Heritage Ventures
Up High over Spencer
tour leader
Mike Breheny
destinations
Spencer, Dharug slopes, Sandstone ridgetop
time & date
9.00am - 4.00pm
Saturday 6th August 2022
fitness level
Hard (bush walking experience required, includes
some steep slopes, scrambling and climbing over
loose surfaces)
12 kms
ticket price
$65.00
highlights
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Explore the landscapes behind Spencer village walking across three unique ecological systems.
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Hear histories of Mangrove Creek from different vantage and viewpoints. Stories of nawi, tied-bark canoes, sailing ships and river steamers tracing pathways across the river.
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Indigenous uses of Hawkesbury sandstone
the tour
Join outdoor guide Mike Breheny on an exploration of the varied landscapes behind Spencer village. Enjoy freshly brewed Billy tea by a waterfall before investigating the caves, overhangs and regrowth after the 2019/2020 fires. Appreciate the biological diversity of a hanging swamp at close range and learn to identify some plant community species. Heading up the sandstone bluff we view history from on high looking out towards Dyarubbin and into deep time. Ascending to the ridge brings forth new plant communities, bird species and evidence of indigenous use.
the guide
Mike Breheny has lived in and explored the Mangrove Creek area for over 30 years gaining extensive geographical and botanical knowledge that he loves sharing with others. As an experienced outdoor guide he has led bush walks and run leadership courses in and around the Hawkesbury River and is an active member of Central Coast Birders. Mike is joined by local historian Dr Bernadette Flynn who brings a rich knowledge of the public and social history of the Mangrove Creek catchment area.
