to any action, omission, negligence or oversight by any person or organisation and/or due to any other consequences resulting from the activities and functions of this group and/or from travel in relation to these activities and functions, to the full extent permitted by the law; and
(vi) you agree that you are responsible for the welfare and property of any person whom you invite as a guest to an event, activity or function of this group, and you agree to inform them prior to all aspects of the event that by their actions to attend and by participation they are bound by all the conditions of membership and participation the same as you are to the full extent permitted by the law.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- SUNDAY BLUE MOUNTAINS WALK - Katoomba Falls - 7km moderate or 8km harder optionKatoomba station, Blue Mountains, Sydney
Come and wonder at the huge Katoomba Falls, the biggest waterfall in the Sydney region, while we follow the famous Prince Henry Cliff Walk with endless jaw-dropping views of the Blue Mountains wilderness, lush rainforest with roaming lyrebirds, and a close-up visit to touch the iconic Three Sisters crags. And if you think walking the mountains is unavoidably hard work, we've designed this route with optional detours if you want to avoid the sections with steep steps while still seeing the good stuff, and the organiser will give everyone a car ride from the trail end back to Katoomba station at the finish of the day. Epic views, amazing rock pinnacles, huge water falls, crisp clean mountain air, and beautiful moderate walking to see it all ... it doesn't get nicer than that!
.
THE PLAN
Optional pre-walk gathering:
If you like, join us from 9.30am for coffee / brunch at the Savoy Cafe (on the left in Katoomba Street, just 30 metres from the train station).Formal start:
Meet at 10.30am at subway entrance to Katoomba station on Bathurst Street (on the footpath in front of CafeXpresso and the Blue Mountains Explorer shopfront).The walk:
- We'll follow quiet back trails along the headwaters of the Kedumba River, descending to where Katoomba Falls plunges over the cliffs with jaw-dropping views into the immense valley.- We then follow the steep 1km loop trail plunging 150 metres down through the dark rainforests around Katoomba Falls, stopping at a couple of plateaus to see the falls up close. This has amazing photography potential and is really worth the 30 minutes of puffing to walk back up to the cliff line.
- Easy walk option: If you want to miss the 1km loop with the steep descent and ascent below the falls, we'll drop you off temporarily at the beautiful picnic area (with a cafe and toilets) at the top of the cliff line to relax for an hour while we go down to the falls. The group then comes together again at this picnic area for lunch.
- After the falls we follow the gentler undulations of the beautiful Prince Henry cliff track around to Echo Point, get right up close and personal to actually touch the Three Sisters, and continue for another 2km through gorgeous forests on the cliff walk.
- Finally we exit in the back streets of Katoomba - a total of 8km walking for the day. And guess what ... we will have a car here so you won't need to walk up the last 2km of steep residential streets back to our origin at Katoomba station, luxury yay!
After-party:
You can head straight home after the walk, or better still join us at the italian place next to Katoomba station for fantastic food and stylish decor with pics of Sophia Loren.If there is interest after dinner, we'll drive down to Echo Point to catch the sandstone faces of the Three Sisters lit up in the dusk.
.
IS THIS ACTIVITY OK FOR ME?
This walk is graded moderate, with an optional hard 1km loop for close up views down around the water falls.The total loop back to Katoomba station is 8km, most of it on easy well-constructed dirt trails or carved stone steps with gentle undulations.
If you choose to miss the 150 metre ascent (and 150 metre ascent) at Katoomba Falls, then that is 1km less distance to walk.
It is not flat but is ok for beginner walkers, with at least basic fitness, who have done at least one or two 5km walks on gently undulating trails.
The pace will be relaxed, we will pause frequently to take in the many epic lookouts, so you should feel confident to complete the course and have a really great time too.
As there are many steps along the route (both on the long steep descent into the falls and along the gentler sections of the Prince Henry cliff walk), it is NOT a good route for people with significant knee joint problems.
.
