Lime Kiln Bay Circuit Walk

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Posted 2020-10-28 by Gypsy Rose ⇒ follow

Nestled in the Lime Kiln Bay Wetlands the Bushland Sanctuary, can be found. It is home to spectacular nature walks as well as tranquil scenery.

We discovered this excellent and tranquil nature walk by accident. After visiting the morning Peakhurst Foodies Markets, my partner took a wrong turn, and we decided to follow the road. It led us to the Lime Kiln Wetlands!

The walk transverses through wetlands, mangroves and lush native bushland. It also passes Hurstville Golf Course, many unmarked and "off the beaten track" tracks, as well as stairs and rocky sections.

The is also home to an abundance of birdlife, flora and fauna, including wildflowers and fungi, significant historical caves, lookouts, and a wetland system that traps pollutants, which helps to keep the river healthy.

This easy to medium walk is suited for families, however, do note that there are uneven surfaces, rocky terrains as well as stairs.

The walk starts at the corner of Jinna Road and Pamela Ave, and from here, a path through Yawolloh Reserve leads to the circuit walk.

You can begin the walk either to the left-hand side or right. We choose to start the walk to the left, climbing up some stairs which lead to the mangrove boardwalk. This swampy-marshland (known as the "estuarine mangrove and saltmarsh communities" according to the sign) was magical.

Towering trees shelter the boardwalk, adding an enchanting feel as you walk past the interesting mangrove on one side and lush native bushland on the other.

The boardwalk also offered many views of the mangroves and its unique root systems. It was also a wonderful place to spot some of the local birdlife. We had the entire boardwalk to ourselves, with the only visitors being the local birds and the cute tiny mangrove crabs.

The mangrove boardwalk then leads to the Hurstville Golf Course; from here, there are two tracks to take- the one to the left takes you to the lookouts and passes ancient rocks and caves. This track is unsealed and is quite rocky (can be slippery after rain).

After the lookout, the path continued leading to the Sediment Pond and the Gross Pollutant Trap.

The main lookout featured a viewing platform that overlooks the Reedbeds, from here the track continued passing the ancient rocks and caves leading to the bridge over the Sediment Pond.

Be sure to check out the interesting colour of the pond. The walkway followed along the creeks "waterfalls", till the Gross Pollutant Trap.

The walk passed several ponds where we spotted turtles and ducks and enjoyed a seat watching the ducks and turtles go on with their morning business. After our short break, we continued on the circuit walk, which led us to Oatley Park.

From here, cross the pedestrian bridge that overlooks the river and then you have reached where you started the walk. The pedestrian bridge can also be the starting point to the walk with the mangroves being the end of the Walk.

The caves on the walk, according to the Georges River Estuary Cultural Assessment, were once shelters with Aboriginal art and shell middens in the region. Do try to spot out the shells.

Unfortunately, the art we spotted was graffiti, which was upsetting.

The Aboriginal shell middens along the banks were used by European Settlers who burnt the shells in kilns to make lime mortar. Interestingly, this is how the Bushland Sanctuary got its name, Lime Kiln Bay. The lime mortar was used as glue in many early Sydney's stone buildings.

There are both migratory birds as well as many rare visiting birds that can be found at Lime Kiln Wetlands, with a total of 145 species recorded. Other animals that can be spotted at the Wetlands include several mammals, reptiles and amphibians including Ringtail Possums and Brushtail Possums; Echidnas have been recorded in the past, however, this is quite rare, in 1997 there was one record of a Swamp Wallaby.

Grey-headed Flying Foxes, small bats, including the Bent-winged Bat and Goulds Wattled Bat, eight species of lizards, six species of snakes and two species of frogs are also recorded.

The mangroves are diverse and rich in fauna. If you keep an eye out and standstill on the boardwalk, you may spot out the cute bright orange-red claws of the Red-fingered Marsh Crab.

Lime Kiln Wetlands Circuit Walk was such a great "accidental" find. It was such a lovely walk passing the rich bushland that opened up the senses with the sounds and smells of nature.

There are no facilities on the Lime Kiln Wetlands Circuit Walk.