The way points of this bicycle route:
According to the brochure - "This walk takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours, passing by the former School of Artillery buildings and exploring much of the heathland. Highlights include the many flowering plants, diverse birdlife, military remains and views of the city, harbour and ocean". Pick up map at the visitors centre (located to your left)
"It used to be that the Parade Ground could not be crossed except during official cermonies and parades. Parade grounds were symbolic of when the dead were buried on the battleground and this ground became hallowed to both sides of combatants"
"The barracks was at its busiest during the Vietnam War. As the demand for trained soldiers grew, the numbers per barrack room went from 6 to 12. The building houses a large mess hall where as many as 300 soldiers would eat their meals at any one time. Enlisted men had to collect their food whereas officers had stewards to serve them"
"When the Sergeants' Mess and other buildings were built for the coastal artillery in 1938, they were considered some of the finest military barracks in the country. The Sergants' Mess includes a dining room, lounge, bar and pool room"
"Up until the 1980's the Army conducted live firing from some areas of North Head out to sea. Increased shipping traffic and more public access to the headland led the School of Artillery to relocate to Puckapunyal in country Victoria in 1997"
"North Head contains one of the few remaining patches of Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub. It includes Banksia, Grass Trees, Coastal Tea-Tree and other native shrubs. There used to be around 5,000 hectares of this type of scrub between North Head and Botany Bay, now less than 3% of this remains"
'From here you can see a line of the headlands along the Northern Beaches. In the foreground is St Patrick's Seminary, built in 1879."
"North Head is just 11Km from the city of Sydney. The headland is surrounded by the richest estuaries in the world - Sydney Harbour. These waters are home to around 580 different species of fish and several underworld habitats"
End of walkway
"There are over 240 burials in this cemetery, dating from 1881 to 1919. Most died from the bubonic plague and the influenza outbreak after WW!. Others were victims from smallpox and scarlet fever. This cemetery was placed well away from the Quarantine Station after it was found that the second quarantine cemetery was overcrowded and possibly draining into the station's water supply. As well as graves, this cemetery preserves an important patch of Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub"
"This is now home to the National Artillery Musuem which can be assessed via Scenic Drive. Guided tours are available. During WWII, North Head was one of the most heavily fortified sites in Australia. Heavy guns were placed here and at South Head to fire on enemy ships out to sea. The gunners also worked here, initially lived in tents and later at the barracks you passed earlier."
"This was one of a network of observation Posts up and down the coast. From here enemy ships could be spotted. Their location was sent to the underground fortress plotting room where it was converted to gun data and sent on to the gun crew. Radar was later installed to more easily locate ships"
"This cobblestone avenue was created in 1928 as a memorial to local soldiers killed in WWI. Originally lined with Norfolk Island pines, it was intended to provide a circuit around the east of North Head, but the return section does not appear to have been completed."
"The rock that makes up North Head is sedimentary Hawkesbury Sandstone which has a hard outer surface. Water does not easily seep into this rock. After rain, water remains for a short time in shallow wetlands such as this one."
Back onto Avenue
"Physical training was an important aspect of Army training. The wall in this obstacle course was intended to encourage teamwork as several men were needed to get each soldier over the top." - There's also some monkey bars & a log leaping obstacle (a bit dangerous that bit!).
"The Gatehouse was guarded day and night at the entry to the Army base. It was built in 1938 for the barracks of artillery men serving the guns at North Head. It later became the main administration headquarters for the School of Artillery."
Welcome to Bikely, take a step by step tour of this path:
Press Start Tour - then use the navigation buttons below to move along the path.
Tagged with: Not Bike, Scenic
