Stepping Out: Joy in July Adventures
Out and About with Heritage Ventures
A beautiful day awaits you on Sunday 7 July on our Caves of Kulnura tour exploring the wondrous caves and overhangs amidst winter flowers and geological diversity – a wild forest adventure. Hear about the archaeological surveys undertaken around these lesser known parts of Upper Mangrove Creek and the dating of the oldest habitation site on the Central Coast.
Visit to the forest, caves, overhangs and hillsides around Basalt Hill and Kulnura
Our bush walk in this rugged landscape takes us past caves and overhangs with views to basalt country and beyond. On the way we encounter shelters many surveyed by Val Attenbrow and Jo McDonald before the inundation for Mangrove Creek dam. Attenbrow and colleagues documented hundreds of habitation and rock art sites with a diversity of motifs rendered in white clay, red ochre and charcoal in the archaeology of Upper Mangrove Creek.
Hear about the distinct geology of the region from sandstone and basalt to ironstone and conglomerate rock in an area mined for its stone from Aboriginal pre-settlement times to today. Enjoy a forest adventure with a group of like-minded enthusiasts. Bush morning tea included.
10kms bush walk. Time: 8.30am – 4pm. Cost $85
Later in July on Sunday 28th The Secrets of Dubbo Gully walking tour takes us back in time through the abandoned sites of a former village, the St Thomas Cemetery, school of Arts, and the ruins of Fairview Homestead. In the footsteps of – hear the stories of a long lost river community.
Exploring the historical remains of Dubbo Gully when Mangrove Creek was a thriving community with wharves, inns and slab homes.
On this winter walking tour we drop down into Dubbo Gully and explore the hidden sites of a former community. First fleet lemons and blackberries, former orchards and abandoned homes. Our expert guide illuminates the histories of settlers from the 1830s and 1840s and living stories from growing up in the area – hear about what happened at ‘the Matchbox’ and ‘Mead Gully’. We trace the original road from Sydney to the coast across heritage wooden bridges within the extraordinary landscape of acacias, gymea lilies and trickling creeks past St Thomas’ Cemetery and pay a visit to the ruins of Fairview the last remaining homestead in the valley.
10km walk mainly on fire trail. Time: 9am – 4pm. Cost $85
Tickets: https://www.heritageventures.com.au/tours
Looking forward to our next meet up.
Bernadette Flynn, Director, Heritage Ventures
