Bushwalkers breaking new ground
When Fran and I started this On-Track Bushwalking we didn't realise how many ‘new' parts of the area we would discover.
June's walk was one of these.
Gibbergunyah is 186 hectares of reserve gazetted in 1974 by Mittagong Council "for public recreation and the preservation of native flora and fauna".
It is now controlled by Wingecarribee Shire Council, with its management in the hands of an appointed public committee.
It was named after the Gibbergunyah Creek, which, in turn, is thought to be an amalgamation of two Aboriginal words meaning stone and house.
The area has had a chequered history with fire raging through in 1939 and more recently it was used by the Soil Conservation Service as a practice area for bushfire brigades.
But the last 10 years have seen vast improvements and now there are some lovely walks, lookouts, signposts on some plants and rest areas with tables and seating.
Fourteen of us met in thick fog in the Valley but quickly drove up the mountain into brilliant sunshine and bright blue skies.
There are two entrances to the reserve but we chose the closest one in Boronia Street off Centennial Road in Bowral.
The walk starts along the Bowral Country Golf Club, a narrow dirt path between towering trees and private property. 
Then the real walk begins with the crossing of a stile into the reserve.
There are well-formed fire trails around Gibbergunyah but we chose to also access the lovely walking tracks connecting the roads so that we were able to trek through the pristine bushland; the Glen Track in particular leads walkers through ferns, along streams and gullies.
There is constant reminder of the early Aboriginal presence in the area: at the start of the track there is a reproduction of Major Mitchell's 1828 sketch of Moyengully, a Gundungurra warrior; further around there is an enormous rock, sacred to the Aborigines, with plaques commemorating its importance.
Two lookouts are worth mentioning.
The first we stopped at is called the "Gib Lookout" which actually reveals a good view of the Gib, the tallest point in the Southern Highlands and interestingly discovered in 1798 by two convict explorers.
The second one, called "90 Acre Hill', is more impressive because the view is expansive as the rock ledge is 814 metres above sea level and a direction cairn shows that from that point we were far closer to the Blue Mountains than Wollongong.
This is a great place to sit in the sun and eat lunch.
Banksia trees, broad-leafed acacias and woody pears are the main trees and there is evidence of wombats, kangaroos and echidnas.
Hopefully as time goes by there will be a greater variety of flora and wildlife as the area recovers from its earlier neglect.
If you are planning a walk in this secluded glen then you should also note that the second entrance is just off the freeway to Goulburn, at the end of Howards Lane.
This is adjacent to Howards Lane Vineyard and Cellar Door, where they welcome thirsty walkers for a tasting.
We walked that far but felt that we couldn't backpack our wine for the rest of the trip.
Next time we will start from that end so that we can reward ourselves with a tipple and have the cars handy for our purchases.