SydneyAdventurers40+

This incredibly scenic walk offers the very best experiences of Sydney harbour and the rugged coast, plus spectacular ocean views to see the magnificent winter whale migration. We'll be roaming epic coastal cliffs, a secret rainforest, perfect intimate beaches, heritage houses, colonial era military relics, beautiful paths winding through glitzy neighbourhoods, and the magnificent city skyline across our magnificent harbour. Our route will include stops for morning coffee/gelato at Watsons Bay, lunch at the newly restored Nielsen Park beach front, finish at Rose Bay for drinks and great conversation at the stylish pub, and really easy ferry or bus connections for home. A perfect sunday - join us!

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THE PLAN
Arrive by ferry, bus or car to Watsons Bay.

Let's meet at 9.45am at Robertson Park, Watsons Bay - in the covered rotunda structure in the middle of the park, next to the childrens play area and toilet facility (see the location photo in this event's photo gallery).

The day's walking route has a few very different sections each with their own beautiful kind of scenery, which we will do with breaks in between for refreshments.

First we'll walk the idyllic beach and bush trail out to the South Head lighthouse on the dramatic rocky headland facing the ocean, then circle back to Watsons Bay for late morning break at the coffee/gelato bar.

Then we head up the gentle slope on the cliff path to Dover Heights for an epic look at the ocean and rugged coastline - at this height we will have extensive views of the ocean and the whales splashing, leaping and venting their vapour spouts.

And then we wind down a secret rainforest path to emerge at a series of very beautiful parklands along the harbour edge. We'll stop at the newly renovated beach front at Nielsen Park for a relaxed picnic lunch and toilet break. There is a kiosk with takeaway food and refreshments, but it can get busy and service is slow, so might be smarter to bring your lunch.

After lunch we follow the gorgeous Hermitage trail winding along the edge of the harbour, passing groves of banksia trees and rainforest figs, old heritage buildings, and stunning hidden beaches, before coming out at Rose Bay for a total distance of 11km for the day.

We'll aim to finish at Rose Bay by about 4pm, and feel free to join us at the really nice pub for a drink and snacks.

Getting home: right at our finish point and across the street from the Rose Bay pub you can

• take a ferry (departs every 30 minutes) back to the City, or
• frequent buses back to your car at Watsons Bay, or
• frequent buses to Edgecliff station, the eastern suburbs, and Town Hall station in the City.

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IS THIS ACTIVITY RIGHT FOR ME?
This walk has well formed dirt trails, carved stone ramps, and paved paths all the way.

The total distance is 11km, mostly on gentle gradients, but in the second half there are a few short ascents as the route undulates up and down on stone steps along the harbour edge. The overall effort means it is graded moderate - expect slightly tired legs at the end, but overall happy as we take a relaxed pace through a day full of fun experiences, substantial breaks, and lots of pauses to enjoy the extensive scenery.

If you have done at least a couple of 7 - 10km walks on gently undulating terrain, you should be able to handle this one just fine.

If it gets too much there are easy outpoints with bus stops at Dover Heights (5km), Parsley Bay (7km), and at our lunch spot at Nielsen Park (8km).

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TRANSPORT
Arriving by ferry: from Circular Quay take the Watsons Bay ferry service, departing from Wharf 2 at 9.15am, and arriving at Watsons Bay Wharf at 9.38am.

Arriving by bus: from Town Hall Station (Park Street, stand G) take bus route 359 (Watsons Bay service) at 8.59am, arriving at Military Rd, Watsons Bay (adjacent to Robertson Park) at 9.39am.

There are also other direct bus connections from the Eastern Suburbs if you live that way.

I'm looking for 4 - 6 committed women who want to learn something transformative and build an awesome supportive team. We are going to put in 6 weekly learning sessions to go from absolute beginners to skilled indoor climbers. The meetup leader will be your dedicated coach to teach you all the techniques, and the beginner group will be your peers learning alongside you and supporting each other.

Group size is strictly limited. Only RSVP if you will commit to the full length of the program and reliably attend ALL of the sessions.

• DO NOT RSVP if you are just thinking about it.
• DO NOT RSVP if you think you can skip some of the sessions because you have other things to do.

