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  • Writer's pictureMatthew Urmenyhazi

Berowra Valley National Park - video

Updated: Oct 12, 2022



The Sydney Secrets tour is an immersive experience, unlike any other tour in Sydney. It's a dramatic contrast to the hectic pace of the city and the busy tourist trails of Blue Mountains tours.


The Berowra Valley National Park has some amazing sights, but you have to know where to look.


It is rumoured that the ancient Aboriginal carvings found on this short walk are where the men had their initiation ceremonies. No one really knows the correct story though.


Ancient, slow-growing and iconic grass trees (xanthorrhoea) are in abundance on this spectacular walk. To me the plants loom like they could be found in one of Dr Seuss's books. :)


The Australian slang term "hard yakka" is for hard work. It's derived from the Aboriginal word "yakka" for the grass tree. Early European settlers would go through a laborious and difficult process to extract the resin from the tree for use in varnish, glues and to burn as incense in Catholic churches.


Unfortunately the extraction process destroyed many thousands of these ancient trees. As a result, the grass tree was the first Australian plant to become protected nationally.


In the Berowra Valley, I know a location where grass trees are over 700 hundred years old.


#sydneyguidedtours #walkingtourofsydney #BerowraValleyNationalPark #Aboriginalcarvings #toursinthebluemountains #BlueMountaintours


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