What a great start to the year! On Saturday 28 January, 49 walkers registered for our Katoomba training walks. We had three groups head off: two medium groups and one easy group.
Hot weather was forecast so everyone was keen to get walking. From the station, the easy group headed to Ngula Bulgarabang Regional Park via road and bush track. Ngula Bulgarabang was a great place for some reflective walking before heading back along the road for lunch at the Katoomba Family Hotel. We had plenty of time to relax and cool down before the meetup. Sharise
The medium walkers set out in two groups under bright sunshine for Ngula Bulgarabang Regional Park (formerly Radiata Plateau). The first half of the walk followed the medium route for Day 5 of the 5-Day Walk through the Gully and along the bush track from Farnells Road to Norths Lookout and the Six Foot Track. The increasing heat and the promise of an early arrival at the pub saw several walkers leave at the top of the Six Foot Track and return to Katoomba along the shared walking-cycle path next to the highway. The rest of the walkers continued on to Ngula Bulgarabang with 11 walkers doing the extension to Megalong Trig before returning to Katoomba.
With the clear weather, walkers enjoyed great views over Nellie’s Glen from Norths Lookout and the Ngula Bulgarabang track. With Nellie’s Glen only recently re-opened for bushwalking, some walkers were looking ahead to their upcoming Six Foot Track adventure. Those walkers that made it to Megalong Trig were rewarded with expansive views of Megalong and Kanimbla Valleys, from Narrow Neck to Shipley Plateau. Back in Katoomba, cold drinks were the order of the day. Tony
We all left from Katoomba Station and went down past Catalina Lake and the through the Gully. At the Gully, we stopped for about 5 minutes to hear from Tony about the significance of the Gully to local Aboriginal people. We also heard about Catalina Park’s more recent history as a motor racing venue. We walked along beautiful bush trails to Norths Lookout, one of my favourite lookouts in the Blue Mountains. From there we walked through Ngula Bulgarabang Regional Park (Radiata Plateau) and on to two lookouts. The second had stunning 360 views of the Megalong Valley. We then returned to Katoomba to the Katoomba Family Hotel for lunch and our meeting. Anne
Camino meetup
The meeting was really well attended, and I felt like it almost had a party atmosphere with people very excited to see each other and to hear about their upcoming Caminos. Anne
Our first Camino Meetup for 2023 did have a festive feel. Over 40 BMCS joined us and we heard from four pilgrims – Jenny A, Julie D and Bruce S who are all heading to Spain in April this year. We also heard from Maureen O’S who is heading to Japan to walk the Kumano Kodo in April.
Buen Camino to you all and thank you for sharing your preparations, aspirations and stories. We look forward to hearing your Camino stories on your return!
Bruce S very kindly presented each departing pilgrim with one of his special Camino cards. Sharise
