A scenic 1.5hrs drive to the South Coast of NSW takes you to some spectacular areas surrounded by National Parks. For a lot of Wollongong locals, it’s common to venture down the coast on the long weekends and holiday periods. Most of us are probably unaware of the spectacular National Parks all easy access around the Sussex Inlet/Bendalong/Lake Conjola area.
Morton National Park is accessible near Sussex Inlet and Lake Conjola via Twelve Mile Road off the highway. This dirt road is an easy drive, not requiring a 4WD, however don’t bother taking your newly washed fancy car – it’s going to get very dirty in the dust and expect some mud around the wheels in wetter conditions.
There is a small car park on the right hand side of the road approximately 8km in from the Highway with decent signage. From the car park, it’s an easy 1km walk, being flat, wide and suitable for children. The track is very well signposted with informational posts along the way highlighting some magnificent Turpentines, Bloodwoods and Stringybarks which were once part of a lucrative logging trade.
Spring is a particularly spectacular time to check this place out. It is a mass of Boronia, Grevillias and Banksias amongst plenty of other beautiful colourful flowers and shrubs.
At the end of the walk you are presented with a magnificent vista, down a canyon and most obviously the stained Granite Falls towering 63m above the valley below. The area has a short mining history with small deposits of Cassiterite present due to the hydrothermal activity associated with the granite – resulting in tin mineralisation. For a short time in the 1900’s tin miners fossicked the area and evidence of these mines are easily visible from the trail.
The main viewing platform is quite daunting, from a flat easy walk down to a suspended deck, looking across at near vertical falls. It is a striking contrast to the surrounding areas.
This is a nice easy walk with a big reward – however personally, I think I enjoyed the walk through the wildflowers more… spectacular!
