SydneyAdventurers40+

Be prepared to pick your jaw up off the ground when you see this very impressive place! Ikara Head is a stunning walk between Blackheath and Mt Victoria, free of crowds for true peace, and a nice moderate track to reach some of the most breathtaking valley views in the Blue Mountains. If conditions are cool and everyone is feeling good on the return leg, we'll think about peeling off for a short additional loop to the equally impressive Asgard Head.

This walk is part of our Blue Mountains adventure weekend on April 5/6:

• Sat 10 May – 11am Ikara Head, moderate bush walk
• Sat 10 May – 5pm easy sunset & full moon walk to Walls Lookout
• Sat 10 May – 9pm easy overnight car camp at Mt Wilson
• Sun 11 May – 9am Mt Wilson autumn gardens & 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.

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THE PLAN
Meet at Blackheath train station (in the Station Street carpark) at 10.45am.

If you arrive early in Blackheath, there is a supermarket, grocer and bakery for supplies, and the Altitude Cafe is fantastic for brunch.

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 to the start of the Ikara Head Trail.

The walk will be a loop, first following a small bush trail (which is sometimes a bit overgrown in sections, but nothing serious) along a rocky cliff line with big vistas across the mountains. We thread between mysterious stone pagoda formations, and out to the Ikara Head promontory where huge plunging views of the Grose Valley open in front of us. The only thing you will be able to say is 'wooowwww'.

After a relaxing lunch at Ikara Head lookout, we will loop back towards our origin following a broader fire trail along an open ridgeline with pretty heath and open forest. About 1 kilometre along we will cut across a gully, dipping steeply for 70 metres down the slope into a beautiful lush rainforest, past tranquil pools, and ascend up through huge ferns to exit the other side of the gully. This descent and ascent are not dangerous, but a walking stick will definitely help you here.

If the group is still feeling exceptionally good after the rainforest gully, we will have the option to take an additional 2km loop out to Asgard Head for a further dose of very epic views across the Grose Valley.

After the rainforest gully we'll continue on a fire trail with more of the dramatic pagoda rock formations, and after just a couple of kilometres we are back at the car park by about 4pm.

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 make a pitstop for a cold drink in Mt Victoria, then continue from there for the 20 minute drive to the easy sunset walk at Walls Lookout, then overnight stay at Mt Wilson, and then Sunday's autumn colours walks at the Mt Wilson and Mt Tomah gardens.

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IS THIS ACTIVITY OK FOR ME?
The Ikara Head walk is rated as MODERATE difficulty as the trail has three ascents of about 70 metres each time - two of these are gradual, while the third section through the rainforest gully is quite steep but not dangerous (a walking stick is a good idea for it).

The total walk distance will be 7km to Ikara Head and back, or 9km total if we also loop out to Asgard Head. 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.

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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 another 9km (15 minutes) to Victoria Falls Rd and the Ikara Head track.

Arriving by train: take the Blue Mountains Service from Sydney Central (platform 6) at 8.24am, passing Strathfield at 8.37am, Parramatta at 8.49am, Blacktown at 8.58am, and Penrith at 9.14am, arriving at Blackheath at 10.37am. See the trip planner at www.transportnsw.info for all connections and times.

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BRING

• Opal card for public transport
• your lunch, snacks for the day
• drink bottle (at least 2 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

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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.

Join us for this very short and easy walk out to Walls Lookout at Pierces Pass, and be amazed as we relax with picnic dinner with both the sun setting and the full moon rising over the dramatic rock walls and plunging views into the Grose Valley. This is well worth the drive to the Blue Mountains ... it is one of the most stunning vistas in Sydney and a magic moment to experience it!

This event is part of our Blue Mountains adventure weekend. These events are designed to flow easily from one to the next, so feel free to join us for some or all of them:

• Sat 10 May – 11am Ikara Head, moderate bush walk
• Sat 10 May – 5pm easy sunset & full moon walk to Walls Lookout
• Sat 10 May – 9pm easy overnight car camp at Mt Wilson
• Sun 11 May – 9am Mt Wilson autumn gardens & Mt Tomah Gardens

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THE PLAN
After the Saturday morning walk at Ikara Head, we will briefly stop at the Ampol petrol station in Mt Victoria for a cold drink and a toilet break. Then at 5pm drive from Mt Victoria up Bells Line Of Road for 21km to Pierces Pass Rd and the Walls Lookout trail.

If you are not doing the Ikara Head walk with us earlier in the day, just come and meet us at the Ampol station at Mt Victoria shortly before 5pm, and we will head off to Pierces Pass together.

At Pierces Pass Rd, we leave the cars and do a very easy 600 metre walk along a small trail to the lookout. BYO dinner and we will relax while the sunset puts on an incredible show over the dramatic sandstone walls of the valley, and the full moon simultaneously floats high above.

