Munibung Hill is a jewel in the crown for Lake Macquarie, says Ken McGregor.

“There is no other place in the region where there can be views like those from Munibung Hill.”

Ken McGregor has lived in the Macquarie Hills area for eight years and walking Munibung Hill since that time, “all part of my regular walking routine,”  Ken told us. Back in his younger days, Ken followed the track up from Lucilla Ridge to Ocean View Lookout, and on occasions took the Wattle Tree Walk to Boolaroo, exiting at First Street.  At other times Ken would be accompanied by his eight and eleven year old grandchildren, but more often than not, these days he walks alone, limiting himself to the north eastern slopes.

“Trail bikes are prohibited from the Reserves, which are the main entry point to Munibung Hill. They are causing damage to the vegetation as well as serious erosion,” said Ken. “There needs to be physical barriers installed to stop this access, and to prevent further damage.”

Ken is part of the Warners Bay Landcare group, which covers an area within the North Creek and Warners Creek catchments.  Lakelands Ponds is part of this system, and would have been fed with water shed from Munibung Hill back in the days before urban subdivisions.

“The creeks for thousands of years, included a chain of ponds with the water filtering through these natural vegetated areas (wetlands) on their way to the Lake – which of course ensured the lake was for the most part clean and free of sediment and  contaminants,” said Ken. “The ponds supported a wide variety of freshwater species, including birds such as Egrets and Banded Rails – our colloquial names for Egrets Creek and Banded Rail Creek.”

Picture source: Ken McGregor  — (From MMM, Issue # 17, April 2021).

Editors note: The creeks that start as order 1 flowlines in the shadow of Munibung Hill run east and south to join the order 4, North Creek, which enters Lake Macquarie  See the Strahler Stream Order Fact sheet here