Wineglass Bay Lookout - September 2014

Robert and I enjoyed a great weekend with our friends Kerrie and Richard, at Swanwick. The weather was glorious, more like summer than spring.  On the Saturday Robert and I walked to the Cape Tourville lookout and discovered that the path had been very professionally upgraded since we were here last.  Top quality stainless steel railings and winding modern timber decking mean there are no irritants to detract from the fantastic views over the cliffs.

Richard and Kerrie told us that the Wineglass Bay Lookout walk has also been upgraded in the last few years, so we decided on the Sunday that we had to take a look.  Unfortunately Kerrie had to work in the morning, but Richard, Robert and I set off.  The newly extended carpark features strong use of the fabulous pink Hazards granite in the stone walls and steps.


The gathering area at the starting point of the walks to Mt Amos, Wineglass Bay and beyond has been enlarged to cater for the busloads of visitors who come to this famous National Park.  


The path up to the wide saddle between Mt Amos and Mt Mayson has been extensively re-routed and widened since we were last here.  There are many stone steps to provide a safer trek up the hill, and there are lots of well engineered granite retaining walls, benches and drains.  

The new balustrades here have a smooth treated steel railing and rusty-look iron uprights.  This look and feel complements the rugged granite outcrops and the muted greys and greens of the pristine East Coast woodland of the Hazards.


There are many artisan made wooden and granite benches for people to catch their breath on.




The viewing platform overlooking Wineglass Bay has been extended to accommodate the increased visitor numbers, but is still a very inviting spot to rest and enjoy the view.  


I was intrigued by this metalwork embedded in the path near the lookout:


Coming back down, we found that the new return loop to the carpark is actually the old track.  A new section towards the bottom veers to the right and features the same upgraded handrails and superb stonework as the new uphill track.

What a great place to sit and enjoy the view.  These rocks were massive.

The walk took us 1 hour 9 minutes.



To top it off, back at the carpark was a very tame wallaby with joey in the pouch.








1 comment:

  1. Sorry Di - that last comment was from Andrea Scott - Lovely! You're making me homesick!

    ReplyDelete