Griffiths Loop Walk in Barren Grounds Nature Reserve : June 16 2025

Welcome to Feeedom Day - commemorating the June Soweto riots in 1976. A different dsy today. Dropped my South African friend off at Kiama Station and drove up to Barren Grounds Nature Reserve. Have walked some of it before

Decided to walk in the opposite direction on Griffiths Trail - no distance indicated on the first sign

Past the lodge - would be a super quiet place to stay a night - good if one could have a fire on a cold night

Walk starts in grassy - grevillea areas - nit a lot of orchid chances in winter. This little white flower was interesting with the spiky bits

Most common flower open is the sundew - drosera

Decided the park name was right - Barren Grounds. It was all the same

A few goodenias open

Next junction marker. Got some markers - 1km to Stone Bridge and 3.5kms to Saddleback Trig. Not doing well for an orchid walk and less than halfway on the loop. Mistake right there - dull track - kept going

This little grey bird posed - need a proper camera for good photos

Trigger flower. These are really hard to photograph but this might be the best yet. A bit late flowering

Did find one greenhood rosette - no spike yet - that was it on this side

Next sign post now telling me how far to go - 5.4kms - an hour and a quarter if one just walks. How many done? Question mark indeed

Stone Bridge. Signs at the top of the walk were serious- drowning risk. They did say slippery - sure was

Downstream view to a big eddy pool

Not much mushroom action - a bit of late season folds on display

Epacris longiflora

2nd orchid find of the day - cryptostylis subulata on show

Acacia flower with a fab blue sky backdrop

Sydney boronia - a bit out of season too

Finally a sign with directions for both distances - around half way. Too far in to decide to turn back. The known spots for orchids for me are on the back end of the loop. Front end when I walked it last time

Leaf form for the sundew flowers - a lot growing in the rain forest areas

View from the lookout looking out South and East

Lookng toward the Southern Tablelands

Saddleback Trig - no longer visible from down below.

Path does drop into rainforest area - the side facing the East and the sea. Chiloglottis orchid leaved in areas where there was not too much canopy

A big cluster but sadly no flower spikes

Distant view of Lake Illawarra - just to the left of the tree branch form

The sundew flower plant reflecting the light. The bristles capture and hold onto raindrops

Mini spiky clusters like Christmas bushes

Found one leptospermum squarrosum flower still going - well out of season

Native violet. Was a big walk of 10k steps - 7.4kms in all.

Drove back to Kiama via Saddleback Mountain - views to Kiama from the lookout. Have cycled this big hill twice in users past - not likely to try it again. There are some seriously steep sections

Highlight for the day - heard two lyre birds on the walk. And saw one of the road down the mountain - sorry no photos

Did the long dog walk when I got back - sure-fire way to get well over 10k target

Dinner: Cheat prawn pots and chicken wings
This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io

Daily Activity, House Chores, Photowalking

Height 183.0 cm		Weight 90.0 kg		Body Fat %
Waist cm		Thighs cm		Chest cm