Whiling Away an early Wattle Day

A late lunch of tomato and bacon soup with sourdough at the Robertson Cheese Factory Cafe fortified us for more waterfalls. The cafe was right by the railway line and there were a surprising number of goods trains coming through. Sorry, it’d be nice, but that’s not my car waiting at the rail crossing, one of many crossings found around here. If your really keen on trains, Heritage Express runs ‘The Southern Highlander’ steam train from Sydney to Bowral and Robertson every few months. For now, it’s  time to head off to nearby Belmore Falls and Carrington Falls. Belmore Falls is part of the Morton National Park an easy 1.5 km each way or 45 minute walk. Here’s a map. Decided against the 4km of dirt road at Belmore Falls today and headed onto Carrington Falls  in the Budderoo National Park before it got too late. Minnamurra Falls is also well worth a visit on the Jamberoo Road from Kiama to Robertson.

September 1 is National Wattle Day in Australia, when we celebrate these wonderful green and gold flowers and the arrival of Spring (and hayfever!). Already, there is plenty of wattle here in the Southern Highlands and in Sydney. Carrington Falls is a delightful spot and perfect for a little picnic, especially if you have your trusty thermos and a snack or two to enjoy, after wandering around. The loop track is only 500 metres and has 4 different lookouts. Here’s a map.

It’s not far to the Falls. At the top of the Falls, I enjoyed the luxury of  simply sitting in the warm sun and watching it play on the water, as it sped towards the precipice. As I had wheels (a car) this time and wasn’t intending to trek any great distance, I had dusted off my digital SLR and brought it along. My little Canon Power Shot is great for its size and mobility and rarely leaves my side but I was hoping for some great landscape shots. So finally, here’s Carrington Falls.

Pity I’d forgotten half of the settings, so I just sat by the swirling waters experimenting, with varying degrees of success, as you can see. Always try to catch that sparkle of light on the water but it’s a bit hard when the wind wants to blow the flowers all over the place. Birds rarely want to co-operate and pose either. Signs on the other hand are stoically focussed on the task at hand and totally compliant.

When the chill reaches the bones you know it’s time to move on back to Moss Vale and a cosy room with dinner and a scrumptious dessert. Sorry, no scones today.