An enthusiastic group of walkers from the Foot Club planned a walk along the Light to Light trail on the coast of south -east NSW. We met in the old whaling town of Eden spending a night in an Airbnb, enjoying fish and chips at a local pub before an early start on Wednesday morning.
We planned it as a two day walk, camping at Saltwater Creek after the first section. We walked from the southern point at Green Cape Lighthouse (1883) north to Boyds Tower (1840s), the whale watch point. A distance of 30 kms.
Setting off through pristine native forest, initially well marked trail and opportunities to see the exquisite coast and impressive rock formations, such as Pulpit Rock.
Wildflowers
Not forgetting the Woolly Snowbutton
Fascinating fungi
There was quite a lot of variety in terrain. Some lovely coves, green open spaces for breaks, some creek crossings, clambering across rocks and large rock platforms. We passed the ruins of a storage building (1880-1927) which marked the end of a 7km tramway, where horses hauled hardwood for the lighthouse.
There were also stretches of heathland with a well trodden pathway. As we approached Saltwater Creek - 18 kms- the sun was setting and it was a very auspicious entry to the campsite. We had expected to have to wade through some sections of the beach along the way. Fortunately this was our only one as we managed to pass the others at low tide.
Our campsite. Pit toilets but no water. Our experienced crew were well prepared with water, firewood and provisions. It rained intermittently but not enough to spoil our evening.
We had visits from a rutting lyrebird, some local kangaroos and a curious possum.
The intrepid campers pitching swags for the first time.
Thursday. We set off about 8.30 in beautiful sunshine with a morning of sweeping views of the coast and short walks along pristine beaches.
This area has experienced quite a lot of rain in the last few weeks so the track was quite boggy in parts and in fact had been closed but we managed to clamber through unscathed. We reached the end of the path at Boyds Tower about 2pm to find our faithful shuttle drivers, Lone and Cate, there to meet us. The road/track between our starting and finishing points is a full of pot holes and would be a nightmare in wet weather.
We were so lucky with the weather, our support team and the expertise of our group, both for camping and knowledge of the area. It was a perfectly paced walk with spectacular views.
M
