Brays Bay Reserve, Rhodes

Caught the train to Rhodes and met my son for a walk around Parramatta River. Five minutes from the station in Brays Bay Reserve is the old site of Tulloch Ironworks and the Commonwealth Shipbuilding Yard..

Lennox Bridge

Lennox Bridge in Glenbrook on Mitchell's Pass

Lennox Bridge on Mitchells Pass at Glenbrook is the oldest stone arch bridge on the Australian mainland. This elegant single span stone arch bridge was built in local stone and completed in 1833 by David Lennox using unskilled convict labour. It took one year to complete. The sandstone was quarried nearby and the bridge carried all the traffic to western New South Wales until 1926. An early engineering masterpiece. (From Blue Mountains City Tourism)

Glenbrook Creek

Planned to walk Pisgah Rock and Jack Evans Track at Erskine Creek but on entering the National Park at Glenbrook  signage told me the causeway over Glenbrook Creek was closed due to flooding. Must add that this closure was not mentioned on the NPWS website.

I parked the car at the Visitors Centre and walked down to the causeway to find only about 20cm of water over the road and cars easily driving through. Rather than walk back up and drive down I decided to walk along Glenbrook Creek instead. (reasoning Erskine Creek would be up and access harder)

Looking downstream from near the causeway

Jellybean Pool 

Downstream from Jellybean Pool

Along the track 

Blue Pool 

Wet Walk

Tired of waiting for the rain to stop, I kitted up in my rain gear and got a morning walk in along Mooney Mooney and Piles Creeks. Had bought some new boots and they kept my feet dry through the mud and puddles on the track. Didn't stop the leeches though.

At the junction of Mooney Mooney and Piles Creek someone had built a small jetty at an informal camping spot.

Dinner plate size fungi on the track. 

Along Piles Creek 

Mooney Mooney Creek 

Boardwalk along part of the track. 

Plenty of water coming down at the suspension bridge over Piles Creek where the fresh meets the salt. This was the turn around point for me today before heading back to get ready for work. 5.2klm and only a couple of misty showers so a good morning walk.

Noonamena Bridge

While "surfing the net" I found a picture of this bridge with a long rock shelf underneath which you could walk across and down. After some research I found that it was over the Bargo River near Tahmoor. Had planned to walk along the river here along The Bridging Track to Rockford Road but couldn't cross after so much rain. 

Thirlmere Lakes

The walks I had planned had river crossings and with the current big wet were inaccessible. So a loop around Thirlmere Lakes was a good alternative. The loop track around the lakes doesn't give you good views of the lakes and the water levels are down considerably. Still not a bad way to spend an afternoon though. 8.2klm loop

Mt Alexandra

Short walk at Mittagong on Mt Alexandra. 

The Nattai River. Was going to look at 60ft Falls after the rain but declined the wet feet crossing in my new boots. 

Some nice fungi 

Climbed up a steep track to this tunnel through a ridge of rock. The tunnel was at the end of  a tram line built in the 1800's to bring coal to Mittagong. 

Looking west from Mt Alexandra 

Looking north east over Mittagong