Taking a walk through the bush and ‘burbs
A merry band from Eastlake Walkers take to the streets and the bush for one of the best combined walks in the Lake Macquarie local government area.
MAP: Starting out from the Speers Point car park, the yellow line sets out the circular nature of the walk that covered seven kilometres over three hours along tracks ranging from grade 1 to 3. Picture credit: Ken Linsley supplied the map and all the pictures in this pictorial report.
Visit MMM … Issue 39, August – September 2023 for the pictorial story.
Getting into the swing of things, after the initial streetscape, the walkers take to the unsealed tracks that constitute the walks around Munibung Hill with a detention pond and reclamation of land as part of the scenery. This section of the walk was along what MHCS has named the Wantalong (Wattle Tree) Walk
View across what were the gravel quarries at the end of Hawkins Street, Speers Point. They are being redeveloped as a housing estate. A short diversion off the Wantalong Walking track, provides the next best thing to a birds eye view of the site and Lake Macquarie in the background.
At the end of the Wantalong Track walkers reach the Munibung Hill summit from which panoramic views to the north, east and south are the main attraction.
South bound along what has been colloquially named The Songline Heritage Walk, the Eastlakes Walkers reach the southern end located in the Hawkins Creek catchment before dropping down into the valleys above Farm Street, Speers Point.
The lush vegetation enjoyed by the walkers as they make their way within the creek catchments and along The Tamarind Nature Walk, before exiting at Quarry Road for the final leg back to the Speers Point carpark.
All up the walk distance was about 7 kilometres over 3 hours.