Join one of our volunteers as she and a friend walk their favourite local trails and highlight their favourite bits along the way.
Our next walk took us cross country to join the B2M route, starting at the Vaucluse High Street shops through Vaucluse House and down to Vaucluse Bay. Stunning weather, crystal clear water, although still a bit too cold for even the keenest swimmer and the dogs having a wonderful time splashing around.
Rob was telling me how much the area has changed over the decades since he was a boy. Every house had a backyard then, many families kept animals (chooks, sheep and the like – Vaucluse House had lots of sheep) and the trams ran regularly from Queens Square through Kings Cross down New South Head Road to Watson’s Bay. But the area hasn’t lost its natural beauty and charm. In his day, he and his brothers used to ride their bikes through the bush near the shoreline, but of course now much of that has been opened up for easy public access and enjoyment.
The ferries used to run to Parsley Bay and Nielsen Park with hundreds pouring off them at the weekend to enjoy being by the foreshore. It seemed to me to be rather like the crowds we see today disembarking from the ferries at Manly.
There are B2M signs all over the track, including this one in Wentworth Rd, Vaucluse.
We followed the B2M route through to Parsley Bay and wandered over one of our favourite bits, the suspension bridge (built in 1912 to provide easy pedestrian access between the two sides of Parsley Bay).
The views from the bridge are spectacular, out over the water to Port Jackson and if you look straight down in summer you can see people swimming, kayaking and splashing in the water. Some try their hand at fishing … sometimes with success.
Rob likes looking for little colonies of sea horses on his regular snorkels. I’m happy just having a swim before we head off on another part of track and start our regular game of spotting Eastern Water Dragons. I’m so far behind Rob on the score sheet on this, it’s not funny!
Back to Watson’s Bay again and looking forward to our next outing.
If you enjoyed reading about my walk, please have a read of my other walk here.
** Thanks to Richard C who let us know that the trams ran from Queens Square in the City through Kings Cross and then along New South Head Road through Double Bay to the Y intersection with Old South Head Road and there went on the east side of Old South Head Road to Watsons Bay.
Richard was lucky enough to have ridden this many times and even got to drive the tram through the cutting in Gap Park in the mid 1950’s when he was in Cubs (Boys Scout Association).
We love hearing your stories of these beautiful parts of Sydney we all love.
