Muogamurra Nature Reserve

NSW & ACT specific bushwalking discussion.
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Muogamurra Nature Reserve

Postby GPSGuided » Tue 23 Aug, 2022 1:23 pm

Did a search of the forum and found zero post on this location…

Finally after a few years, managed to grab a few tickets with friends to explore this reserve in coming days for a day walk. Given it only opens to public for 6 weeks a year, I’m trying to work out what’s the most interesting route to explore for the day. Anyone here have some insight and open to recommendations. Anything around 6-10km are fine.

I note it has various indigenous sites, geological features and wild flowers at this time of the year. Which to go for? Tentatively thinking of the Peats Bright track for 10km.


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Re: Muogamurra Nature Reserve

Postby Warin » Tue 23 Aug, 2022 1:39 pm

"Please note that the open days for 2022 are now fully booked."
https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/vi ... cal-alerts
"Please remember that you can only enter Muogamarra Nature Reserve if you have pre-booked a guided tour in advance."
https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/vi ... sitor-info

Should we be looking to book in July for Aug/Sep?

Once booked .. do you then have the chance of selecting one walk from ... how many?
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Re: Muogamurra Nature Reserve

Postby johnw » Tue 23 Aug, 2022 3:05 pm

I've done the Peats Crater/Bight walk but it was back in 2008. I've also done most of the shorter ones.
In terms of wildflowers you probably won't see anything you haven't seen elsewhere, but the concentration and intensity of colour seems significantly higher in Muogamarra.
So the displays are quite spectacular. Definitely worth doing Peats Bight and it's possibly the pick of the walks available there in terms of variety.
It would also be the hardest walk, but none of them are difficult for the average bushwalker. A few steepish bits, steps etc.
Passes through historical and geological sites, mangroves and other land forms. Part of it goes through old farmland/orchard so there also non-native trees remaining.
Check if you can do it on your own, as the volunteers control everything pretty tightly on the open days. We did, but that was many years before events such as Covid.
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Re: Muogamurra Nature Reserve

Postby GPSGuided » Tue 23 Aug, 2022 7:57 pm

Warin wrote:Should we be looking to book in July for Aug/Sep?

Once booked .. do you then have the chance of selecting one walk from ... how many?

Just checked my email ticket and I obtained the booking back on 13 June and that was not on the first few days of ticket sale. Recall the first one or two Sundays were already sold out. Our access will be this weekend.

My understanding is that they limit to 140 car spaces each opening Sunday and have number capped guided walks around the park by additional tickets. We just bought the general entry tickets and can wonder wherever we want in the reserve for the day. Gate opens at 9am which is a bit late for my liking for a morning start. Need to check but the gate will close at 5pm each day IIRC.


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Re: Muogamurra Nature Reserve

Postby GPSGuided » Tue 23 Aug, 2022 8:06 pm

johnw wrote:I've done the Peats Crater/Bight walk but it was back in 2008. I've also done most of the shorter ones…


Thanks John for the detailed info and sounded like Peats Crater/Bight will be the walk we’ll do given what you described. My understanding is that general admission ticket holders are permitted to wonder while guided groups will be looked after by the volunteers. Given COVID, we didn’t particularly want to mix with a larger group. 10km sounded fine for members of our small group and my understanding is that it’ll have 200m of climb for the return on that track. As you said, pretty standard. Otherwise I hear the leeches are pretty aggressive on the reserve… Once a year feeding opportunity I guess. LOL

Looking forward to it as I kept on missing out on the opening for the last 5 years…


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Re: Muogamurra Nature Reserve

Postby Ndevr » Wed 24 Aug, 2022 8:16 pm

I was just there on Sunday, my first time visiting the Reserve.
I arrived at 10am intentionally after the morning rush.
I wasn't on any of the tours, just self guided.

If you have reasonable fitness you can easily cover the 18km of tracks within the day, whilst still taking it all in.

I first headed down Peats Bight Walk, followed by the Lloyd Trig & Deerubbin Loop Walk, a couple of side trips on the way back to Tippers Loop, and finally Point Loop, followed by a visit to the museum at the end. I was also planning to do the Bird Gully Walk, but it appears it's a Guided walk only.

It can be a bit like Pitt St at times, as some of the group sizes are 20 people, but in general there's plenty of places for momentary solitude.

If you are looking for about 10km then you can just do Peats Bight Walk, and if you feel ok after the uphill finish and you've returned to HQ then you could add 2km at then end by doing Point Loop, which is dead flat, and has a great view overlooking where you just walked to Peats Bight.

Alternatively you could do the shorter Lloyd Trig & Deerubbin Loop, which has some small hills but overall an easier gradient than Peats Bight, and finish with Point Loop at the end.

Either way you will enjoy it and likely want to go back next year, to cover off the remainder.
The flowers are out, and being another week closer to spring it will only be better...and keep an eye out for an echidna, I think I was quite lucky in seeing one...enjoy!
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Re: Muogamurra Nature Reserve

Postby GPSGuided » Thu 25 Aug, 2022 4:36 am

Fantastic! Wondered about the possibility of hitting multiple tracks for the day and now I’ll just have to push my group for it. Thanks for the report.
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