by Janet L.
On 19 March 2023, my husband and I participated in the first CFS Bushwalk of the Month in 2023 – the Harold Reid Foreshore Track.
It was the first time we participated in a bushwalk organised by the CFS. We found that the bushwalk was different from other bushwalks in that it is value-added. The day before the walk, our enthusiastic and friendly bushwalk guide Dr. Bibi sent us photographs of the beautiful and special florals along the track. She challenged us to spot hem during the walk.
After a brief introduction of participants, we started the walk at the Sugarloaf Crescent entrance in Castlecrag.
It was a very hot day – the highest temperature reached 36 degrees Celsius. Luckily, the track was well sheltered from the sun by many tall and leafy trees.
It is a beautiful and interesting track. We admired the spectacular sea of ferns along the track. Perching on a tall tree, Cockatoos warned us to stay away from them with the squawking sounds. Delightful little white flowers dotted the track.
Helped by the friendly and enthusiastic Bibi, we found all the florals in the photographs sent by her the day before, including:
• the amazing flower stalks of grass tree, which are used as spears by Indigenous Australians.
• the white flannel flowers native to Australia, which symbolise resilience.
• the amazing frond of a tree fern; and
• the easily spotted red gum trees, distinguished by their twisted branches and smooth, bright red bark and leaking amber in summer.
We finished the walk in about two hours, followed by a lovely lunch in a restaurant in Chatswood with some of the bushwalk participants. My husband and I would love to participate in more CFS bushwalks.