TRANSPORT
By train:
- At Central station platform 5 take the Blue Mountains (BMT) service departing at 8.24am then passing Strathfield at 8.37am, Parramatta at 8.49am, Blacktown at 8.58am, Penrith at 9.14am, and arriving at Katoomba station at 10.25am.
- See the trip planner at www.transportnsw.info for all connections and times.
- Note that train timetables are currently being reviewed and the above times may change in the period before this walk. We'll review the published times in the final week and update the info on this event page then.
By car:
- Katoomba is about a 100km drive (1 hour 50 minutes) from central Sydney - take the M4 Motorway to Emu Plains, and then the Great Western Highway through the mountais to Katoomba.
- At Katoomba, turn left at the traffic lights from the highway onto Parke St and Bathurst St.
- Look for free untimed street parking in Bathurst Rd or Cascade Street adjacent to the station, or in Station Street on the other side of the highway.
.
GRATUITY
Please contribute $10 to help offset the group's operating costs.
You can either- bring cash on the day, or
- make a PayID bank transfer to the organiser's phone number 0411600717 in the morning before you arrive to the event.
.
BRING
- Your lunch and snacks for the day (there are no shops along the trail, and the cafe at the picnic area for the lunch stop may or may not be open)
- Drink bottle (at least 1 litres, refill at Katoomba picnic area and Echo Point lookout)
- Warm jacket, pants, hat (days in the mountains tend to be sunny, but the air temperature can be quite low so dress in layers, and carry a good warm outer jacket and long pants for the end of the day)
- Sturdy walking shoes
- Walking pole (not mandatory, but really helps to cushion your knees when traversing steps, and on steep ascents/descents)
- Towel or pad to sit on at lunch time
- Insect repellent (the water-based Off or Aeroguard sprays from the supermarket work very well)
.
LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
By your RSVP to this event you agree to the conditions of membership and participation which you can read in the "WHAT WE'RE ABOUT" section HERE. - AMAZING WILDFLOWER WALKING TOUR - Muogamara Nature Reserve - 8km moderate gradeMuogamara Nature Reserve, Sydney
Muogamarra Nature Reserve, in Sydney's northern suburbs, puts on the most spectacular explosion of wildflowers at the start of Spring. Don't miss this opportunity as it's fragile and stunningly beautiful ecosystems, aboriginal rock engravings, and epic vistas over the Hawkesbury River are open to the public for just 6 weeks a year. You’ll see swathes of waratahs, majestic angophoras, old-man banksias, pink boronias, delicate native orchids, and native animals like echidnas, wedge-tail eagles and lyrebirds.
There are expensive structured guided tours run by the park staff, but we are doing our own self-guided tour of the wildflowers and scenic lookouts with entry tickets to the park being just $15.
To join us ...
- book your own entry ticket to the nature reserve (see details below), tickets sell out in the weeks before the season opens in mid-August so don't leave it to the last minute,
- RSVP on this meetup page ONLY AFTER you buy your ticket to the reserve (if you RSVP and then drop out you get banned, we mean it).
.
THE PLAN
Meet at 9.30am sharp in the car park outside the Muogamara visitor centre. To find us look for the organiser's car - metal grey Hyundai Tucson SUV.
We will commence our walk on the loop trails around the nature reserve. It's likely that the flower nerds (we do love you) will stop alot to gawk and take pictures of everything so expect a bit of stop start walking, but we will make an effort to cover the planned distance in an efficient time to finish by about 3.30pm, as follows:
- The reserve has four main trails fanning out along ridge lines that radiate from the central Visitor Centre that we will start and return to.
- We will do the first 5km loop which follows a ridge line descending 200 metres down to wind through a gully full of lush vegetation, before ascending the 200 metres up again - expect a large number of steps - to return us past the Visitor Centre.
- The second loop is a much easier 3km course along the crest of another ridge, again heading out and returning us to the Visitor Centre.
- These two loops will total 8km of walking, with a good number of steps down and up the ridges included in the workout, and bring us back to our origin by about 3.30pm.
- You can finish your day here and head home, or if there is energy we can do one or two additional 3km loops to explore the third and fourth ridges - phew!