At about 8.30pm we head home - either drive 12km to Mt Wilson (Cathedral Reserve, on Mt Irvine Rd) if you are camping with us and staying for the Sunday events, or you can head directly back to Sydney via Bells Line of Road or the Great Western Highway.

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IS THIS WALK RIGHT FOR ME?
This out and back walk to the lookout is just 1.2km total distance and on an easy track, so it is fine for beginner walkers.

We will be returning up the track in darkness, but it won't be challenging or dangerous. You should bring a torch (or just use your phone light).

There are unfenced cliffs at Walls Lookout and everyone must be careful not to approach them.

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TRANSPORT

By car:
Mt Victoria is on the Great Western Highway 120km (2 hours drive) from Sydney. Then take Bells Line of Rd, for 21km and turn right into Pierces Pass Rd.

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.

NO access by train:
You can get a train to Mt Victoria (see the trip planner on www.transportnsw.info), but there is NO public transport from Mt Victoria to Pierces Pass.

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 both to Pierces Pass and home again as not everyone is heading back to Sydney afterwards.

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GRATUITY
Please contribute $10 cash on the day to help cover the substantial costs of organising and running the group's events.

If you are also doing the Saturday morning walk to Ikara Head, then just one $10 contribution per day is fine :-)

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BRING

• torch (head torch, hand torch, or just use your phone light)
• picnic dinner (there are no shops at the lookout)
• water/drink
• insect repellent
• a good warm jacket, pants, and beanie for your head (the temperature drops fast at sunset in the mountains)
• sturdy walking shoes
• rain jacket, just in case
• beach towel or pad or folding chair to sit on at dinner

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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.

Join us for a relaxing night of car camping at one of the most beautiful places in Sydney - Cathedral Reserve is a gorgeous camping area with no fees and no bookings required, it sits amongst the stunningly vivid reds and oranges of plane trees in their full autumn colours, and is right next to the elegant beauty of all of Mt Wilsons stunning gardens, epic mountain 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 you can fold down the back seat to 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 event is part of our Blue Mountains adventure weekend. These events are designed to flow easily from one to the next, so feel free to join us for some or all of them:

• Sat 10 May – 11am Ikara Head, moderate bush walk
• Sat 10 May – 5pm easy sunset & full moon walk to Walls Lookout
• Sat 10 May – 9pm easy overnight car camp at Mt Wilson
• Sun 11 May – 9am Mt Wilson autumn gardens & Mt Tomah Gardens

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THE PLAN
After the Saturday morning walk and Saturday evening walk, we will head at about 8.30-9.00pm to Mt Wilson for the night. Arrival time at the camp ground will depend whether the sunset walk finishes on time - if you are there before the group, just set yourself up and enjoy the peace :-)

We will set up camp on the lawn close to the edge of Mt Irvine Rd - there is no traffic noise, and 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 have cold meals), 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. Wear insect repellent.

Enjoy a peaceful sleep in the mountain air, and on sunday morning we will have a lazy start, breakfast, and head off to enjoy the stunning colours of the autumn gardens around Mt Wilson and Mt Tomah.

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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.

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GRATUITY
No contribution needed for this one - just looking forward to everyone's lovely company at camp :-)

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BRING

• torch (head torch, hand torch, or just use your phone light)
• your food (at least dinner plus breakfast and lunch for the next day, and you can choose to cook or just bring cold meals in a chiller box)
• water/drink (at least 4 litres to last you for 24 hours)
• insect repellent
• a good warm jacket, pants, and beanie for your head (the temperature drops fast at sunset in the mountains)
• 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

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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.

It's autumn, so let's take a day in the Blue Mountains to immerse in Mt Wilson's famous exotic cold climate gardens and stunning avenues of plane trees, elms, beeches, liquid ambers and japanese cherry trees bursting into their annual splendour of intense reds, oranges and golds, all amongst heritage stone buildings, bronze sculptures, fountains and ponds, and intimate laneways lined in mossy stone work.

We'll spend the morning wandering the private gardens around Mt Wilson village, teach you some landscape photography, have lunch at a magical spot, and maybe take a quick easy walk down to the beautiful rainforest waterfall or the epic valley lookouts. And then on the way back to Sydney we will stop off to wander the equally magical Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens. This is an elegant no-effort Sunday escape from the city, very easy walking, and an overdose of visual pleasures!

HERE is a nice quick video guide to Mt Wilson to whet your appetite.

And HERE is a nice taste of Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens.

This event is part of our Blue Mountains adventure weekend. These events are designed to flow easily from one to the next, so feel free to join us for some or all of them:

• Sat 10 May – 11am Ikara Head, moderate bush walk
• Sat 10 May – 6pm easy sunset & full moon walk to Walls Lookout
• Sat 10 May – 9pm easy overnight car camp at Mt Wilson
• Sun 11 May – 9am Mt Wilson autumn gardens & Mt Tomah Gardens

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THE PLAN
The organisers will be staying at Cathedral Reserve camping area at Mt Wilson on Saturday night, so let's meet up there on Sunday morning at 9.30am.

