Displaying items by tag: talks
Our activities in 2021
Although most of our walks and talks have had to be cancelled there has been lots of activity behind the scenes.
Walks
Walks were scheduled for every month but either the weather or COVID intervened so the only walks held were on 21 March (Pennant Hills Park), 21 April (Lawson), 24 April (Sheldon Forest Heritage Walk), 23 May (St Ives Showground), 20 June (Devlins Creek, rain affected but still went ahead) then the COVID lockdown hit. Somehow these activities feel to have been in the dim distant past.
Talks
We finally managed to hear Prof Culum Brown’s talk on shark behaviour after it had been postponed by the South Turramurra bushfire in 2019 and then COVID in 2020. A summary of Culum’s talk is in STEP Matters, May 2021 issue.
Talks on Julian’s Hibbertia and Gondwanan Plants of the Sydney Region have had to be cancelled.
Submissions
There has been plenty of work to do preparing submissions of local issues and plans.
- March – Barra Brui synthetic turf proposal
- May – Eden Gardens high rise development
- May – Hornsby Park and Westleigh Park masterplans
- June – Gordon Flying Fox Reserve Plan of Management
- June – Northern Beaches Tunnel and links
- June – Mirvac demolition DA
- July – proposed sale of Bales Park, Roseville
- August – St Ives Showground draft Plan of Management
- September – Mirvac EPBC referral
- September – Ku-ring-gai fauna management policy
- September – Hassall Park redevelopment
Walks and Talks
Walks and Talks
Our walks and talks are free and open to all. Click here for video links to some of our talks and walks.
Talks
Usually held at St Andrews Uniting Church, corner of Vernon Street and Chisholm Street, Turramurra.
Walks
We run two sorts of walks; our introduction to to local bushland walks are 2 h long whilst our other walks explore further afield and usually take 4 to 5 h.
See below for our guidelines for walkers and details of how we grade our walks.
Guidelines for Walkers
- For safety reasons and the enjoyment of walkers, numbers are limited
- Bushwalking can be hazardous: we usually walk on unsealed, uneven surfaces which may slope and be slippery or loose; insects may bite or sting; snakes are rare but may be seen
- If you are an inexperienced bushwalker or have a medical condition which could affect your walk, please discuss with your leader prior to departure
- Wear strong, comfortable, enclosed footwear with a non-slippery sole
- Bring plenty of water and keep well hydrated
- Bring appropriate food, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent and wet weather gear if necessaryBring plenty of water, appropriate food, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent and wet weather gear if necessary
- Dispose of any rubbish in a thoughtful manner
- Only trained assistance dogs are allowed on our walks
Grades of Walks
All our walks are grade 2 or 3 according to the Australian Walking Track Grading System and are usually less than 10 km:
- Grade 2 (easy) – no bushwalking experience required. The track is hardened or compacted surface and may have a gentle hill section or sections and occasional steps.
- Grade 3 (moderate) – suitable for most ages and fitness levels. Some bushwalking experience recommended. Tracks may have short steep hill sections, a rough surface and many steps.
Videos of talks and walks
- Balancing fire management (Mark Schuster) (passcode YWA@Hy2Q) held on 21 October 2021
- Ku-ring-gai GeoRegion – Connection to Country (Bob Conroy) held on 4 March 2023
- Powerful Owls (Jenny Zvolanek) held on on 13 May 2023
- Environmental management in Hornsby Shire now and on the horizon (Peter Coad) held on 18 July 2023
- Defence vs climate change; national security vs human security; conflict vs cooperation: What world do we want? (Ian Dunlop) held on 4 November 2023
- Biodiversity conservation in Ku-ring-gai (Jacob Sife) held on 30 November 2023
- Georegion Excursion to West Head sites organised by the Pittwater Natural Heritage Association in April 2024