Bring your lunch, snacks and drinks - we will sit at one of the scenic lookouts for a nice lunch break.
.
DIFFICULTY - IS THIS WALK FOR ME?
The two planned loops total 8km of walking and include a descent and ascent of 200 metres with many steps. We are therefore grading this walk as MODERATE (or hard if you are not used to many steps).
If you have done some undulating walks such as the waterfall routes in Wentworth Falls / Leura / Katoomba / Blackheath in the Blue Mountains, you will handle this one just fine.
Given the large number of steps, this walk is not a good one for you if you have bad knees.
As each of the loops comes back past the visitor centre, there will be opportunity for you to exit and head home if you are tired (or have gone blind from the amazing sight of so many flowers).
.
HOW TO BOOK
Do NOT RSVP on this meetup page until AFTER you purchase an entry ticket to the nature reserve.
Go to the Muogamara booking page HERE.
- Click BOOK NOW.
- Make sure that you select SUNDAY 31 AUGUST.
- Select the number of adults, and enter your details.
- Scroll down to OPTIONS and tick either the box for "I'm the driver" or the box for "I'm a passenger" as appropriate.
- Pay the $20 if you are a driver with reserved parking space, or $15 if you are a passenger only.
.
TRANSPORT
Arriving by car:
- From Cowan train station in northern Sydney, take the old Pacific Highway ... NOT the Sydney-Newcastle Pacific Motorway M1.
- Follow the Pacific Highway north for 4.7km.
- Then on the left look for the sign to enter Muogamara Nature Reserve.
- Follow the unsealed road for 2.6km to the Visitor / Field Studies Centre.
- The road quality is adequate for 2-wheel drive city cars.
- Google maps driving directions are HERE.
Arriving by train:
- There is no public transport link into the Nature Reserve, the closest station is 7km away at Cowan.
- You will need to post in the comments section below to a request a ride from Cowan station, and connect with someone offering a ride.
- Do NOT RSVP on this meetup page, and do not purchase an entry ticket to the reserve, until AFTER you have secured a ride with someone.
- The organiser does not organise transport.
- If you get a ride in the morning, we will make sure that you get dropped back at the station in the afternoon.
.
GRATUITY
No meetup cost for this one.
But you should give $10 exact cash to the driver if you get a ride from Cowan station with someone on the day..
BRING
- lunch, snacks to keep you going all day - there are no shops
- drink bottle, at least 2 litres - there are no water sources on the trail
- sturdy walking boots or trail shoes
- walking stick (not mandatory, but helps on steep sections with steps)
- sun hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent
- dress in layers to put and take off as you exercise during the day, and have good warm jacket and long pants for the afternoon
- carry a rain jacket even if the forecast is for sunshine
- if you are going to be taking alot of photos with your phone, carry a spare battery pack and cable in case you run out of charge
.
DISCLAIMER
By your RSVP to this event you agree to the conditions of membership and participation which you can read in the "WHAT WE'RE ABOUT" section HERE. - BLUE MOUNTAINS WALK - Ikara Head wildflowers & epic views - 8km moderate gradeBlackheath Station, Blackheath
Be prepared to pick your jaw up off the ground when you see this very impressive scenic place! Ikara Head is a stunning walk on the sandstone plateau between Blackheath and Mt Victoria, free of crowds for true peace, a nice easy flattish track (the only walk in the Blue Mountains with no steep bits?!), and truly breathtaking valley views. Best of all, as it is spring there are billions of beautiful flannel flowers covering the landscape in dense swathes of white.
This day is part of our Blue Mountains adventure weekend on September 20 and 21:
- Sat 20 Sep – 10.45am Blackheath/Ikara Head wildlflower bushwalk
- Sat 20 Sep – 5pm Mt Wilson easy car camp & dinner under the stars
- Sun 21 Sep – 9am Mt Wilson spring gardens tour & Mt Tomah gardens
These events are designed to flow easily one into the next, so join us for some or all of them as you please for a big wonderful weekend away.
.
