Mummy, my legs hurt

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 Tallong, Southern Highlands NSW Distance: NPWS list it as 3.5km return, we got 5.3km return Duration: Listed as 3.5 - 4.5 hours and Grade 5, we took a bit under 3 (and we took our time mucking about in the creek) For our 10th wedding anniversary, Richard and I had a short getaway at Kangaroo Valley and decided to tackle a walk that we wouldn't be able to do if we had the kids in tow. Badgerys Spur walking track is just south of Tallong in the Ettrema wilderness area, and is a steep, chossy, loose track that drops 500 metres in just 2.5km. The bushland is open and scrubby making it one to avoid on very hot days and the track, although not really marked, is relatively easy to find. Climbing on all fours down this big sharp conglomerate bluff at the start you think, 'ah righto, this will be slow going!',  however the track soon evens out (but remains steep all the way down). Halfway down the hill we came to a stand of the biggest xanthorreas I'...

Near Blackheath, NSW Distance: 6.8km Duration: 2.5 hours Today we explored Fortress Lookout and the well-hidden Dr Dark's cave. Although the kids alternated between 'I hate life' and 'bush walking is awesome', they did great on this very steep and scrubby track! Heading along Mt Hay road we parked at a small parking area signposted as Fortress Ridge. Through a locked gate and up a steep rocky fire trail was Fortress Ridge Trail proper. At the end point of this track is a breathtaking vista, with the ground covered in scratchy low heath that slopes down gently -then all of a sudden you realise you're on the edge of a sheer drop, so don't let the kids run ahead on this bit! There are magnificent views down into the Grose valley and down to your left in the picture below you can see the (smallish) Medusa falls which I believe flow into Arethusa canyon. Backtracking from the lookout, keep your eyes peeled for the nondescript side trail to D...

I had been pretty nervous going into this race - I knew I'd picked a mentally challenging one for my first road marathon. And with the combined forces of some stressful restructuring going on at work plus a few overuse injuries starting to appear after the Run Against Violence, my training had been pretty light on for the past few weeks (or should that be months?). But there were also lots of things about this one that made it easy - it was very close to home, I knew the course, it was dead flat (although that's good and bad!), and lots of friends would be there running, supporting and spectating. Mostly I was worried about the heat but luckily on the day it was a little cooler than it could have been. Still warm, but not crazy-hot. That bloody wind however!! Gusting up to 50km/hr it wasn't so much fun as the day wore on. The 'A' plan for this race (a very far fetched A plan I might add) was to aim for a 4 hour finish in order to qualify for Mt Solitary Ultra ...

Near Leura NSW Distance: 4.1km return Duration: 2 hours After a failed attempt to do this walk on my birthday in July - failed because Richie was on crutches at the time - we returned on Fathers Day to give it a crack. With the sun shining and the wind howling we set off from the very end of Mt Hay road at Leura. This track is well marked with open low scrubby heath so you can see well off into the distance to the squat, dome-shaped Mt Hay crouching ahead. With the short people in tow we took our time as usual, and there were only a few patches where the bushes were so sharp and overgrown that I had to lift Holly up and over them. Some interesting features including a rock ledge to scramble up and some short eroded rock formations that made for a great perching spot for Ty to lean into the strong wind. The climb up to Mt Hay is gradual but open with little shade in the earlier parts so probably best avoided in the heat of the day. The track rounds a bend part w...

It was a tough day at the office today at Glenbrook marathon but as always Running Wild put on a wonderful friendly event! Thank you to all my beautiful friends for your hugs and high fives and support along the course, before, during and after. The community vibe is what makes these events so special. It was a cold, cold start at Euroka clearing early in the morning, but I knew it would warm up pretty fast, so I used my itchy but practical wool arm sleeves to keep warm while I was milling around the start line with Nicole, Jaime and a bunch of other local girls and guys. I knew this course like the back of my hand considering its within spitting distance of my house, but that didn't stop it feeling like a long slow trudge at times. The initial climb up the goat track out of Euroka is always a killer but I purposely slowed right down here and kept my heart rate as manageable as possible. It was perfect weather, not as hot as last year, and the parts I had found hard la...

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...