Journal for Traveling

Journal for going on trips by SandwichCafe
Note that the time zone used to AEST

Bucket List:
ACT:
Gibraltar Peak in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Booroomba Rocks in Namadgi National Park

Completed:
Cascades Trail in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve in Canberra
Kosciuszko National Park
Royal National Park

NSW:
Kamay Botany Bay National Park
Mungo National Park
Warrumbungle National Park

Ones that I am really unlikely to do:
Kakadu National Park NT
Port Campbell National Park VIC
Freycinet National Park TAS
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Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature Reserve
Kelly’s Loop, Start: 12:45 PM End: 1:29 PM December 16th, 2022 Friday
Video: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52566674079/in/dateposted/

I started my walk by going right near the car park, and it wasn’t too busy and it was really windy, I went to the first hut for bird watching, it had good views but there were better near the end of the walk.

Birdwatching Hut: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52565907722/in/dateposted/
Birdwatching Hut View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52567097803/in/dateposted/

Not too long into the walk the reeds was starting to get really tall and there was a boardwalk over the billabong, it was really windy with the reeds blocking many of the signs and the views, there were small ponds in the reeds with pink stuff in it which I just found out was called Azolla Pinnata.

Boardwalk: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52566373091/in/dateposted/
River: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52565908342/in/dateposted/

Near the end of the loop was the most boring part with not much of the swamp being shown, but there is one spot where you can see the swamp and it's the best lookout with dead trees and the reeds in the swamp, I was wanting to do more walks like the billabong walk but I didn't have the time.

Lookout: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52565909017/in/datetaken/
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Australian National Botanical Gardens
Start: 1:11 PM End: 2:45 PM December 20th, 2022 Tuesday
Video: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52575160693/in/dateposted/

I last went to the botanical gardens in winter and I recorded my first ever video on Flickr there, I wanted to return there again in summer, I first went to the café there for a while and then started at Rainforest Gully.

Lizard I found in the café: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52574635236/in/dateposted/

When I entered there was surprisingly no one there so I started recording there, and since it was summer there was mosquitoes and I found a bite on my neck, near the end it started having mist at the end with me having to get rid of the water off my phone but I still liked the mist for how good it looks in photos.

Rainforest Gully mist: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52575081790/in/dateposted/
Rainforest Gully steps: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52574910989/in/dateposted/

I wanted next to go to the Rock Garden, since I wasn't there since June I got a little lost but I quickly found the right path, I went to see the waterfall which I skipped last time with lots of lizards in the garden, there was also a sundial at the end and a bee hotel
which no bees were inside of.

Waterfall: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52575087735/in/dateposted/
Ian Potter conservatory construction: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52575165863/in/dateposted/

At the end of the botanical gardens before the Black Mountain Summit trail appears is the Red Centre Garden, it was unsurprisingly really hot even though it was just 23°C (or 73.4°F) and there was a small lookout of the garden and it also had a screen on a sign showing the temperatures of Rainforest Gully and Red Centre Garden (which you can see at https://sites.google.com/view/botanical-gardens-data/home).

Red Centre Garden: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52574632321/in/dateposted/

At the end I went to the visitor centre to buy a book on Wildflowers in Kosciuszko National Park for when I eventually visit it, I would return to the botanical gardens when the Ian Potter Conservatory is completed so I can look at plants from places like Kakadu National Park and Christmas Island National Park and other Tropical and Exotic places in Australia and maybe other places in the world.
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Rob Roy Nature Reserve
Start: 2:51 PM End: 5:22 PM December 21st, 2022 Wednesday
Video: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52577323653/in/dateposted/

This is my third time visiting Rob Roy Nature Reserve and the most painful walk I have done so far, last time I went up Mount Rob Roy which was hard, this time I wanted to do Big Monks Summit again and Black and White Mine which wasn't too far from Big Monks, The first half of the walk is really really steep so I had to take many breaks to get my breathe again.

Entrance: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52577288588/in/dateposted/

After that section was over Thistles and Wildflowers started covering the trail and I started to regret bringing shorts and not bringing Band Aids because of the amount of scratches on my feet, I was also hiking with my sister and she even got a splinter that was bleeding, This was the first hike where I actually got injured but the good thing was there were loads of monarch butterfly's.