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WHO IS THIS FOR?
As our meetup group is largely made up of women, this climbing program is targeted at and will have a strong flavour of women growing themselves, supporting each other to do your best, and achieving together. No macho competitiveness here - just surprise yourself by your learning, and conquering challenges that you never imagined yourself being capable of.

Women often assume climbing is not for them as they don't have upper body strength - this is not correct. More than half the climbing community is women and they are awesome at it. How? ... because climbing is strongly based on (i) easily practiced skills of graceful movement and (ii) developing a mental discipline of breathing, emptying your mind, and focusing to navigate the moves on the wall.

This program is also aimed at people who want to learn and transform their life ... climbing has the same meditative effect as yoga, it is physically immersive and psychologically authentic the same as wilderness experiences are, and is done amongst an accepting, egalitarian, supportive and connected community of people that uplifts you and makes you see your identity and capabilities differently. Stereoptypes about what women are capable of and allowed to do in society, and ideas of what individual agency you are permitted in your learning and personal fulfilment, are all left at the door.

The program is a two way street - in return for 6 weeks of skills training and mentoring from the coach and support from the women on your team, you are expected to have a real commitment to turning up and doing the work at each and every session. You will get the most out of the program when you honour this.

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THE PLAN
Let's meet for 6 sessions (about 1.5 hours each) on consecutive Sunday mornings at 8.30am (starting 22 June, finishing 10 Aug).

There will be two weekends off in the middle of the program (July 6 and July 27) to let everyone deal with life's other commitments.

So the training calendar will be:

• Session 1 - Sunday 22 June
• Session 2 - Sunday 29 June
• Break - Sunday 6 July
• Session 3 - Sunday 13 July
• Session 4 - Sunday 20 July
• Break - Sunday 27 July
• Session 5 - Sunday 3 Aug
• Session 6 - Sunday 10 Aug (then local cafe brunch to celebrate).

We will work at the indoor climbing gym in St Leonards. On your first visit you will need to sign a risk waiver, be issued your hire gear, and participate in mandatory training for a few minutes with the gym staff to learn how to hold the safety rope for each other.

In each learning session we will focus on skill development: how to position yourself on the wall, how to point your feet, how to relax your arms, how to pivot and leverage your untapped length and strength, how to move gracefully, and how to breath and focus.

You will start on beginner grade routes (like climbing a step ladder) and progress at your own individual pace to more challenging routes as you develop. The ethos of climbing is that we each define our success by where we are starting and where we want to end up in our capability - we do not make comparisons and judgements with what the next person is doing. It is common practice (and a lovely thing) to see champion climbers working right next to beginners and sharing their knowledge and encouragement with you ... welcome to the community :-)

Climbing sessions will last about 1 - 1.5 hours, working at a relaxed pace in pairs taking turns to climb and hold the safety rope for each other, with everyone getting individual coaching attention from the leader. Add to that about 30 minutes for closing discussion, stretching to warm down and relax, getting changed, etc.

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WHAT FITNESS IS REQUIRED?

You don't have to be super fit or strong, but participating in this activity requires at least a basic level of health, fitness and mobility. YOU MUST NOT participate if you have unhealed injuries of any kind, cardio-vascular conditions, coordination problems, uncontrolled epilepsy or syncope or fainting for any reason, or other limiting conditions.

YOU MUST NOT be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

What will the climbing feel like:

- You will feel moderate aerobic exertion, but you can stop and rest on the rope or abort the route at any stage of a climb.

- We climb one route for a few minutes until we either get to the top or find our limit, then swap with our partner while they climb, then keep swapping. So you get lots of rest.

- Whilst you are learning the skills initially you will tend to use your arms inefficiently, so sore arm muscles will be common after the first few sessions, but this will improve.

- We will operate up 8 metre walls but with safety ropes at all times - expect to feel some exposure, but this will pass as you become confident in your movements with coaching. This is not an appropriate activity if you have a severe / debilitating fear of heights.

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COST
There is no meetup cost or gratuity for this program. If you like, buy the leader a coffee at the end of the 6 weeks :-)

Cost of entry to the climbing gym is your responsibility, which you pay directly to them at the reception desk each time you visit. An individual visit is $33, including entry and hire of safety harness and climbing shoes.

