A family friendly bush walk just a short drive from Bundanoon.
Our favourite outdoor adventurer, @dimsim_outdoors has hit up Lover’s Walk in Morton National Park at Bundanoon for us and well…… fallen in love! Fallen in love with the flora, the fauna, the easy access but maybe not the eleventy billion spiderwebs she encountered thanks to recent rain and being the first human to wander through after days of downpours! Soz Dim!
Family friendly :: YES!! Suitable for all ages. You can go as fast or as slow as you like.
Easily Accessible :: Very – just a few minutes drive from the centre of Bundanoon.
Dog friendly :: Sorry no doggos – it’s in a National Park.
Stairs :: Yes, but not too many.
Length :: 2.8km circuit
Time :: 1.5 hours (normally takes 1 hour but I had to do a crazy lady spider web dance every few minutes).
Cost :: $8/day for entry into Morton National Park or free with an annual Parks pass.
IT’S EASY TO FIND
Getting to Lover’s Walk is easy! Head through Bundanoon and down Church Street past the primary school. Church Street will turn into Gullies Road which will take you to the entrance of Morton National Park. From the park entrance (where you pay your park entry fee of $8/day) follow the road straight ahead all the way until you hit Echo Point Lookout, where you can park the car and admire some stunning views out across the escarpment in front of you.
There’s also a shelter and barbeques here if you wanted to have a picnic and really make a day of it but for me, I’m here to get my hike on!
WHAT A WAY TO BEGIN
After a brief stop at Echo Point Lookout, I started on the walk. It was super easy to find – it’s right next to the shelters – and well signposted. Now here’s why it took me so long to complete – normally the walk should take up to 1 hour, most of the guides and signposts told me so – but luckily for me because of the recent rainy weather no one had been through for quite a while.
Why was this lucky for me? Well, it meant that every few steps I copped a spider web straight to the face!! Great right? I’m sure whoever timed the official length, didn’t spend quite as much time wiping spider webs from their face as I did. Luckily, they were friendly little spidey peeps (not the big scary looking ones) so the worst that happened was me doing the crazy lady dance every few metres as I ran face first into one web after another.
GETTING STUCK IN
The walk starts off through what used to be scrubby banksia forest but since the fires, it is now lush long grasses (perfect for our 8-legged friends to web between). The track for this first section is nice and easy. Sandy with the occasional step and I gradually made my way to the steeper descent.
Round a corner and down a short steep section, I can hear the sound of trickling water and am immediately surrounded by beautiful sandstone boulders, lush ferns and more thick undergrowth where the bush has regenerated from the fires. Sooooo good to see.
Down here it’s cooler and secluded as I wind my way along the edge of the smooth sandstone rock face. It is seriously an amazing walk and not to worry, I have very graciously cleared all the spider webs for you!
The walk is edged with a couple of caves that I can imagine would have been a very special place for the Gundungurra people of the area once upon a time. For now, it’s just nice to take a minute and imagine what life would have been like calling this place home.
THE WAY BACK UP
Next up I found some stairs, oh yay! Not to worry – there aren’t very many and they’re really just carved into the rock slope to make it easier to get up to the top and see the incredible views out over the bushland.. so totally worth it!
I pop out at the top at a fire trail and turn right where it’s a short walk to the Bonnie View Lookout and from here I just follow my nose along the road, past Beauchamps Cliffs Lookout (just keep following the fire trail around), and the Wishing Well which is also worth having a look at.
Head up the fire trail – called Bonnie View Access Road – until you hit a T-intersection. Turn left onto another fire trail – Echo Point Access Road – and that will lead you back to the car park, your car and air con!
The walk back along the road is nice and easy, surrounded by the thick, tall grasses that have sprouted since the fires. The only thing I had to dodge here was the occasional passing car on the fire trail. I was very relieved to be out of spideyville and on the home stretch!
LET’S WRAP IT UP
What I love most about this walk is, it’s just easy! Conveniently located being so close to the village of Bundanoon, easy to follow, not too hard on the knees and doesn’t need a serious level of fitness to complete.
To top it all off it has some seriously epic views and wonderful things to discover along the way. The irony of being in love with Lover’s Walk. Now, go and give it a crack for yourselves!
Safe Travels!
Love, Dim
We love sharing our awesome outdoor adventures with The Fold readers and want to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy when giving our walks and rides a crack for themselves. So, always check the weather forecast before you venture out. If you’re heading into a National Park, be sure to consult the National Parks website for up-to-date information about current alerts. Prepare yourself with the right equipment, clothing, safety items, with plenty to eat and drink if you’re going on longer hikes, and always let someone else know where you’re going and what time you are expected to be back. Have fun and stay safe!