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Displaying items by tag: talks

Sunday, 03 October 2021 18:27

Our activities in 2021

Although most of our walks and talks have had to be cancelled there has been lots of activity behind the scenes.

Walks

Walks were scheduled for every month but either the weather or COVID intervened so the only walks held were on 21 March (Pennant Hills Park), 21 April (Lawson), 24 April (Sheldon Forest Heritage Walk), 23 May (St Ives Showground), 20 June (Devlins Creek, rain affected but still went ahead) then the COVID lockdown hit. Somehow these activities feel to have been in the dim distant past.

Talks

We finally managed to hear Prof Culum Brown’s talk on shark behaviour after it had been postponed by the South Turramurra bushfire in 2019 and then COVID in 2020. A summary of Culum’s talk is in STEP Matters, May 2021 issue.

Talks on Julian’s Hibbertia and Gondwanan Plants of the Sydney Region have had to be cancelled.

Submissions

There has been plenty of work to do preparing submissions of local issues and plans.

March – Barra Brui synthetic turf proposal
May – Eden Gardens high rise development
May – Hornsby Park and Westleigh Park masterplans
June – Gordon Flying Fox Reserve Plan of Management
June – Northern Beaches Tunnel and links
June – Mirvac demolition DA
July – proposed sale of Bales Park, Roseville
August – St Ives Showground draft Plan of Management
September – Mirvac EPBC referral
September – Ku-ring-gai fauna management policy
September – Hassall Park redevelopment

Published in STEP Matters 212

Walks and Talks

Our walks and talks are free and open to all. Click here for video links to some of our talks and walks.

Talks

Usually held at St Andrews Uniting Church, corner of Vernon Street and Chisholm Street, Turramurra.

Walks

We run two sorts of walks; our introduction to to local bushland walks are 2 h long whilst our other walks explore further afield and usually take 4 to 5 h.

See below for our guidelines for walkers and details of how we grade our walks.

Guidelines for Walkers

For safety reasons and the enjoyment of walkers, numbers are limited
Bushwalking can be hazardous: we usually walk on unsealed, uneven surfaces which may slope and be slippery or loose; insects may bite or sting; snakes are rare but may be seen
If you are an inexperienced bushwalker or have a medical condition which could affect your walk, please discuss with your leader prior to departure
Wear strong, comfortable, enclosed footwear with a non-slippery sole
Bring plenty of water and keep well hydrated
Bring appropriate food, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent and wet weather gear if necessaryBring plenty of water, appropriate food, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent and wet weather gear if necessary
Dispose of any rubbish in a thoughtful manner
Only trained assistance dogs are allowed on our walks

Grades of Walks

All our walks are grade 2 or 3 according to the Australian Walking Track Grading System and are usually less than 10 km:

Grade 2 (easy) – no bushwalking experience required. The track is hardened or compacted surface and may have a gentle hill section or sections and occasional steps.
Grade 3 (moderate) – suitable for most ages and fitness levels. Some bushwalking experience recommended. Tracks may have short steep hill sections, a rough surface and many steps.