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TRANSPORT
By car: there is plenty of free off-street parking right at the gym entrance.

By public transport: the gym is an easy 15 minute / 1 km walk from St Leonards Station along Herbert St and Frederick St.

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BRING

• T-shirt or sports top, and shorts or gym leggings
• Warm top to wear in between climbs
• Thin anklet sports socks – it is much nicer not to sweat in bare feet inside the hired climbing shoes
• Climbing shoes squeeze your toes against the hard wall, so trim your toenails short beforehand to prevent soreness
• Water bottle
• The gym has toilets, change rooms with showers, and free lockers for your bag and valuables.
• Hand moisturising lotion (any cheap or expensive brand will do) to condition and sooth your skin after working your hands on rough walls and the drying effects of chalk ... even the tough boy climbers do this.

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Come for a beautiful day roaming five of Sydney's most idyllic northern beaches, and let's take this last chance to catch the magnificent humpback whales before their annual migration leaves Sydney. We'll do an easy 10km walk following wonderfully scenic seaside boardwalks, across golden beaches, past quiet lagoons, and breezy trails over spectacular rocky headlands, with endless glorious views over the ocean and watch our whale friends venting and leaping before us. And at the end let's have a drink and great food at the excellent beach-side pub in Collaroy, before an easy trip home.

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THE PLAN
Meet at 10am on the lawn outside the Pocket Cafe (at the Freshwater Surf Lifesaving Club building, just off Kooloora Ave, Freshwater Beach).

(We'll be at the cafe from 9am onwards, so if you arrive early, come join us for a coffee before the walk at 10am).

We'll head off along the coastal route through several beaches and headlands, stopping at a couple of high points to enjoy the panoramic views of the coast and watch for whales.

We'll stop at Dee Why beach for lunch at the seaside park, and there are cafes and takeaways if you want food, refreshments, coffee.

We'll be crossing the mouth of Dee Why lagoon - this is just several metres across the very shallow waterway that runs across the beach. If the tide is down it is a dry walk over the sand, or if the tide is up we will have to take off our shoes to walk through knee deep water - it will be easy and fun! Bring a towel to dry your feet.

We'll try to finish the walk at Collaroy beach by 3.30pm. Express buses depart frequently for the City, or for Freshwater beach if you left your car there.

If you like, stay after the walk with us at the beautiful Collaroy Hotel, to relax with a drink, excellent food, and great views over the ocean.

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IS THIS ACTIVITY RIGHT FOR ME?
This walk has excellent boardwalks, a couple of short flat beaches to walk along, and the well-formed dirt trails ascending over the headlands are gentle, so the walking is not challenging. If you have done a walk of at least 5 - 7 km previously you will find this 10km route very do-able.

It's an easy walk, but there are lots of outpoints with bus connections if you need them.

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TRANSPORT

Arriving by bus from Wynyard station:

• From York Street, stand L, take the B1 bus at 8.49am, arriving at Warringah Mall (bus stand C, Pittwater Rd, Brookvale) at 9.18am.
• Walk 100 metres back along Pittwater Rd, and cross the road at the traffic lights to bus stand A.
• Then from bus stand A take the 167 bus at 9.30am, arriving at Charles Street (just after Ocean View Rd), Freshwater at 9.50am.
• Walk forward 100 metres along Charles St, turn left onto Kooloora Avenue and walk 250 metres to the beach-side park, and the Surf Lifesaving Club building is on the right.

Join us to experience the most spectacular parts of the Jamison Valley escarpment, walking 8 - 10km from Leura to Katoomba, and completing half of the iconic Blue Mountains Grand Cliff Walk with endless jaw-dropping scenery:

• the idyllic Pool of Siloam waterfall hidden in a stunning rainforest,
• follow the cliff path to craggy lookouts with incredible valley views,
• wind our way into a dark forested gorge to magical Leura Falls,
• pass right over the famous Three Sisters rock pinnacles, and
• wind through the impressive Katoomba Falls.

On monday you'll be boasting shamelessly to your workmates about what an amazing weekend you had in the mountains with so much scenery, great conversation and laughs with lovely people, peace and relaxation, heaps of crisp fresh air, and great food.