Thistles: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52577294518/in/dateposted/

I eventually got to Big Monks Summit and ate my snacks there and had a rest, after 10 Minutes I started looking for the Black and White mine which was first built in 1910, The hard part was it wasn't sign posted so I had to rely on the map on John Evan's website (https://www.johnevans.id.au/wp/). I first got the directions wrong mistaking some rocks for the mine but I was able to quickly find it after and when I tried getting down to the mine I slipped many times and had to use the poles to get my grip but it was worth getting to the mines.

Big Monks Summit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52576756661/in/dateposted/
Black and White Mine: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52576299592/in/dateposted/
Black and White Mine Sign: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52576299022/in/dateposted/
View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52576759996/in/dateposted/

I started going back and my shoes were really dirty and when I was getting back I had a short stop at a pond with some ducks in it, It was also starting to get cloudy and surprisingly I was not out of breath while I was getting down from Big Monks, when I got back the the entrance and onto the car park I was checking my shoes for if they were untied.

Rob Roy Pond: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52577037249/in/dateposted/
Rob Roy Range: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52577291588/in/dateposted/
Rob Roy Range with Tree: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52577288993/in/dateposted/
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Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve - Cascades Trail
Start: 1:37 PM End: 2:25 PM
January 1st, 2023 Sunday
Video: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52598718312/in/datetaken/

Because it is New Years Day I wanted to celebrate it by going to Tidbinbilla, I was going through my book on walks in the ACT and nearby NSW and in the Tidbinbilla Section was the cascades walk, previously the only walk in Tidbinbilla I have ever done was the sanctuary loop.

Car park sign: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52599173386/in/datetaken/
Wasp warning sign: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52599434594/in/datetaken/

The walk started at Mountain Creek car park which also has Camels Hump and John's Peak which is way harder, Not too soon into the walk Ferns started appearing and Mosquitoes started to get annoying, The first waterfall appeared with a sign talking about Lyrebirds which I never saw on the trail.

Sign: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52599602005/in/datetaken/
Boardwalk: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52598685087/in/datetaken/

After the first one the trail started to get more steep and narrow with more families on the trail, You could get small views of other mountains in Tidbinbilla (I believe it was Mount Domain) one thing I also like is Boulders on the side of the trail which Tidbinbilla has loads of.

Narrow Trail: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52598686472/in/datetaken/
Trail: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52599603610/in/datetaken/

I then reached the Waterfall that was featured in the book I was using and it looked like a Good Phone Wallpaper, and a Boulder near the boardwalk, I see the Waterfall a lot inside of the Visitor Centre and it was worth going to.

Waterfall: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52599177421/in/datetaken/
Boardwalk: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52599605815/in/datetaken/
Trail: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52599697563/in/datetaken/

When I was going back to the Mountain Creek car park I used the shortcut to get there, with a small Creek running near the trail, and it got slightly steep going down and after the walk I got a map on Thredbo-Perisher area of Kosciuszko National Park and I got one thing from the bucket list on the journal completed.
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Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve - Wetlands Walk
Start: 12:22 End: 1:15 PM
January 6th, 2023 Friday
Video: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52610305530/in/datetaken/

I wanted to check off another thing off my bucket list so I did Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, I also wanted to come because the new Visitor Centre opened which is called Wildbark, When I first arrived at Wildbark I was slightly disappointed because I was expecting something like the Botanic Gardens, Tidbinbilla and Namadgi but it only had a Café and no Gift shop and most importantly Resources you could buy like Books on things like the Canberra Centenary Trail or the Southern Highlands and how the Visitor Centre closed too early at 2 PM, but at least they had some free books on mostly birds.

Wildbark: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52610067829/in/datetaken/

I started the Wetlands walk and the trail was this boardwalk with large reeds next to it but no water yet, I could even see the trees in the Wetlands this early into the walk, with some small wildflowers also, with some signs walking about Insects and Flowers.

Mulligans Flat Sign and Map: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52610289193/in/datetaken/
Boardwalk: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52609800846/in/datetaken/

I once arrived at a gate where I could see the water with a truck that belonged to the ACT Parks and Conservation Service, When I got to the Wetlands I tried both paths going left and right around the Wetlands with good views and signs about the Wildlife, and it started being less cloudy.

Gate: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52610060689/in/datetaken/
Wetlands/Dam: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52609294517/in/datetaken/
Panorama: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52609295137/in/datetaken/
Wetlands Sign: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52609297172/in/datetaken/
Wetlands Bird Sign: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52610238940/in/datetaken/

I started going back to the visitor centre for 15 minutes and had a drink there, and also read some of the books there, I found the walk a bit too short but I still enjoyed it.

