weekend walks: west head in ku-ring-gai chase national park
We were graced again today with blue skies and sunshine. The weather was a pleasant 20° Celsius without any wind this week (thank goodness). We drove to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park so we could see Red Hand Cave and enjoy a walk to West Head Lookout and back.
The Red Hand Cave is Aboriginal rock painting and is dated to be about 2000 years old. It was very fascinating to see.
The view out to sea from West Head Lookout was stunning! We could just see Barrenjoey Lighthouse….
Our eagerness to walk (also as part of practice for the Camino), we thought we should challenge ourselves more. And we did. We headed down, down and further down til we reached West Head Beach, which we were SO pleased to do! It was so picture perfect and serene with calm blue waters in between us and Barrenjoey Lighthouse.
But then, it was time to head back UP! As easy and lovely as it was to head down, walking back up was completely a different story. Our only highlight was spotting 3 kookaburras in a tree at once – unfortunately we weren’t quick enough to snap a photo of the 3 of them. So one will have to do 🙂 
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is approximately 25 km north of Sydney, covering about 154km². Car entry costs $11 per day and gates open at sunrise and close at sunset.
Hope you all have a lovely week ahead!
wise monkeys abroad 
May 27, 2014 at 10:04 pm
Wow… incredible images… Fourth image is my pick here 🙂
May 14, 2014 at 6:20 am
Such striking photos!!
May 14, 2014 at 6:47 am
Thank you!!
May 13, 2014 at 11:06 pm
Wow breathtaking photos!
May 14, 2014 at 5:39 am
Thank you 🙂
May 12, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Reblogged this on Kevin's Walk on the Wild Side.
May 12, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Sigh…wish I were there…to take a dip in the deep blue water!! 🙂
May 12, 2014 at 5:31 pm
You should come visit but maybe only in the warmer months, the blue sky and sunshine is deceiving because the water would be chilly!!!
May 12, 2014 at 5:05 pm
Yep, definitely one of our favourite places, and again, the weather has been great. I’m just curious about “West Head Beach” – do you mean the little one between Second Head and West Head (facing Barrenjoey) or round the point (facing Lion Island). I didn’t know they had names!! [Unlike Mackerel Beach, which is bigger]
May 12, 2014 at 5:35 pm
Yes, we were once again very lucky with the weather 🙂 The sunshine and blue sky has been kind to us!
This is West Head Beach (according to the sign), facing Barrenjoey – a tiny little beach. In between Resolute Picnic Area and West Head look out!
We have so much more exploring to do as we didn’t even know there was a second head or a Mackerel Beach!! More walks in future?? Think so!
May 12, 2014 at 4:30 am
beautiful. every time I look at your posts, I miss Australia a little bit more!
May 12, 2014 at 5:48 am
Awww… Thank you for the compliment but sorry for making you miss Australia. Hope you had a lovely weekend.
May 11, 2014 at 7:17 pm
Lovely weather, considering that you guys are approaching winter…
May 11, 2014 at 7:18 pm
Yes – we have been lucky this weekend! The nights are definitely getting colder!
Hope you are well 🙂