Muogamarra Nature Reserve

On the weekend I visited Muogamarra Nature Reserve off the Pacific Highway near Cowan. John Tipper set up the reserve in 1934 in an effort to protect the flora and Aboriginal and European heritage of the area. He established a volunteer bush fire brigade and an environmental study centre to help the cause.

The reserve is only open to the public six weekends a year, and I'm afraid if you want to go in 2011, you'll have to go next weekend (10-11 September 2011). There's a range of walks from an easy 1km loop to a longer and harder 10km loop. Each of them is an opportunity to see a huge range of flowers, views across Brooklyn and the Hawkesbury River, and see a little history of the early European settlement.  Peat's Crater is home to a rare osage orange hedge, which keeps people busy trying to control it's spread into the neighbouring bushland. The reserve was made all the better for me because I had good company, but I'm sure anyone would love this place :)