THE PLAN
Meet at Blackheath train station (in the Station Street carpark) at 10.45am. If you need to contact us for any reason, the leader is on 0411 600 717.If you arrive early in Blackheath, there is a supermarket, grocer and bakery for supplies, and the Altitude Cafe is fantastic for breakfast.
We'll use the cars present to move everyone on a 15 minute drive to the trail: 5km along the Great Western Highway, turn right onto Victoria Falls Rd, and proceed another 4km on the unsealed road (hard packed dirt and gravel) to the start of the Ikara Head Trail.
The walk will be out and back, following a small bush trail along a rocky cliff line with big vistas across the mountains. We thread between pleasant eucalypt forest with waratahs and bottle brushes, around mysterious stone pagoda formations, out onto the open ground of the promontory covered in flannels flowers, and stop at the cliff line huge plunging views of the Grose Valley before us. The only thing you will be able to say is 'wooowwww'.
After a relaxing lunch at this lookout, we'll double back along the same trail to our cars by about 3.30pm.
You can head home directly from here if you drove, or if you came on the train we will drop you at either Mt Victoria station or Blackheath station for a relaxed trip home.
If you are staying with us after this to walk for the rest of this weekend's Blue Mountains program, we'll pause at the truck stop in Mt Victoria to grab a cold drink (and hot food if you want some easy takeaway instead of cooking dinner at camp), then continue from there for the 20 minute drive to Mt Wilson for the car camp at cathedral reserve, and sunday's walk around Mt Wilson.
.
IS THIS ACTIVITY OK FOR ME?
The Ikara Head walk is rated as EASY as it is largely flat with a very gentle ascent in the furthest section to the lookout, and a total walk distance of 7km out and back.The trail is a narrow unformed rocky path with gentle undulations, but is not very rough (no scrambling over boulders or ledges) and can be handled quite well by beginner walkers with basic fitness.
The pace will be relaxed, we will take a substantial lunch stop, and you can take as many pauses along the trail as you need to catch your breath and enjoy the huge scenery.
At the Ikara Head lookout there are unfenced cliffs - everyone must take care not to approach the edges.
.
GRATUITY
Please contribute $15 to help offset the group's operating costs.
You can either- bring cash on the day, or
- make a PayID bank transfer to the organiser's phone number 0411600717 in the morning before you arrive to the event.
.
TRANSPORT
Arriving by car:
- Blackheath is 112km (1 hour 40 minutes) from Sydney.
- Take the M4 motorway, and continue on the Great Western Highway all the way to Blackheath, then turn left at the railway crossing, and right right into Station Street and the carpark.
- Allow some extra time for Saturday morning traffic through the mountains.
- Once we meet up at Blackheath Station to car pool, it is 5km further along the Great Western Highway, then another 4km along the unsealed Victoria Falls Rd (hard packed dirt and gravel) to the walking trail.
- The section of unsealed road has some potholes and ruts, but is ok for a 2WD city car - we'll drive together at low speed to the start of the walking track.
Arriving by train:
- Take the Blue Mountains Service from Sydney Central at 8.24am, passing Strathfield at 8.37am, Parramatta at 8.50am, Blacktown at 9.00am, and Penrith at 9.16am, arriving at Blackheath at 10.40am.
- See the trip planner at www.transportnsw.info for all connections and times.
.
BRING
- Opal card for public transport
- your lunch, snacks for the day
- drink bottle (at least 1 litre, no refills on the trail)
- sturdy walking shoes
- hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
- insect repellent
- walking stick (not mandatory, but helps alot with ascents/descents)
- warm clothes for later in the day
- rain jacket, just in case
- towel or pad to sit on at lunch time
.
