Walk No 6

Yanina Walk

Kincumba Mountain Reserve

Getting There: From Gosford, follow the Entrance Road through East Gosford to the Avoca Drive traffic lights. Turn right and continue on Avoca Drive to the Kincumber Village shopping centre. At the roundabout, turn left into Bungoona Rd, then first left into Kincumber Street. Follow this street to the end and continue on an unsealed road for about 1½ km up to the top of Kincumba Mountain. When you get to the locked gate, there is a car park on the left.

Description: Kincumba Mountain Reserve is easily accessed and has great views from an extensive family-friendly picnic area. The Yanina Walk (marked in bright green) follows the ridge to an escarpment overlooking Picketts Valley. Towards the end of the trail you will see a left fork. Follow this one to Nyari Lookout views of Terrigal beach then walk along the escarpment to Colin Watters Lookout views of Avoca beach.

On the way back, take the short loop past the caves. The kids love this bit.

Distance:   About 3km return.

Duration:   1½ hours

Degree of Difficulty: Very easy. This track follows the ridge and is mostly wide and flat.

Best Time:   Spring and summer for the flowers and any time for the views.

Expect to see:

• On the left, Black She Oaks Allocasuarina littoralis with perhaps a flock of Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos feeding on the cones.

• In the summer, a variety of orchids:
  Leopard Orchid Diurus maculata
  Greenhoods – Nodding Greenhood Pterostylis nutans
  Tall Greenhood Pterostylis longifolia
  Bonnet Orchid Cryptostylis erecta
  Cow orchid C. subulata  and the beautiful, showy Hyacinth Orchid Dipodium punctatum with its erect spikes of spotted, pink flowers on leafless purple stems.

• Large, gnarled Red Gums Angophora costata
  Turpentines Syncarpia glomulifera and
  Old Man Banksias Banksia serrata with an understorey of pea flowers;

• Bush Peas Pultenaea flexilis
  Pultenaea rosmarinifolia and Pultenaea daphnoides
  Pultenaea retusa
  Handsome Flat Pea Platylobium formosum
  Native Holly Oxylobium ilicifolium
  The large, handsome Wedge Pea Gompholobium latifolium and
  at the eastern end a fine stand of Kangaroo grass Themeda australis.

     Bush Peas Pultenaea flexilis   

• Many more colourful species such as:
  Purple Twining Pea Hardenbergia violacea
  Snake Flower Scaevola ramosissima
  Broad-leaf Geebung Persoonia levis
  Blue Flax Lilies Dianella caerulea and in summer ...
  Crinkle Bush Lomatia silaifolia

                               
Please visit our other great bushwalks.
Information by Isabel