Mummy, my legs hurt

Where: Glenbrook, Blue Mountains Distance: 2.5km Duration: Approx 1 hour Despite living a stone's throw from Glenbrook and exploring the national park almost weekly, we hadn't yet been to this peaceful track overlooking Erskine Creek. First up however, we stopped along the way at Blue Pool, a great walk for the smallest of people that still feels interesting and 'bushwalky' enough, even if you happen to be going at toddler pace. I've been here a few times solo and always find it a stark contrast to the busyness of nearby uber-popular Jellybean pool. With Jellybean having its own large carpark it is a rare occasion when you can enjoy it without crowds. Unfortunately with crowds comes irresponsible people and in turn lots of rubbish. It's crushing to see how much litter is left carelessly at Jellybean, and likewise, how much makes its way down the creek to its confluence along the Nepean River. On this day, we were able to enjoy the rubbish-free Bl...

Near Lithgow Distance: 2.3km Duration: We took a bit over an hour Today we decided to explore Dargan Arch, a very cool eroded rock formation out near Bell. Getting there was an adventure in itself! We were following some vague directions which took us along the Darling Causeway, and up Sandham Rd to Dargan. We searched in vain for 'pole 384' to turn off at, overshooting it and ending up at a colliery. After some backtracking with all of us hanging out the car windows scanning poles and trees for numbers, we finally found 384, and drove a short way down a scrubby unmaintained trail. There was a bare patch about the size of 2 car spaces that we took to be the 'parking area' referred to in the notes we were using. From there it was a 15 minute walk down a loose, rocky, rutted 4WD track to Dargan Arch. The arch itself is very big and you can walk across it (with care of course). It feels quite safe but mind the edges, as its a fair way down! Looking down o...

Near Kangaroo Valley Distance: 1km return Duration: 20 minutes Tucked away  near Kangaroo Valley is the Cambewarra Range Nature Reserve, accessible via an unassuming dirt track that leads off a hairpin turn on Moss Vale Road at the top of Cambewarra Mountain. Leebold Hill Rd traverses the ridgeline for a few kilometres and gets progressively rougher; a bit of clearance on your car will come in handy here. Red Rocks trig point is at the end of a very short peaceful track, covered in orange butterflies when we were there in the spring time. The worn sandstone plateau brings you to a magnificent (but unfenced - be careful!) lookout with 180 degree views across the valley and Morton and Budderoo National Parks. This would be a great walk to spot cool gum nuts and cool rocks, but remember to leave everything just as you found it. This walk is within a National Parks managed reserve. It was cool and windy and we heard many tiny wrens tittering in the bushes.

Near Woy Woy NSW Distance: 2.5km Duration: 45 minutes Today we explored Bouddi national park along the very easy boardwalk that begins at Putty Beach and goes for over 8km. We did a small stretch up to Gerrin Point lookout as we had been out for a family lunch earlier that day so the kids weren't up to a big day out. Unfortunately the time of day also meant we had to dodge a lot of people; this one is popular on sunny days, especially when we were there right at the start of whale season. This boardwalk is fantastic in that it hugs the coastline but is open so that you can step off and explore the amazing rock formations and get closer to the coastal views. This might be a bit hairy for smaller kids who are liable to run off a cliff but for our 7 and 9 year olds it was a good adventure. There are some sections early on with stairs, and let's be honest, nobody likes stairs. Apart from that it's mostly open coastal heath interspersed with s...

Near Blackheath NSW Distance: ~1 km Duration: 45 minutes What a magical find this little walk is. Tucked away down below a hairpin turn on Megalong Rd, if you blink you'll miss the tiny carpark area opposite the start of this walk. A small signpost points the way to the start of the track, and whilst the track itself is rough and steep in parts, overall it's what I'd call an easy walk because it's so short. There's some typical snaggle-toothed blue mountains stairs to get down to some beautiful small falls forming the centrepiece of a natural amphitheater. The mermaid's cave itself is supposedly up higher on the cliff wall but we didn't even notice it, we were too busy with our heads down spotting a wide variety of stunning toadstools as there had been substantial rain recently. The falls flow softly over some gently sloping rocks which of course are slippery; remind the little ones that green rocks = a sore bum when you slip! Ty and...