Meet a local, Bushwalking in the Shire series
Welcome to Walk this Way, a series showcasing the beautiful bushwalks to be discovered in the Eurobodalla Shire.
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While most walking tracks in this area are unmarked, we've asked some of the shire's most experienced bushwalkers to give us the inside scoop on their favourite walks and how to get to them.
This week, Batemans Bay Bushwalking Club member Donna Garten shares her recommendation: the breathtaking, sacred rainforests of Gulaga.
The southernmost point of the Eurobodalla shire, Tilba, is home to one of our most beautiful national parks, Gulaga.
Gulaga and the surrounding landscape have great spiritual significance to the Yuin people, particularly women.
More than 95 million years old, Gulaga itself symbolises the mother and Yuin people say it is where their ancestors originated.
In May 2006 the park was returned to its traditional Indigenous owners in an historic agreement signed by the NSW Environment Minister and the Yuin people.
Donna Garten discovered the hike with friends in the early 2000s, and it's been one of her favourites ever since.
"Gulaga is unique because it holds two histories, that of traditional owners and of European settlers," she said.
"In 1852, gold was discovered and at the peak of the goldrush 50 miners and their families, around 400 people lived on the mountain. There was even a school for the children at the top."
The significant infrastructure from that time can still be seen on the mountain today.
"It's been reclaimed by nature and there are some very interesting geological features to see along the way," Ms Garten said.
Ms Garten said the trees held the history of the place and it was a beautiful peaceful hike.
"There are some beautiful tree ferns, particularly the higher you get and there is a rainforest walk just below the summit on the eastern face of the mountain," she said.
"It's well protected with beautiful vegetation and big, very old trees."
READ MORE:
Donna's guide to Gulaga
14km to summit, medium
There are tours run from Central Tilba where you learn about the Indigenous history of Gulaga while doing the walk.
It's 7km uphill so you need to have a reasonable level of fitness because it's uphill all the way. It is quite challenging but the track itself is easy to navigate with formed tracks and you're not likely to get lost but it's best done in a group.
When you get to the saddle before you take the track to the summit there is a picnic table and a toilet, the perfect spot for a rest and a snack before you tackle the final bit.
At the summit there are views to the east and south east, worth every step.