If you stayed with us on Saturday night, feel free to join the organiser on an early morning drive around the village at 7am on Sunday to do some landscape photography while the mist lingers in the beautiful avenues - all you need is either your phone or a DSLR camera, and we can enjoy creating some beautiful evocative art. Then let’s head back to camp at 8am to have breakfast and pack up.

If you are driving straight from Sydney on Saturday morning, the formal start for the day of touring the gardens is at 9.30am. Meet us at Cathedral Reserve, on Mt Irving Rd at the far end of the Mount Wilson village area. You will find us set up on the lawn close to the edge of Mt Irving Rd - look for the organisers metal grey Hyundai SUV car with roof racks.

At 9.30am, we will head off as a group on a walking tour of the private gardens and avenues around Mt Wilson village. There will be lots of things to fill our day with:

• We'll work out a best route to cover the publicly accessible gardens in the shortest distance - 6 to 7km total.
• Most of the big gardens charge a very modest entry fee of $10 - $20, payable on card. Depending on our walking pace (relaxed) we will try to do at least three gardens, and maybe up to five - you can decide which ones you want to see or not.
• While we tour the village as a group, you will have time as we visit each garden to do your own thing: explore at will around its spaces, take photos, and sit alone in peace in tranquil spots. Take a moment to look through this guide HERE so that you will have an idea of the place before the day.
• There will be toilet stops along the way.
• There are no shops in Mt Wilson, so bring a packed lunch, snacks and drinks to last you the day - we will retire to a beautiful quiet avenue with amazing trees and picnic tables for lunch. Or, the wonderful new Kashmir Gardens has a terrace cafe and a pizza bar and we can lunch there if the group prefers.
• After lunch, if we have time and energy, there is a short 1km walk at the Waterfall Reserve, where we can do an easy 45 minute loop walk through the lush rainforest and see a beautiful impressive waterfall. Or we can stop at De Faurs lookout for dramatic views of the valley below.

Then it is part 2 of the day's exploration. At mid-afternoon we'll say goodbye to Mt Wilson, and drive 23km (25 minutes) along Bells Line of Road to Mt Tomah Botanic Gardens.

• Entry is free.
• The garden complex is substantial with sections for different climatic environments (rock garden, gondwana rainforest, etc).
• We will walk a loop on the paths around most of it over about 1 hour, but feel free to explore for as little or as long as you please.
• The gardens are open until 5pm, but you can head home from here to Sydney at any time that you wish.
• The drive back to town along Bells Line of Road through Bilpin (famous for its apple produce and cider shops) and Kurrajong is very pretty.

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IS THIS ACTIVITY OK FOR ME?
This event is fine for beginner walkers with basic fitness.

The walk around the Mt Wilson private gardens and public avenues is quite flat, and at worst you will go down and up some small sets of steps into different sections of the gardens.

The walk down to the rainforest waterfall is on a dirt track, but is gently sloping and quite short.

The total distance to walk around Mt Wilson over the day will be 6 to 7km - it will be relaxed, with many stops to enjoy things, and substantial lunch break and coffee breaks. Our cars will be nearby just a few minutes across the village, so you can take a break from the group or wind up your walking for the day at any point.

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TRANSPORT

By car:
Mt Wilson is on the north side of the Blue Mountains, 125km (2.5 hours), accessed directly from Sydney via Richmond and Kurrajong to Bells Line of Road and Mt Wilson Rd.

Or from the other end of Bells Line of Road if you are coming from Mt Victoria (21km), if you did the Saturday morning and evening walks with us.

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.

NO access by train:
You can get a train as far as Mt Victoria (see 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 do NOT rsvp to the event until you have ensured that you have a ride all the way to Mt Wilson and back to Sydney or to a public transport location.

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GRATUITY
Please contribute $10 cash on the day to help cover the substantial costs of organising and running the group's events.

If you are also doing any of the other Saturday or Sunday events with us on this weekend, then just one $10 contribution per day is fine :-)

The gardens that we visit may charge $10-20 entry, which you pay direct to them. You don't have to follow the group exactly, it is up to you which gardens you want to enter and pay for. Whether you walk with the group or visit other gardens, we will come together again at about 1pm for lunch at a nice spot in the village, and then do the drive to see Mt Tomah Gardens in the afternoon.
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BRING

• your food, snacks, and drinks to last you all of Sunday
• dress light for walking, but also bring a good warm jacket, pants, and beanie for your head (mountain weather is highly changeable during the day, and the temperature can be quite low in the early morning and late afternoon)
• sturdy walking shoes
• insect repellent if we walk in the forest
• sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen - May is a cooler month, but the sunlight can be glary
• the private gardens usually collect the entry fee by card, but have some cash handy

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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.