Day 4: Bittangabee Bay to Green Cape lighthouse
In case you haven’t worked it out, this walk is called “Light to Light” because the walk goes from Boyd tower “lighthouse” to Green Cape lighthouse. The funny thing is that neither of the lighthouses have functioned as proper lighthouses. Boyd’s lighthouse never got Govt approval to operate and Green Cape was replaced by a solar powered lens in 1992
Green Cape is heritage listed because it is the southernmost lighthouse in New South Wales and Australia’s first lighthouse built in concrete. At 29 metres (95 ft) it is also the tallest lighthouse in New South Wales.
The newly completed Green Cape Lighthouse was operating on 30 May 1886 – the night of the Ly-eye-Moon disaster, which is considered one of NSW’s worst maritime disasters. On a clear, calm night en route from Melbourne to Sydney, the paddle-steamer ran full-speed into rocks at the base of the lighthouse and quickly broke apart. Seventy-one lives were lost in the sinking, including Flora MacKillop, the mother of Mary MacKillop.
Disaster Bay ( pictured above)which is just down the road from Green Cape has become “a veritable graveyard” of ships, the site of many shipwrecks on the far south coast of NSW.
After that historic aside, back to the walk… the day started with our guide, Jason, setting up shop in the reception area of the hotel, offering help to all those with blisters and other hotspots on their feet.
He has made us all paranoid by telling us that ticks are everywhere on the walk, so any itch you got was instantly inspected. He had special stuff in his pack to freeze ticks off your body.
The track we walked today was technically closed!
We walked the new track which will not be officially opened until April.
Compared to the old track which goes inland, the new track winds it way right along the coast.
The new track has LOTS of newly laid sandstone steps ( great for arthritic knees)
It also had red rock platforms and rocky outcrops to traverse
The best part (not) was a beach of boulders ( which we named Boulder beach) which had to be traversed. One of my walking companions recorded my journey across the boulders…. You can see me in full concentration
Very pleased to get it over with and join the others who had been waiting patiently for me!
But there were also lovely forests to walk through and even some very new boardwalk and steps
We saw a blowhole and some amazing rock formations
About five kilometres in, Jason made us morning tea.
Great joy when we finally reached Green Cape
It was a really lovely walk with a great bunch of people who were very caring and supportive of the slowest ( and oldest) member of the group..moi!
Comments
2 responses to “Sara’s sojourn to the Sapphire coast”
Well done Sar – you did it! Oldest and slowest be damned!!
You don’t look the oldest! x