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Mount Kosciuszko Preparation (OLD)
Really soon in January I will be going to Mount Kosciuszko (at 2,228 m and 7,310 ft) and I will be doing the walk from Thredbo, and for practice I am going to Rob Roy Nature Reserve so I can get used to walking uphill, Mount Rob Roy is Grade 4 and Mount Kosciuszko from Thredbo is Grade 3 so I will be really prepared.

But there are some problems:
Mount Kosciuszko is really popular during summer and it might be hard looking for parking and Australia right now is experiencing a Cold Snap (https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/weather/australia-experiencing-remarkable-summer-snow-as-a-recordbreaking-cold-snap-sweeps-across-the-southeast/news-story/8e0d3b13307529022a8960ebf25980fc) I am checking for the forecast for Thredbo a lot and currently it's mostly sunny and the temperature is around 19°C (67°F) and 24°C (75°F) so I think the cold snap is gone.

I also need money for the trip to enter Kosciuszko National Park and I am planning on stopping at Cooma and Jindabyne on the 2 hour and 32 minute ride there (But at least the car ride isn't too long since one time I was getting to Katoomba and it was 4 hours)
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Mount Kosciuszko from Thredbo
Start: 10:56 AM End: 2:58 PM
January 19th, 2023 Thursday
Video: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52635852642/in/datetaken/

This is likely going to be the longest thing I have ever written, I set an alarm up at 6:00 AM and the previous day I brought snacks from Woolworths for the trip, and then I started leaving at 7:00 AM, For the first Hour and a Half of the drive there I was on the Monaro Highway and stopped at Bredbo for the Toilets.

The next stop was Cooma where I stopped for McDonald's for some food, after Cooma the elevation started getting higher at 900 meters (or 2952.76 feet) and Granite Tors started being more common, after that I stopped at Jindabyne for the visitor centre and brought a souvenir, and then 30 minutes later I arrived at Thredbo where I got a temporary pass and got on the Chairlifts.

Jindabyne Visitor Centre: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52635782822/in/datetaken/
Thredbo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636296376/in/datetaken/
Thredbo Chairlifts: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52635783792/in/datetaken/

I don't have a fear of heights and going on the Chairlifts wasn't scary, but the views of Thredbo was amazing and it took 15 minutes to get to the start of the Mount Kosciuszko walk, There was fog for a bit and then it disappeared quickly and I started the walk, The path was first concrete and then it became a Boardwalk with the small bridge with the creek under it which made it look amazing with also small ponds appearing in the grass.

Creek: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636557874/in/datetaken/
Boardwalk: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636780963/in/datetaken/
Small Pond: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636559309/in/datetaken/

Views of Mount Kosciuszko started appearing when I got to the Kosciuszko lookout and the Boardwalk starts going downhill and Construction was being done on the Boardwalk which I had to walk around, There was a small patch of snow with people walking up to it, When I got up to it I got to touch snow for the first time.

Kosciuszko Lookout: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52635788152/in/datetaken/
Construction: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636743375/in/datetaken/
Small Patch of Snow: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636302416/in/datetaken/

After the walk was going uphill I saw Lake Cootapatamba which is the highest lake in Australia and far in the distance you could see the Cootapatamba Hut which is bright red, I reached Rawson Pass which was Toilets and a closer view of Mount Kosciuszko, the Boardwalk became concrete and going up Mount Kosciuszko getting more steep with little waterfalls near the path and when I reached the summit some people were doing construction work but I was able to get on the Summit Cairn and for an entire minute, I was the highest person in Australia and I could see views of Mount Townsend.

Lake Cootapatamba: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636784448/in/datetaken/
Mount Kosciuszko Trail views: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52635790237/in/datetaken/
Mount Kosciuszko view from the bottom: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636304301/in/datetaken/
Mount Kosciuszko Creek: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636746940/in/datetaken/
Mount Kosciuszko Summit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636566019/in/datetaken/
Mount Kosciuszko Summit views: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196014356@N04/52636566554/in/datetaken/

I stayed at the Summit for around 20 Minutes and had my snacks there, it wasn't as windy as I was expecting but it was really cold, I started going down after and noticed less people on the trail, I went to the Rawson Pass Toilets and they had the worst smell I have ever seen a Public Toilet have, My legs started hurting a lot and Someone asked as to stop for a minute because a Helicopter was passing with 2 White Bags, after that I started going down the Chairlifts:

When I got down I tried the other Gondola lift and then got back in the Car and drove around Lake Crackenback and stopped in Jindabyne to have some food again and then went back home.
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