Barking Emu

Dogs Unknown

Features Birding · Views · Wildflowers

This track meanders up the hill at a moderate gradient. Most of the way, it is just below the sealed Hawkins Hill access road. The greatest deviation from the road occurs on a ridge below the Airways Corporation UHF building (which is the end point of the annual Hawkins Hill Climb Challenge).

The name "Barking Emu" refers to the ostriches at the northern end of the track and the dogs at the Castle which is closer to the southern end. It was found out later that they are ostriches (with only two toes) rather than emus (which have three toes).

This area is home to wind and salt-resistant shrubland, dominated by bluffs and steep escarpments. In gullies and more sheltered parts originally there was a mixed of coastal flax, sand bidibid, shore groundsel and hebe.