Life Trove: hiking

Showing posts with label hiking. Show all posts

July 27, 2026

Botany Bay National Park and Cape Baily Lighthouse

Yesterday I walked the Cape Baily Track in the Botany Bay National Park, and the highlight was reaching Cape Baily Lighthouse. The walk itself is excellent, following the coastline through heathland with uninterrupted ocean views for much of the way. Despite being so close to Sydney, it feels surprisingly remote, and the lighthouse is a rewarding destination towards the end of the track.

Cape Baily Lighthouse has been guiding ships since 1950 and is still an active navigation aid today. Unlike many of Australia's historic stone lighthouses, it has a simple square concrete design, giving it a distinctive modern look. It was built to help ships travelling north stay on a safe course close to the coast and avoid offshore currents. I enjoyed the sense of isolation as much as the lighthouse itself. With no roads leading to it and nothing but rugged coastline and the Pacific Ocean surrounding it, it's an ideal place to stop, take in the scenery and appreciate one of Sydney's lesser-known lighthouses.

July 18, 2026

Memorable moments: The fastest slow hiker in the world

Of all the hikers in the world, I am fairly certain I possess the highest variable speed. Depending on the exact minute you look at me, I am both the fastest and the slowest hiker on the planet.

After I got divorced, I joined a number of local Hiking Meetup groups. It was a wonderful way to meet new people and get out into nature. Because hiking and photography are two of my greatest passions, I naturally wanted to combine them on these trips.

This created a very specific, exhausting rhythm.

Typically, I would loiter at the very back of the group, scanning the trail for a beautiful flower or a striking landscape. When I spotted something, I would stop entirely, spending five minutes setting up and capturing the perfect shot. Meanwhile, the rest of the group would keep walking, disappearing down the trail.

Realizing I was about to get left behind in the wilderness, I would then tuck my camera away and sprint like mad to catch up. I would fly down the path at breakneck speed until I finally reached the back of the pack. But the moment I caught my breath and spotted another interesting perspective, the cycle would repeat. I would drop anchor, take my photos, and then burst into another full-blown sprint.

I was caught in a constant loop of extreme loitering and high-speed chasing.

Fortunately, these days I hike with a regular bunch of mates who are far more tolerant of my photographic detours. The pace is much more balanced now, which is a massive relief—because as it turns out, sprinting a marathon in five-minute intervals gets incredibly tiring after a while.

May 25, 2026

Weekend away at Good Hope Farm near Robertson

An absolutely fabulous weekend away with Russell, Rob, Dawn, Glen, Brandon, Shane, Graeme, Lucy, Wouter and Hayley.

Highlights

A rather roundabout 3.5 hour journey to get there due to the recent floods.
The stunning sunrise over the dam each morning.
A fun walk to a waterfall for an invigorating swim.
An adventurous walk up the mountain with Graeme and Lucy. Graeme ran out of power to navigate and I was able to save the day by whipping out my powerbank.
The wonderful, friendly farm animals including Blondey (the horse), Honky (the donkey), Broomhilda (the big pig), Snuffles (the small pig) and Pecky (the ostrich).
Making pizzas on the 2nd night with the pizza oven. I broke the Guinness Book of Records for the most toppings on a pizza.
Spending more fun time with dear Russell.
A special heart-to-heart chat with Dawn.
Glen having a precarious swing over the dam.
Discussing the joys of birding with Hailey.
The love so evident between Hailey and Wouter - you'd think they've been together a year, not 14 years.
Brandon and Shane introducing me to sugar free lemonade and icecream.