Explore the beautiful bushland of The Hills with a
series of guided bushwalks presented by Baulkham Hills Shire
Council. Bookings are required for all walks. See below for more
details.  BAULKHAM HILLS SHIRE COUNCIL WINTER SPRING WALKS PROGRAM 2008 A program designed to provide opportunities for residents to explore and learn more about the beautiful bushland reserves of the Garden Shire. All walks last for 2 hours. The walks follow bushland tracks which are sometimes rough and uneven. Some walks require creeks to be crossed on stepping stones. Numbers are limited so bookings are essential for all walks. Here's a summary of dates: Saturday 2 August 10.00am to 12 noon Blue Gum Creek Walk Kenthurst Blue Gum Creek Walk Kenthurst Blue Gum High Forest was once a common sight in Sydney. Now it is an endangered community. Take this special opportunity to walk through a blue gum forest. This walk will commence and finish on the sandstone ridges where there will be spectacular displays of spring wildflowers. Saturday 2 August 10.00am to 12 noon First Contact Walk Fred Caterson Reserve Castle Hill The Sydney bushland was the supermarket, pharmacy and hardware store for the Aborigines and also for the First Settlers. Many of the plants which were used by the Aborigines and the First Settlers for food and medicine can be found growing in the bushland of Fred Caterson Reserve. Our regular local Aboriginal Heritage and Nature Walks guides will lead a walk which introduces some of these plants. This walk will also be an opportunity to enjoy the spring flowers in the reserve including those of several rare plants. Sunday 10 August 9.30am to 11.30am and 1.00pm to 3.00pm O’Hara’s Creek Kenthurst A walk along a sandstone ridge with lovely district views leads to O’Hara’s Creek where wet sclerophyll forest grows in the valley floor. This area has been devastated by fire twice in the past 15 years but the miracle of rejuvenation which occurs in Sydney sandstone vegetation after fire is a feature of this walk. Come and enjoy the views and the spring flowers. Saturday 16 August 2.00pm to 4.00pm Birdwatching Walk Fred Caterson Reserve Castle Hill The old scribbly gums and dense understorey plants in Fred Caterson Reserve provide homes for many birds which are seen in local gardens. Learn more about the birds seen in The Hills and the conditions which will bring birds to your garden. This early morning walk will be conducted by the Cumberland Bird Observers Club Sunday 24 August 8.00am to 10.00am Night Walk, North Rocks Experience the sights and sounds of the bush after dark. An active fox reduction program has seen an increase in the number and variety of native animals in the area. We may be lucky enough to see some of them on this night time walk. Saturday 27 September 8.00pm to 9.30pm Spring Flower Walk, WK (Bill) Woods Reserve Glenhaven Sunday 12 October 10.00am to 12 noon Castle Hill Heritage Park Walk Castle Hill Heritage Park is the nucleus of the former Castle Hill Government Farm. A convict uprising here in 1804 led to The Battle of Vinegar Hill, Australia’s Irish Rebellion. This colourful episode is just the first chapter in the history of this area. Pam Wilson, the Secretary of the Hills District Historical Society will lead a walk which explores the many layers of history on this site. Saturday 18 October 2.00pm to 4.00pm Cattai Creek, Castle Hill Cattai Creek rises in Castle Hill and flows to the Hawkesbury River. This walk will explore some of the delightful scenery in its upper reaches, including pools and rapids. The return walk passes through typical sandstone and shale transition vegetation on the Knightsbridge fire trail. There will still be plenty of Spring flowers blooming to add to the pleasures of this walk. Saturday 1 November 10.00am to 12 noon Aboriginal Heritage Walk William Harvey Reserve Rouse Hill The permanent water along Caddies creek provided an abundance of game and plant foods for the people of the Darug tribe who lived there until European settlement displaced them. Our Darug guide will lead this walk which will explore the Aboriginal Heritage of his ancestors which still remains in this park. This includes remnant standing stones, a fish trap and an initiation site. Sunday 9 November 9.30 am to 11.30am and 1.00pm to 3.00pm James Pye’s Orchard and Thomas Atkins Vegetable Garden Speers Rd Reserve North Rocks Speers Road Reserve, North Rocks was the site of the most successful orange orchard in New South Wales. The owner was James Pye who gave the land and provided much of the stone to build the dam at Lake Parramatta. Amongst the sights to see on this walk will be an early road and the remains of the first house built by Thomas Atkins on the property. Sunday 23 November 10.00am to 12 noon Night Walk Scaly Gum Creek Kenthurst Experience the sights and sounds of the bush after dark. This walk is along a creek valley where yellow bellied gliders and swamp wallabies can be heard and maybe seen. Saturday 6 December 8.30pm to 10.00pm COST
BOOKINGS
 PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY Baulkham Hills Shire Council Upper Parramatta River Catchment Trust DIPNR Local Government Advisory Group www.sydneyhills.com.au |
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