DISCLAIMER
By your RSVP to this event you agree to the conditions of membership and participation which you can read in the "WHAT WE'RE ABOUT" section HERE. - EASY CAR CAMPING AT MT WILSON - beautiful camping, perfect for beginnersCathedral Reserve Camping Grounds, Mount Wilson
Join us for a relaxing night of super easy car camping, picnic dinner, good company, and a gorgeous logfire, at one of the most beautiful places in Sydney ... Cathedral Reserve in Mt Wilson. This is a beautiful peaceful camping area with no fees and no bookings required, it sits amongst the shaded greens of plane trees and fern groves, and is right next to the elegant beauty of Mt Wilson's stunning private display gardens, epic Blue Mountains scenery, and swathes of stars at night.
If you are not usually a camper, or you don't have a tent and other camping gear, it is very easy to just use your car ... if your car is large enough (say a moderate SUV) to fold down the back seat and create enough space to lie down, just bring an inflatable mat or other soft layers to lie on, warm bedding and your pillow, and you have a very comfortable, convenient and secure camping set up. Viola!
This day is part of our Blue Mountains adventure weekend on September 20 and 21:
- Sat 20 Sep – 10.45am Blackheath/Ikara Head wildlflower bushwalk
- Sat 20 Sep – 5pm Mt Wilson easy car camp & dinner under the stars
- Sun 21 Sep – 9am Mt Wilson spring gardens tour & Mt Tomah gardens
These events are designed to flow easily one into the next, so join us for some or all of them as you please for a big wonderful weekend away.
.
THE PLAN
After the Saturday morning walk at Ikara Head/Mount Victoria winds up at about 3.30pm, we will head to Mt Wilson for the night.
If you arrive there before the group, just set yourself up and enjoy the peace :-)We will set up camp on the lawn close, probably at the lower end of the reserve (near the shady trees, fireplaces, and toilet). You can choose any spot you like.
The camping area is simple and beautiful - it has no facilities other than toilets - so bring your water, food (you can cook, or bring takeaway dinner, or have cold meals), a torch, and chair to sit on.
If there are no fire bans, we will bring a bag of wood to have a lovely log fire to sit around.
If you feel like an evening or morning walk, the Cathedral of Ferns trail is right next to our camping spot - it is a very short and easy stroll looping through the mossy forest of giant ferns, beautiful if it is misty conditions. Insect repellent highly recommended in the forest.
Enjoy dinner and great conversation with the group, a peaceful sleep in the mountain air, and on sunday morning we will have a lazy start, breakfast.
If you are staying for the sunday activities, pack up your camp and be ready at 9am to head off with the group for the 8m walking tour around Mt Wilson finishing at about 2pm-3pm.
.
TRANSPORT
By car:
Mt Wilson is on the north side of the Blue Mountains, 125km (2.5 hours) from Sydney directly via Richmond, Kurrajong to Bells Line of Rd and Mt Wilson Rd.Or along Bells Line of Rd and Mt Wilson Rd of you are coming from Mt Victoria (21km) after the saturday morning walk, or from Pierces Pass (12km) after the saturday sunset walk.
You can post in the Comments section on this page if you want to offer a car pool and share fuel and highway toll costs with others.
There is NO access by train:
You can get a train as far as Mt Victoria (see the trip planner at www.transportnsw.info), but there is NO public transport from Mt Victoria to Mt Wilson.You can post in the Comments section on this page if you want to seek a car pool with others, but you will need to make sure that you have a ride all the way to Mt Wilson and back to Sydney or a public transport node.
.
GRATUITY
No contribution needed for this one - just looking forward to everyone's lovely company at camp :-).
BRING
- torch (head torch, hand torch, or just use your phone light)
- your food (Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast and lunch, you can choose to cook or just bring cold meals in a chiller box)
- water/drink (3 - 4 litres to last you for 24 hours, there is no clean running water at the camping reserve)
- insect repellent
- a good warm jacket, pants, and beanie for your head (the temperature drops fast at sunset in the mountains, and sometimes it is windy here)
- sturdy walking shoes
- towel or pad or folding chair to sit on at camp
- your camping gear (tent, mat, sleeping bag) or sleep in your car with normal bedding and pillow
- toiletries
.
DISCLAIMER:
By your RSVP to this event you agree to the conditions of membership and participation which you can read in the WHAT WE'RE ABOUT section HERE.
