Getting old is like going to hospital, only the fittest will survive, and there are few concrete benefits, except for the NSW Seniors Card. Obviously, I look old for my age as I have spent years replying “Sadly no” when asked if I have a seniors card. Now that I finally have a seniors card I am happy to use it to make even more inexpensive our already fantastic local transit system. $1:20. That’s what it cost me to get dropped off on the final hill above McKenzies Beach at the southern end of the Headlands Walking Trail.
Last time I walked the route of the trail (January 2023), much work remained to be done, especially along the southern section. In fact, it was impossible to get around Malua Headland as there was no track in one section and the bush was very thick. Doug, however, had been on the southern part of the route in the last month and had found a slashed route the entire way. It was time to get on the bus and inspect the new track for myself.
The bus driver let me off as close as he could to McKenzies Beach, which was pretty darn close. A good track has been mown and cleared along to Pretty Point Headland. Pretty Point is certainly worth exploring; there are a few trails and look-outs and even some steep and sketchy tracks to small low-tide beaches, but I passed by today and continued heading north and finding that although the descent to Malua Bay is still very steep and slippery, the brush has been cleared back and the trail is clear.
Passing Malua Head, I detoured out the newly cleared trail. I had once staggered up a steep gulch onto this headland a few years ago after getting stuck by impassable gulches while trying to walk from Garden Bay around to Malua Bay at low tide (not possible without swimming a few sections). There was only a very sketchy and overgrown foot pad at that time and I had to ask permission from a householder to exit the headland onto the nearby street as there was no trail around the public land on the headland to Malua Bay Beach. That problem is a thing of the past now as enough new track has been slashed out of the bush to enable easy passage for the remainder of the trail.
South of what Doug and I call “Wimbie Hill”, a new track has been cut leading along a small creek to where a bridge is to be built to enable the walker to cross the lagoon. At present, this is one of a few places where the descents from headlands to bay are a bit on the rustic side. Council is upgrading all these spots, and one can only hope they don’t go too heavy on the safety aspect and keep the character of the track as just that, a track, not a concreted walkway.
Between Denhams Beach and Sunshine Bay, the trail diverts onto residential streets to get around a short section of headland where property boundaries are right at the cliff edge, and along this half kilometre section, I passed a couple of contractors marking out new footpath to connect the trail sections. It’s not clear to me why a walking trail needs bits of paved footpath but likely it is a consequence of our extreme culture of “safetyism.” Of course, we’d all be safer if we were able to walk on uneven ground without falling over, but authorities infrequently think logically.
I peeled off the track at Sunshine Bay and strolled home as I frequently walk the more northerly section which is now pretty much complete. The new stairs installed (not strictly necessary) at the north end of Sunshine Bay opened last week. The entire trail will be about 17 kilometres when finished and is accessible by our great local bus service making one way walks very convenient. It is quite easy, however, to rack up a lot more than 17 kilometres as there are several “hidden” rocky bays accessible via steps and tracks which are also worth exploring. A walker could easily spend a day on the track without even needing to carry lunch which could be purchased at one of the local cafes along the route. How great is that?
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