Diary 2026 - Walks & other activities

Above: Long Reef Beach and the entrance to Dee Why Lagoon and the Bicentennial Walkway

Tuesday 19 May

DEE WHY to COLLAROY via LONG REEF

“A gentle stroll beside the seaside”

Meet:   At the paved area near the bus stop on the corner of Pittwater Rd and St David St, Dee Why  at 10am.

Transport:  

From the City, Bus B1: Limited stops from Wynyard to Mona Vale, get off at the stop on the corner of St Davids Rd and Pittwater Rd at the Dee Why Shops.  

From Chatswood Station Bus 160X: Limited stops from the Bus Interchange at Chatswood Station to Dee Why.  This terminates at the stop on the corner of St Davids Rd and Pittwater Rd at the Dee Why Shops, get off here.

Description:

We will all meet at the paved area behind the bus stop, where you get off, on the corner of St Davids Rd and Pittwater Rd. If you get there early there are takeaway coffee shops on the opposite corner, to satisfy your caffeine fix!

We will do our intro circle etc here, then head off along Pittwater Rd and cross over at the next set of pedestrian lights, a short walk along Dee Why Pde, then into Clarence Ave, where we will join the shared path following the edge of the Dee Why Lagoon. 

Dee Why Lagoon Wildlife Refuge covers an area of 77ha of which approximately 30ha is water of the lagoon. The remaining 47 hectares are above the high tide water mark and include remnant native bushland. The reserve was declared a Wildlife Refuge in 1974 and contains several listed threatened ecological communities. 

When we reach Dee Why Beach we will follow the bush path along the edge of the lagoon, just behind the sand dunes.  The track then takes us onto the beach (for about 250m) and across the entrance to the lagoon, (which should be closed to the ocean, unless there has been recent heavy rain). We then walk over the sand dune to the Long Reef Surf Club, where there is a coffee shop.   This is our morning coffee stop, and yes there is real barista coffee!

After the coffee break:  You have the option to continue north along the beach if you fancy some more beach walking and want to look out for the board riders!  OR most of us will head off along the “Bicentennial Walkway”, which is an easy paved path.   We will join the “beach walkers” at the northern end of Long Reef Beach.   From here we continue walking up along the edge of the Long Reef Headland to the Lookout at the point, which has great views looking along the coast.

From the lookout we will walk along the northern edge of the headland to a beach known as Fisherman’s Beach.   We stop here for lunch.   There are picnic seats and shelter here as well as public toilets.   This sheltered beach has been used by European fishermen since the 1870’s. 

After lunch there will be an opportunity to walk along the base of the cliff and observe the rock strata.  Long Reef headland is a significant early-to-mid Triassic geological site (approx. 245 million years old) featuring rare "chocolate shales" (Bald Hill Claystone) and Bulgo Sandstone, unlike the dominant Hawkesbury Sandstone found elsewhere in Sydney. It is a renowned, easily eroded shore platform and tombolo created from ancient river sediments deposited during a cold climate.   A copper mine was active at Long Reef in the 1880s. 

We will then walk back towards Collaroy.  When we come to the end of the golf course, there is the option:

1. To walk along the beach (about 500m) to the Collaroy Rock Pool, (stop for a swim if you feel like it), then the boardwalk back to the Collaroy Shops and the bus home.

2. If you don’t like beach walking too much, you may walk through the suburban streets back to Collaroy Shops.

Transport home:

Bus B1 from Collaroy Shops to Wynyard.

A local bus back to Dee Why and a 160X bus back to Chatswood Station.

Early Exit:

1:   After walking along the Dee Why lagoon and reach the Dee Why Beach, (about 1.5km), you can catch a bus from Dee Why Beach in Howards Ave back to Pittwater Rd and then B1 to Wynard.

2:    After Coffee break, walk up onto Pittwater Rd, catch a local bus to Dee Why, then B1 to Wynyard.

Distance and grade:

The full walk is 5.8km, including the optional lunch time walk along the base of the cliff.

It is an easy to moderate walk.   Most of the walk is along properly formed paths with easy gradients. There are 2 sections of walking on the beach, 250m near the Dee Why Lagoon entrance and 500m at the end of the section before Collaroy Pool.  

For more info: John 0414 727 060

Date to be announced

MEADOWBANK to PARRAMATTA

This is a pleasant, non-strenuous walk along familiar pathways. (See map below.)

The walk is around 9 kilometres from Meadowbank to Parramatta. But it would be shorter if one catches the new Light-Rail Tram for the last section between Rydalmere and Parramatta.

We will get good views of the placid river and some new landscaping. And we might see some signs of the new high-rise suburb on the north side called Melrose Park and the two bridges planned to connect it to the fast metro train at Olympic Park on the south side.

Exit-points: There are a few exit-points via bus and ferry along the walk.

Bring Lunch, snacks and drinking water.

Meet at Meadowbank station at 10:05am. 

Enquiries: Mark Matheson 9559 5502 (preferred) or 0409 617 778 (emergencies)