North Head

Hanging swamp, Memorial walk, Fairfax walk and Third Quarantine cemetery

After nearly two weeks of rain it was time to revisit the hanging swamp at North Head. The last time Sydney Nimble was there in early January the swamp did not exist. Bone dry!

Well the swamp is back with plenty of water.

A hanging swamp occurs when water soaks through sandstone and then hits harder to penetrate rock such as claystone or shale. The water percolates back up creating moist peaty soils which support swamp heath plants.

Close to the hanging swamp is Memorial Walk, a paved track that links 5 memorials dedicated to conflicts which have involved Australia, whether that be war or recent peacekeeping.

During WWII the whole of North Head was a significant defence base and one of the most fortified places in Australia.

The memorials have an oblong shape with information on raised plaques and have been tastefully built with sandstone.

After Memorial Walk we continued our walk east to another track, Fairfax walk, which has been re-opened after a major upgrade in 2023.

This walk provides access to two well designed lookouts, Burragula and Yiningma lookouts. Burragula is an indigenous word for ‘sunset’ and Yiningma means ‘cliff edge’.

We finished where we started (car park behind the café) and this loop takes around 60-75 minutes to complete.

A small detour to the Third Quarantine cemetery was made before getting into the car.

It is only a short walk from the car park and has many graves of Australians who died from diseases we no longer think too much about: smallpox, bubonic plague and scarlet fever.

What swamp? (January 2024)

Bone dry

A recovery story (May 2024)

time to reflect

one of 5 war memorials that can be accessed from Memorial Walk

9.2 inch coastal gun

visitors from afar

Third quarantine cemetery at North Head

Sydney Nimble Tours visits Georges Heights on our Northern Beaches, Sydney Harbour, National Park tour.

This area has spectacular harbour vistas that include the entrance to Sydney Harbour, Watsons Bay, Rosebay and Shark Island. A good view of the city of Sydney is on offer if you look south west.

The harbour aspect also provided a solid location to install defensive artillery should Sydney Harbour come under attack.

Military memorabilia in the form of gun pits, fortifications, canons and anti-aircraft guns have been well maintained and are on display at Georges Heights.

A former military hospital which was built for patients from World War I houses the anti-aircraft gun.

Close to the gun pits is the Gunner’s Barracks, a fortified sandstone building built in the 1870s. This building was constructed to accommodate artillerymen whose job was to look after the artillery and if necessary fire it.

In the course of a recent visit to Georges Heights we came across a chilled kookaburra resting on a sign near the Barracks.

Our feathered friend was most accommodating and happily posed for photographs.

The kookaburra is a member of the Kingfisher family and has one of the most unusual bird calls.

The laughing Kookaburra is not laughing at another kookaburra’s jokes! The cackle of the Kookaburra is a territorial call aimed at warning other birds to stay away.

Be gone, the insects, lizards, rodents and small snakes in this patch are mine!

The word kookaburra is yet another example of an indigenous word enriching our language and originates from the Wiradjuri word “guuguuburra”.

a delightful Australian bird

boom

loud and proud