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THE PLAN

If you arrive early: We'll be grabbing coffees at Sparrows Leura cafe from about 9.30am (right across the street from Leura station, they make really excellent coffee, cooked breakfasts, and their luxurious toasted sandwiches make for fantastic takeaway lunches).

Official start: Let's gather at 10.30am at Leura station (at the bus stop directly outside the station, on the corner of Railway Parade and Leura Mall).

We'll make a toilet stop at the end of Leura shops, and then we are heading down through the residential streets full of quaint cottages and elegant winter gardens, and in a couple of blocks we are in the bush.

Very soon the trail takes us down a long stairway to the Pool of Siloam - one of the most beautiful waterfalls and forest pools that you have ever seen - a very Instagramable moment for sure. We'll pause here to appreciate the peace and music of the flowing falls, the golden sandy, the deep green shades of the luxuriant rainforest, the dramatic moss-covered rock walls above us, and the sweet calls of rainforest birds. A steep but very short climb up another stairway brings us out of the dark gully.

From here we follow the line of the cliffs for about 1km, with a series of rocky lookouts with sweeping views over the immense Jamison Valley, full of dramatic sandstone promontories, plunging depths and endless forested wilderness rolling out to the distant Southern Highlands.

Now we arrive at the Leura cascades and take the winding dirt track and built stairways down to the falls and dark forest hidden deep in a tight gully with rock walls curling in around us - they call it the amphitheatre for good reason. You'll feel a million miles from civilisation. (If you don't want to do the stairs down and up again, you can peel off just before this bit to walk on the flat path of the Cliff Walk around the top of the cascades and meet the group on the other side of the gully - easy and no stress).

After Leura Falls we emerge onto the Cliff Walk and follow this flat path for 2km through beautiful forest, leading us right to the edge of the Three Sisters rock formation and soon after that to the busy touristy lookout at Echo Point (with a toilet stop) for 8km walked in total so far. If you have had enough at this point, you can jump on the frequent buses for the quick trip up to Katoomba station.

The Cliff Walk continues around the top of Katoomba Falls with views at multiple angles of the gushing water dropping a huge way below the cliffs. And finally the trail winds around with a last gradual ascent out of the forest to the Scenic World tourist facility, where there are toilets and a shop with refreshments.

That's it people - we're done for the day. We'll aim to finish at about 4pm.

And here's the great bit at the end: the organiser will have a car parked at Scenic World to drive everyone for the 2.5km back up the hill to Katoomba station - no more walking, and no waiting for crowded tourist buses - eeeasy, fast, luxurious!

At Katoomba station you can catch the train one stop back to Leura station if you left your car there in the morning, or head directly home to Sydney.

After-party: If there is interest, we'll go for a relaxed drink at Katoomba and maybe also stay for dinner at the fab pizzeria or thai place right next to the station.

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IS THIS ACTIVITY OK FOR ME?

Given the distance of 10km total for the day, a few ascents and descents, and that some of the route is on extended series of carved stone steps or metal stairways, we are grading this walk as moderate difficulty. It is not a good walk for absolute beginners or for people with bad knees, but if you have done at least a couple of walks of 6 - 9km length with some moderate ups and downs, you will handle this one just fine and really enjoy this very beautiful place.

Don't be put off by the undulating terrain - most are just long gradual ascents on smooth well-built trails, not difficult rocky stuff. Three of the ascents are steep but only short, and if you want to avoid hard work altogether there are dead flat short cuts that you can take to skip entirely around ALL of these significant ascents (i.e. Pool of Siloam, Leura Falls, and Katoomba Falls).

The pace throughout the day will be relaxed, you can take as many pauses as you need to catch your breath (especially on the short steep ascents), and nobody gets left behind. There will be a brief morning break on the trail, a substantial lunch stop at a great scenic spot, and also afternoon break if needed.

If you need them, there are also convenient exit points at

• the 3.5km mark before and after Leura Falls, with bus connections for the short trip to either Katoomba station or Leura station; and
• the 8km mark at Echo Point/Three Sisters in Katoomba, with buses every every 10 minutes for the short trip to Katoomba station.

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TRANSPORT

By train: