winter 2016 vol 41 no 3

Wouldnt you like to be here?

Camp at the Pool of Memories with Mt Geryon inthe background, Tasmania.Photo: Linda Groom, Canberra Bushwalking Club.

Mt Bowen from the beach, Hinchinbrook Island.Photo: Jacqui Warnock, Narrabri Bushwalkers.

The Official Publication of Bushwalking NSW Inc

Volume 41, Issue 3, Winter 2016ISSN 0313 2684

The Bushwalker | 3

Walk SafelyWalk with a Club

Editor: Roger Caffin [email protected] Design & Assembly: Barry HanlonProofreader: Roy Jamieson

Bushwalking NSW Officers:President: Mitchell IsaacsExecutive Officer: Kirsten Mayer [email protected] Phone: 02 8003 5545Website: www.bushwalkingnsw.org.auAddress all correspondence to: PO Box 904,Darlinghurst, NSW 1300Facebook: www.facebook.com/bushwalkingnswTwitter: @BushwalkingNSW

Bushwalking NSW Inc representsapproximately 69 Clubs with a totalmembership of about 12,700bushwalkers.Formed in 1932, Bushwalking NSWprovides a united voice on behalf of allbushwalkers on conservation, accessand other issues.People interested in joining abushwalking club may write to theExecutive Officer at:[email protected] Bushwalking NSW websitewww.bushwalkingnsw.org.aucontains a list of clubs and lots of usefulinformation on bushwalking, includingthe Australian Bushwalking FAQ.

Front Cover: Bogong Creek Gorge, KosciuskoNational Park. Photo: Roger Caffin.Back Cover: Pic d'Anie, GR10, French Pyrenees.Photo: Roger Caffin.

IndexWouldnt you like to be here? 2From the Editors Desk 3Skywalker Traverse 4The Northern Rivers BushwalkingClub turns 40! 6Climbing Kosciusko 7The Grand Hinchinbrook IslandExpedition 9Katherine Gorge 11Join a Club 12Catacombs of Temple Creek 14

From theeditors desk. . .

Recent times have seen an unmitigated assault on the environmentalprotection laws of NSW, at the hands of the Baird party. Do these peoplehave no further vision than the profit to be made in the next quarter?Have they ever considered what (destruction) they are leaving for ourgrandchildren?

The same comments could (and should) be made about the yet-againresurrection of the proposal to raise the height of Warragamba Dam. A map ofthe effects on various National Parks is horrifying. What is worse is that it isentirely pointless: the water has to reach the sea sooner or later. It would be farbetter to do a controlled release before any vast river flow happens. Thecatastrophic floods not too long ago near Brisbane were almost entirely due to afailure to limit or reduce dam levels in the face of impending storms. It is nothard to imagine the same happening here.

To this must be added the experiences of the dams in the Snowy Mountains. Onthe topo maps there are these huge reservoirs covering vast areas. In realitymost of those dams are nearly empty, and have been so for decades. Vast areasget destroyed for no gain to society at all. It is all very sad.

On a more cheerful note: the front cover shows Bogong Creek Gorge just northof Mt Jagungal. Our speed down the gorge was about 1 km/hr. How many ofyou knew or guessed we have such wild country in KNP? It is not just alpinemeadows there. There are so many corners we have yet to explore.

Roger CaffinEditor

If you are an adventurer or a stroller, a natureenthusiast or enjoy fitness, youll discovergreat company, amazing landscapes andexiting activities when you join a bushwalkingclub!

Visit the Bushwalking NSW website to find aclub near you to join:www.bushwalkingnsw.org.au

KeepExploring.Be amazed!

4 | The Bushwalker


www.bushwalkingnsw.org.auWinter 2016

ome of the very best new bushwalksare discovered in traditionalwalking areas. They remainundiscovered because conventional

thinking says that all the good doable walkshave been done. How wrong this thinkingoften is! Recently, during a lull inconversation in a well-earned afternoon teabreak, Yuri Bolotin had a long hard look atthe cliffs visible from the verandah of theNewnes Hotel. The north east view is of themighty imposing cliff line of Old Baldy. Old

Baldy is a name given by the rock climbingfraternity to a cliff face 1.3 km north east ofNewnes. It consists of towering 360 msheer cliffs. The first documented climb ofit was in July 1960. Most bushwalkersregard it as off limits.

Yuri had other ideas. He figured that toclimb it there had to be a track to get to thebase of the cliff, and just possibly thataccess may lead to a rock shelf or benchthat is negotiable across the cliff face. Therewas only one way to find out go there.And so it was on 23rd November 2015 thatYuri led a group of 8 keen participants onan adventure.

To emphasise where the walk was to takeplace, we met on the verandah of the OldNewnes Hotel for the briefing session.Sitting at the guest table we could look upto the north east and see the imposing cliffface of Old Baldy. When it was explainedthat that was where we were going therewere gasps of incredulity from our twoguest walkers, followed by questions abouthow it was possible. The map was laid outand Yuri explained the planned route.

The map put away, we drove to theeastern edge of the Little Capertee CreekCamping Ground, parked the vehicles,kitted up and were on our way at 0913walking along the first section of thePipeline Track as far as the drivewayentrance to the former Fell House. JohnFell was one time manager of the NewnesIndustrial Complex early in the 20thcentury.

Soon the brick foundations of the formerbuilding and brick garden edges were seen.These features, together with the survivingexotic trees and shrubs, are all that remainof a once very attractive home. We walkedon through the former curtilage and cameacross a unique item, the old tennis court.This would have been perceived by theworkers at Newnes to be the height ofluxury. It would have been almostunimaginable for them to contemplatehaving the time and energy to play games.

This was all very interesting history butour focus was the cliff line above. At 0944we left the property area and noted a cairnat that had probably been built by rockclimbers. We now embarked on a longsteady climb to the base of the top cliff line.Here the topographic map is quitemisleading. It shows a cliff line that simplydoes not exist. Brian commented that a lotof maps are now drawn by interpretation ofstereo viewing of aerial photos to plot suchfeatures. Dense tree canopies can result inmisinterpretation.

Our rate of climb accelerated as 4 twentymetre contours were crossed. When therewas time we enjoyed great views overPetries Gully. Petries Gully is a watercourserising north-east of the Newnes campingarea. It is about 3 km in length and flowsgenerally south then south east into theWolgan River. This gully has also beenreferred to as Shale Gully.

By 1019 we had reached a high ledgethat was also the base of the top cliff lineand the point where a side gully and canyonallow access to the mid-tier ledge thatcrosses the face of Old Baldy. This locationbrought back memories of a visit on 9thApril 2008 when a group of us attempted,ultimately successfully, to climb thiscanyon all the way to the plateau top.

his time we stopped in the largeoverhang just above the canyon formorning tea. Refreshed, we descended

a few metres down into the canyon andbegan walking upstream along the drycanyon floor, an extremely beautiful place, Iwas tempted to stop often to take photos.After about 50 m there is a rising slot onthe southern side that provides access tothe next cliff line. This slot is marked everyfew metres by small totally unnecessaryrock cairns: once you are climbing this slotthere is nowhere else to go!

At the top of the slot a tree-covered talusscree slope stretches up to the top cliff line.Again unnecessary cairns mark the way.

SkywalkerTraverseMichael KeatsThe Bush Club

Old Baldy andSkywalker Traversefrom Newnes Hotel

Traversing the ledge - dont slip

The Bushwalker | 5


Winter 2016www.bushwalkingnsw.org.au

Skywalker They also misled us as they mark a rockclimbers exit route from the top of thecliffs. Having gone to the base of the cliffline, we had to descend a few metres andthen pick up the correct level where theledge starts. Yuri commented this is thestart of the Skyline Traverse.

Walking the ledge after climbing andclambering was relatively easy. The ledge isgenerally wide and undulating and featuresan interesting variety of plant species.Where it is narrower it is generally devoidof vegetation so movement is easy. In partthis is due to the continued activities ofrock climbers. There was a lot of evidenceof their presence including many markedspots with cryptic alpha numeric symbolsand, at one location a fixed rope. Brian andI noted that high above this rope there wasanother fixed rope complete with footloops. Neither of us was keen to test thestrength of the fixed rope. We had no ideahow old it was.

Twenty minutes of walking later we werestill on the ledge. Trying to take photosshowing just how high we were and howmuch more cliff was above was difficult.Here there was just too much vegetation.

At 1154, we entered a major overhang.Whilst there was no graffiti and noevidence of Aboriginal art, there was afascinating artefact: a copy of the SydneySun newspaper from September 6th 1968.The paper was well preserved, an indicationof how dry conditions in the overhang are.Daryl spent some time reading theadvertisements, noting how cheap land andhouses were in Sydney then.

Perhaps the most dramatic point alongthe Skyline Traverse is where a short spurjuts out over the Wolgan Valley. The view isa commanding one over the campingground (in Little Capertee Creek) and itincludes the Newnes Hotel where we

stopped in themorning and, beyondthat, you can look intothe valley of CaperteeCreek, trace the courseof the Wolgan Riverand see glimpses of ourvehicles nearly 350 mbelow.

Yuri named thisspot CampgroundPoint on a Bush Clubwalk 2nd October 2015when he led a walk halfway along SkywalkerTraverse. This pointhad a protruding rockplatform giving views of the valley andcamping area below. Above CampgroundPoint rising in a north west direction is asteep narrow defile, 400 m in length,variable depth of 80 m and width 10-20 m.Yuri also named this as Campground Defile.This was used as the exit point on 2ndOctober 2015.

After a thorough look around and tryingto digitally capture the essence of this spotwe moved on, now in full exploratorationmode. This was uncharted territory forbushwalkers. It might not prove negotiable.Certainly as we went further north west,the cliff line diminished in relative heightand after about 300 m we changeddirection to the north east. The viewcontracted to the immediate gully area andthe vegetation became more dense. Inplaces the ledge was anything but level. Itwas a nice change.

fter another 200 m metres an openplatform area was visited. The viewwas over part of Cathedral Canyon, a

well-known access point to the top of OldBaldy, the Faberge Rocks and MountTricky. From where we stood it looked soclose, maybe 200 m away. The reality wassomething else: we were still hundreds ofmetres above the valley floor and therewere at least three drainage networks andseveral cliff lines between our location andthe rain forest filled Cathedral Canyon.

No worries. It was 1258, arguably theend of Skywalker Traverse and definitelytime for lunch. Not often do we have a longlunch but we did today: 27 relaxingminutes. [A very brief lunch - Ed] Knowingthat the way forward from here wasessentially downhill was a plus when itcame to relaxing.

To thread our way from the lunch site tothe entry point to Cathedral Canyon, wewalked in a semicircle beneath somewonderful cliffs. Crossing the first of thedrainage networks was under a delightfulbut tiny waterfall. At the base was a pool ofclear, very drinkable water. I dunked myhat, and put it on full of water, savouringthe spine tingling as the icy water floweddown my back. Refreshing, stimulating andjust what I needed as a pick me up.

Back to reality, we continued to makeexcellent progress and encountered another

major overhang at GR 426 269. Thesespaces are good opportunities for a break inpace, conversation, and appreciation ofnature. More cliff base walking and then weencountered another drainage system. Thisone was very familiar to Yuri and is knownas Faberge Gully. It also meant that we werenow very close to the point where we couldaccess the descent provided by CathedralCanyon.

At 1405, the ribbon of rainforest that wehad sighted from our lunch spot was nowliterally at our feet - but there was little elseat our feet. The access route has beenscoured by overuse and is now very steep inthe upper sections. Fortunately it was dry.Under wet conditions making a controlledsafe descent would be nigh impossible.

The descent within the canyon took overan hour. There were few diversions but onethat was quite amazing was a cluster of fourmature puff balls, Lycoperdon pyriforme.These elegant natural wonders still gave outa good stream of spores when gentlysqueezed. The rainforest section endedsoon after and we exited to the campingground at 1530.

ReferencesTaylor, Pete and Penney, Andrew. The Wolgan Guide,1984, p. 25 & 61. Ben Bullen Topo Map. Top of Old BaldyGR 428 267. Map 5.Carne, Joseph. Geological Map of the Capertee andWolgan Valleys, 1901. James Ramsay Petrie (1851-1924)and his brother William (b1845) were born in Fifeshire,Scotland. James was the manager of Pumpherston OilWorks, Mid Lothian, for 25 years. In 1910, theCommonwealth Oil Corporation was formed in London towork the vast oil shale deposits at Newnes. James wasemployed by the company as director and advisor in themanufacture and distillation of oil at the Newnes site.William Petrie was employed as a retort superintendentand works manager. Ref: The Sydney Morning Herald,22nd August 1924, p. 11 and Local History Library,Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland. Ben Bullen and MountMorgan Topo Maps, headwaters GR 438 290, junction GR440 265.Beagle Head is located 400 m south east from the lockedgate off Wolgan River Trail at Newnes, but 280 m higher.This huge undercut part of the top cliff face jutting outover the Wolgan when viewed from the north eastresembled the head of a Beagle dog. Named by Brian Foxon a bush walk 28th July 2014. Mount Morgan Topo Map438 256.Mount Tricky is a hill at an altitude of 925 m located on asmall ridge line 1.1 km north of Little Capertee CampingGround at Newnes. David Noble called it Mount Trickysince it didn't have a name and was tricky to get off,particularly in the dark! That was when he was walking ina westerly direction. Ben Bullen Topo Map, GR 424 274.

Newnes Campground and beyond from Campground Point

Overhangs along the way

6 | The Bushwalker



n 1976 a small group of bushwalkers,inspired apparently by a Sydneybushwalker David Brown whod beentransferred from Sydney to the far north

coast of NSW, started what was to becomea long-lived and vibrant bushwalking club:the Northern Rivers Bushwalkers Club.From an initial meeting of some thirtypeople, several walks later in the year tookthe incipient club to places we would revisittime and again over the next four decades,including our rainforest clad NightcapRange and extensive coastal heaths. By lateNovember of that year, a constitution hadbeen drafted and the club had its firstofficial walk, to Salty Lagoon in BroadwaterNational Park.

Thereafter, the club ran frequent daywalks and weekends to near and remoteplaces throughout the region. By 1996, onthe 20th anniversary, there were records ofcycle rides, abseiling and kayak trips to addto the walking and camping. It wasconsidered appropriate in 1996 to run a

celebratory walk to SaltyLagoon, so now in 2016we will be revisiting SaltyLagoon. The old track nolonger exists, so a littleinventiveness is required,but when has that everstopped a bushwalkingclub?

I have only been amember for the last fiveyears or so, and am in mythird year as president.Nevertheless, I remain asmuch in awe of our clubsvitality and energy as Iwas when I joined. As Iread the accounts of theearly days, courtesy of the20th anniversary bookletcompiled under thewatchful eye of pastpresident BarbaraWorthington, I conclude that the clubremains an excellent example of a friendlywelcoming community of like-mindedpeople, always supporting newcomers,regardless of age and ability.

The club hasremained true to itspurpose, to promoteinterest in bushwalkingand related activities.We have a growingmembership 233 in2015! and continue tosee members bothvolunteering to organiseevents and attendingevents (160 in the lastyear). Gone are the dayswhen the list of comingevents in our monthlynewsletter was the finalsay: events are offeredcontinuously, and ourwebsite listing has animpressive dynamism.

Last year, we recorded over 1600 attendeesat our events, representing an average ofnine outings per member during the year.

And what are these events? They spanthe range of bushwalking and hiking at allgrades, cycling, kayaking and abseiling. Ourregular weekly walks include return trips tothe Nightcap Range, especially aroundRummery Park, Peates Mountain, thewaterfalls and the Nightcap track, and toMount Warning and its neighbouring hills.We hiked the length of the Northern Riverscoast, with several walks in the NationalParks of Bundjalung and Yurigir, and alongthe Ballina-Byron-Brunswick coastal plain. Icould go on.

The club also has a tradition of longweekends and longer trips - hiking visits toNew England and Gibraltar (joint eventswith neighbouring bushwalking clubs), theMount Barney, Moogerah Lakes and MainRange area of SE Queensland, and so on. 40or so members are currently heading overto Poland to hike. New Zealand gets a lookin periodically.

Enjoying the delights of New England (we do have rain)

On the way up Mt Maroon

On the Milford Track, NZ"

Bill Boyd,President,Northern Rivers Bushwalkers Club

The Northern Rivers Bushwalkers Clubturns 40!

The Bushwalker | 7



for all those of you whohave made it to theKosciuszko summit, youmight be asking amusedlyWhat climbing? I do admit

its not a climb exactly to the highestpoint of Australia (2228 m), but more like awalk in the park. Actually a very long 13.5km walk in the park for the return hike.Add in a few more kilometres of hurt-my-knee-and-toes if you do not prefer the cablecar that takes you to the start of the walk.

Whatever, ignoring the kilometres, asummit is a summit a badge to displayproudly that you have ascended to one ofthe seven summits an admirable club ofconquering the highest peaks in each of theseven continents. Some avid enthusiastsclaim that pronouncing the peak is tougher

than hiking it sothey happilysubstitute theKosciuszko inAustralia with themuch higherCarstensz pyramid(or Puncak Jaya) inIndonesia replacingcontinents withcontinental shelves(and thus trying torob us hikers of our15 seconds offame). Nonetheless,it is a goodexperience to justgo for the walk andboast to those whodo not yet knowthat it is a climb toa hillock in the

backyard!My fascination with Kozzy (already tired

of typing the name) started last Winterwhen I had been to Thredbo, the nearesttown, to see the winter snows of Australia.This part of the Great Dividing Range theSnowy Mountains receives ample snow;naturally it is not possible to tread all theway to the peak. But being the experiencecollector I am, I couldnt resist thetemptation of ticking off this nice little box(remember the tag of the Seven Summits,mate!). So next summer, I was up with amotley group of friends to walk to the topand scream a-la-Hillary Because it is there!

We were blessed with a sunny day in anapparently cloudy - rainy week as thesummit walk is quite windy and cold and awarm sun suddenly seems so cheery. There

is a cable car to the base and takes about 10minutes. It offers wonderful views of blue-hued mountains far away, not to mentionthe quaint little alpine town of Thredbo.You can hike all the way from Thredbo aswell, but I would recommend taking thecable car to spend most time on the top ifyou are still eager after 14 km of walk, justwalk down and enjoy the track. You willalso find the Eagles Nest Caf at thisstaring point that reputes to be thehighest caf in the entire continent.

The walk is actually quite comfortableand goes along steel frames laid on thetrack just until the end. While it makes thewalk definitely easier, it does remove thenatural feel, but then they stem the erosionof the sensitive ecosystem at the top. It alsohints at the steps taken by the proactivetourism department here to popularize andcommercialize the hike and the result isquite apparent. I ended up walking withhundreds of ramblers (including toddlersand kids who even overtook the unhealthyme). At times, it actually felt like a merrypilgrimage along a long sinuous track Ijust missed the coffee and snacks counterson the way :P

But the landscape is beautiful, albeit in asparse way. There are no trees to be foundthroughout the walk at this height, justsnaking shrubs and alpine flowers sportingromantic names such as the billy button,the mountain celery, alpine marshmarigold, mint bush, anemone buttercupand the silver snow. Then there are theoccasional streams snaking around,creating swampy bogs to beautiful bluerivulets along the way. If you are lucky, youmight even spot a pygmy possum or abright hued flame robin enjoying the

Climbing Kosciuszko:Because it is there!Ayan Adak

The quad chair lift to the Eagles Nest

Lake Cootapatamba The summit boardwalk on a fine day

8 | The Bushwalker



altitude on a quiet day. And then there arethe boulders piled, striated, cracked andlying like age old sentients watching timepass by. Long ago, during the glacial ages,these were dragged on for miles by themoving glaciers today, they lie pell-mellall over the hills and create a beautiful, attimes surreal lunar landscape of emptyplains and piling rocks, conquered a bitmore every winter, when melting snowseeps into the cracks, freezes inside,expands and cracks and splinters these tosmaller pieces.

To be honest such an expanse moved me,and for a brief moment, I went astray fromthe normal path to climb a rocky hill afar,seeking my solitude away from themadding crowds. It felt ethereal to imaginethis same place hundred and thousands ofyears ago left alone to itself, all so quietexcept for the gushing streams andwhistling winds. And yet it opened up tothe ancient aboriginals who claimed thatthis was where their spirits lived anddanced in the bare and raw beauty of thisendlessness. For hundreds of years, thesetribes have also been congregating here tofeast on the Bogong moths in summer andto conduct their spiritual rites. It took sometime to break my reverie of ancientaborigines, cave dwelling here and dancingwith their primeval spirits under thestarlight sky. I had to walk along and of

course, place a tick on my coveted sevensummit check box.

The other moment of redemption that Ihad here was on seeing a large lakefascinatingly called Cootapatamba. Likeother alpine lakes here, it was once a cirque a hollow formed in the hills by glacialerosion and later collecting water to form abeautiful lake in the mountains (called atarn). It was nothing significant just asmall body of water, but one that magicallychanged colours from moss green to muddyblue and then sapphire blue as you walkedon and changed the angle of viewing it. Ithink what fascinated me once again was itsantiquated past and the immense changesin the landscape it must have seen once.For the record keepers, yes, it is the highestaltitude lake in Oz. The name is, as youwould have guessed aboriginal in origin.(Talking of names, the peak itself wasnamed by a Polish explorer, Paul Strzelecki,who decided to name it rather arduouslyafter the Polish national hero Kosciusko Iam confident any aboriginal name wouldhave been equally tongue twisted andheavily multi-syllabic).

The way to the end is scenic all along just before the summit, another dirt trackjoins it from Charlottes Pass and would bean excellent choice for those wanting anatural feel under their sole instead of thesteel grilles.

I finally reached the top after 3 hours ofslow steady walking after infinite clicks onmy camera in a desperate attempt to holdon to all the raw beauty that was afloat.Reaching the top was my moment ofsatisfaction. So what if it is way easier thanthe Aconcagua? It is beautiful and deservesa walk, just for the serenity, for the ancientimages it evokes in the mind, for the sonataof the wind and the waters under a smilingsun. Yes, it deserves a walk just because it isthere!

Fact File: Nearest town is Thredbo, 6-7 hours

from Sydney Alternately stay at Jindabyne (and enjoy

its famed lake at dusk after the walk)which is a 30 minute drive away

Once done with the walk, keep a day forCharlottes Pass, another small spotabout 30 minutes from Jindabyne. Itoffers multiple walks in these hills: longones include hikes to the Blue Lake viathe Yellow Brick Road (10 km return)and an alternate route to theKosciuszko (20 km return). There arenumerous short walks too we tookone to Mount Stilwell and wererewarded with a beautiful, moderatewalk but with far fewer people, allowingus to enjoy the hike on our own.

The yellow brick road to the Blue Lake

The Bushwalker | 9



he Hinchinbrook Battalionassembled in the CrossingTheatre car park and wasunderway soon after 7 am.Sherman the Chevvie and the tintent led the convoy to Mungindi,

pulling into the Designated Worrier's (DW)favourite smoko spot, carefully chosenabove flood level, beside the Barwon River.The convoy proceeded without incident toreach Injune Caravan Park in the lateafternoon.

The sky descended as the Forward Scout(FS) drove Neville the Navara towardsCarnarvon Gorge the next morning,followed by the tin-tenters. Intermittentlight drizzle led to the adoption of Plan B,whereby the features nearest the mouth ofthe gorge (Mickeys Creek slot gorge, BaloonCave and the Nature Trail and Rock Pool)were visited first. Intermittent heavy rainthen forced the adoption of Plan C,whereby those without a tin tent glampedin a safari tent at Takarakka Resort.

As soon as the rain lifted the nextmorning, the full company was off up thespectacular main gorge, visiting the MossGarden, Amphitheatre, and Wards Canyon,en route to camping at Big Bend. About 20creek crossings are involved and DW and FSeach had an unscheduled swim. The Chiefof Construction's (CC) Scarpas bit the dust,

loosing their soul. The EntertainmentOfficer (EO) produced an appropriatepoem, Plan XYZ.

The company split into two platoons inthe morning (Plan D), with the TukkaWallah (TW), FS and The Captain (TC)mounting a brief expedition furtherupstream and deciding reluctantly thatBattleship Spur (600m ascent) could be leftuntil they return for the Carnarvon GreatWalk, an 87 km circuit around the upperrim of Carnarvon Gorge, opened in about2009. They followed the First Platoondown the gorge, taking a brief side trip upthe ever-narrowing Boowinda Gorge andtaking in the art work of Cathedral Caveand the Art Gallery before scampering upBoolimba Bluff at themouth of the gorge.

The companyregrouped in themorning, with one ofthe GlampingBrigade rejoining theTin-Tenters whopreceded Neville forthe run up theCarnarvon andGregory Highways.Smoko was taken justnorth of Springsure,overlooked by the

awe-inspiring massifs of Minerva Hills NP.The DW chose a pleasant spot for lunchadjacent to the artificial lake at Clermont,well below the level of the Great Flood of1916 which carried houses off their highstumps and drowned nearly 70 people.Although another flood did not appearimminent, DW kept his eye out, just incase.

The convoy pulled into BelyandoCrossing about 4:30 pm. Belyando has littleto recommend it but everything you need.A flat spot was found for the tin tent andthe second platoon headed for the softerlooking ground, setting up tents adjacent tothe septic tank outfall. CC headed in theopposite direction.

The GrandHinchinbrookIslandExpeditionHigh Barrett, Narrabri Bushwalkers

The top of Zoe Falls and Zoe Bay

At the mouth of the gorge

10 | The Bushwalker



The assault on Charters Towers wasunderway by 9:30 the next morning andreconnoitring concluded by earlyafternoon. The town centre is dominatedby beautiful old heritage buildings, datingfrom the discovery of gold in 1871.

The Tin Tent plus two took off forMutarnee via Townsville the next morning.The remaining four piled into Neville for aquick run up Towers Hill to gawk at theview, ramble over the mining and militaryremnants, review the historical display, andannoy the rock wallabies. Neville thenheaded north-west past the tiny DalrympleNP, which appeared a pleasant spot, or atleast that part of it not obscured bycaravans and campers. A dirt road wanderthrough the hills led to Hidden Valley(think Deliverance). Fortunately, Shermanwas intercepted coming the other waybefore reaching Hidden Valley, avoidinggunshots, with the reunited convoy takingin waterfalls, lookouts and an historicalbridge in Paluma NP before descending therange to bivouac at the delightful CrystalCreek. The place is overrun by rampantscrub turkeys which ambushed the FSspack, successfully destroying six of his eightpackets of soup.

The Tin Tank plus two then headed toIngham and Lucinda, while theWaterfall Brigade inspected the rock poolsand waterfalls of Crystal Creek before side-tripping via the delightful Jourama Fallsand Wallaman Falls, the highest single droppermanent waterfall in Australia and astarting point for the Wet Tropics GreatWalk (theres a thought).

Phil the Boatman was at the Lucindajetty at 9:45 am the next morning for the20 minute ride to George's Point on thesouthern tip of Hinchinbrook Island.

The company straggled up the beach foran hour and through the rainforest for anhour to Mulligan Falls campground, withthe falls roaring in the background. Thecompany worked its way uphill to thehighest point of the track, 260 m thendropped down to cross Zoe Creek above thebeautiful Zoe Falls, with views over thedelightful Zoe Bay. The falls plunge into acrystal clear pool, made for swimming.

Again, it was up the beach briefly thenext morning and into the rainforest.

Oncoming walkers assured the companythat wet feet would be the order of the day,as there were numerous small, and somelarge, creeks to cross, both muddy androcky. The intrepid NBC members made itthrough dry footed, however, and thoughtof Stuart.

This was the longest section betweencamps, being 10.5 km, requiring arefreshing swim near the Banksia Creekcrossing, in conjunction with lunch. Four ofthe party added a side-trip to the prettyBanksia Bay, where they obtained their firstfull view of the magnificent Mt Bowen(1121 m) and surrounding peaks, allbasking in the sunshine. Meanwhile, CCand the DW forged ahead to mark out thebivouac area at Little Ramsay Bay, next to acouple of tired backpackers laden with UHTmilk and canned food.

A meeting of the Mt Bowen Brigade (TC,TW and FS) that evening resulted inthe adoption of Plan E whereby, due to amild onset of knackedness, and in view ofthe task ahead, it was decided to forego theplanned assault on Mt Bowen and opt for aday walk up Warrawilla Creek which leadsto the saddle and ultimately the summit.

This proved to be an inspiredchoice, as the mountains unfoldedahead and the Coral Sea rose intoview behind. After gaining about400 m elevation rock-scramblingup the creek, it was time to turnaround and head back to the LittleRamsay Bay campsite.

TC and FS took off on anotherexcursion the next morning,backtracking to Banksia Beach enroute to Agnes Island, supposedlyjoined to the mainland by a sandspit exposed at low tide. The tidewas still up too much to cross afterwaiting an hour and a half, so theyretreated to pick up their gear atLittle Ramsay and followed theothers to Nina Bay camping area.They arrived to find a magnificent

shelter erected from two tarps by CC andDW.

An expedition was mounted to NinaPeak the next morning. DW remained atthe pass waiting for news of impendingcyclones from newly arrived passingbackpackers. The remainder ascended the312 m peak, pausing for views over theexpanse of mangroves to the north, withlong estuarine fingers snaking in fromMissionary Bay, and over Nina Bay, withMt Bowen and its allies hulking behind it.The views from the top were well worth theeffort.

The assault party descended to the passto relieve DW from his backpacker-watching duties and returned to camp, withthe exception of FS, who checked out thetrack ahead to its terminal pickup point.He returned to camp somewhat soddensome hours later, then wandered off andplucked two black bream from the lagoon.TC picked up another nice trevally. All werereturned unharmed and uneaten.

The rain and wind settled in in earnestovernight, with the shelters provinginvaluable for packing up next morning.The company wandered off early to find thepickup boat already waiting amongst themangroves. With a gale roaring down theHinchinbrook Channel which, on thepremise of a fine, sunny day, was to be thegrand finale of the Hinchinbrookexperience, John the Boatman, bless hiscotton socks, elected to head for PortHinchinbrook, near Cardwell, where a matebundled four into his wagon and drovethem to Lucinda. Port Hinchinbrook is anenduring monument to Keith Williams andQueenslands White Shoe Brigade, with thecanal estate silted to the gunwales, makingit an environmental and developmentaldisaster. TC and FS took one for the teamand remained with John for the scenic tourup Hinchinbrook Channel, visibility nearzilch.

And after a few more nights of camping,a happy return to Narrabri was made.

The cliffs lining the gorge

North from Nina Peak

The Bushwalker | 11



train, a plane, a 4WD and ahelicopter to go from Springwoodto the headwaters of the KatherineRiver in less than 24 hours. What

could possibly go wrong?Like all of our trips (not) everything

went without a hitch. Less than 23 hoursafter hopping on a train at Springwood thefive of us were watching the choppersdisappear and silence descend. A short walkbrought us to the sandy backs of the upperKatherine River. This was the culminationof considerable planning: to convince NTParks and Wildlife to give us a specialpermit while the lower gorges were stillclosed, to get the goldilocks water levels(not to high and not to low, just right whilebooking flights months in advance),arranging access to the upper reaches, andof course flying with Jetstar and theirhistory of cancelling flights.

The Katherine River drains the back ofArnhem land plateau before cutting its wayoff the plateau, and in the process creatingthe 13 Gorges. Exiting the gorges, the riverflows past Katherine then joins with theFlora river to become the Douglas Daly anddischarge into the Timor sea.

The trip proper started with two dayspaddling above the gorge system. The riveris not what you would expect of one of aplateau. River morphology in the 30 kmsegment was a classical flood plain. Longchannels are fringed on both banks bynatural levies dominated by largepaperbarks and pandanus. Literally metresaway from the river the vegetation dropsdramatically in height and becomes tropicalsavannah. The river was an enjoyableflatwater paddle with long poolspunctuated with rock races. The bird lifewas prolific.

Every ripple has addedsignificance when paddlingin the Territory. Salties arenot known this farupstream but over the past40 years since wholesalehunting stopped they havecrept further and furtherupstream. That didnt stopus; it just meant somecaution around the water,especially at night.

Above the gorges we onlyhad to contend withfreshies. On previous pre-toad trips many had beenspotted. On this trip we sawjust the one solitary freshy.The impact of cane toads onfreshwater crocs, monitorsand dragons was noticeable.

Our approach to the start of the gorgesystem was marked by fingers ofescarpment outcrops intercepting the river.A highlight was a large brolga perched ontop of one of the outcrops. The change inriver morphology was distinct with theriver becoming more constrained. Abenefits of this was a quickening of flowand some fun rapids. During big wets thisarea above the Gorge system becomes aninland sea as the narrow rock entrance tothe gorges system constrains the flow. Thewater level in April was a little moremanageable.

The upper gorge system is a dramaticrock landscape. An almost unimaginableamount of wet season water is funnelledinto a very constrained bedrock landscape.At times the entire flow of the river isforced through a 3 m gap. The result - awater sculpture on a grand scale - worthy ofa full days wandering and exploring. Awayfrom the river the fissured nature of therock landscape creates an interestingmosaic of grassland and occasional pocketsof trees.

Preparing for the trip I had indicatedthat we would have fish one night,and hence we could pack one lessdinner. This was treated with somescepticism, until a lure was thrown in andfirst cast got a sooty grunter. A few morefollowed and dinner was sorted out.

With pack rafts the trip from gorge 13down to gorge 9 was a breeze. The majorportage around gorges 13 -11 was apleasant walk and the brute of a portageinto gorge 9 was made easy by the aerialcapability of the pack rafts. As a result, wehad plenty of time to explore theescarpment around gorge 11 and 12.

KatherineGorge -

Kelvin Montagu and Liz Saunders,Springwood Bushwalking Club

where every ripple hasadded significance

Friends and relations

12 | The Bushwalker



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From gorge 11 the river is a bit more paddle friendly withsome enjoyable white water as the river descends and thewalls of the gorge rise. A compulsory portage past Eagle Rockand into gorge 9 brought us into our spectacular campsite fora couple of nights. The benign river conditions hid thetragedy of the rafting river guide who drowned 'trialling'whitewater rafting in the early 1990s. The moods of the rivercan be very different.

Camping for a couple of nights in gorge 9 allowed us timeto watch the changes in colour of the gorge walls as the lightvaried. It also allowed for another walk about away from theriver and some exploration of the country and billabongsaway from the main gorge system. This is fascinating butharsh country.

The upper Katherine forms an important traditional routebetween the Kakadu flood plains, up the South Alligator riverand over into the Katherine river. As a result there isconsiderable rock art in the area.

From gorge 9 down most rapids are paddled with eachgorge having a different feel. From waterfall cascading down,to rainforest pockets, rock overhangs and walls anddelightful beaches. But each ripple was having extrasignificance with the lower gorges (1-3) still closed for 'salty'checking and removal.

A pack rafting trip is not a pack rafting trip without a walkin or out. As we cheated with the flight in this left the walkout from gorge 4 (Smith Rock). An early walkout avoided theheat of the day and meant we were out by 10 am. But afterseven days in the upper reaches there was the shock ofrunning into the day trippers on the way out.

Portaging is easiy with packrafts

The contrast between the river and the surroundings

Camp on the bank of the river

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The Bushwalker | 13



With all river trips their complexionis very much determined by waterlevels. At the end of April and early Maywe enjoyed a river with reasonable flowbut nearing the bottom of the range forbeing able to paddle most of the rapids.The unusual dry season weather alsomade the walking pleasant, even ifAnne did find it a bit cold due to a lastminute choice between her sleeping bagand The Luminaries (a good readAnne?). As a result, it was a veryrelaxed and enjoyable trip on the riverin contrast to other times we have donethis trip.

Having previously lived in theTerritory, paddling the Katherine wasone of our favourite trips. The firsttime we paddled the upper Katherinewas 20 years ago in a Canadian with afour and six year-old. Returning withpack rafts (and no kids) made for aconsiderably easier trip. However,things had changed. The combinationof 'salties' creeping further upstreamand a more risk-adverse ParksManagement meant the lower gorgeswere closed until well into the dryseason, cane toads had decimated thereptile populations, and changes inaccess made vehicle access difficult.

But what a stunning trip, there arenot many trips that we have done threetimes and would still do again. Sunlight on the gorge

Rapids - adrenaline territory!

The climb out at the end of the trip

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14 | The Bushwalker



E parked in the Lower Vestibule (en route toTemple of Doom) at GR 321 095, walking by0915. Headed eastwards to the end of theenchanting pagoda cluster, then climbed topick up the bike track which leads upwardsand to the Wolgan LO. This proved to be thesame one we found last week. It seemed to

aim in the direction we wanted, so we followed it to 327095 where it came onto the old access road where wed

Catacombs ofTemple Creek,just down from theTemple of Doom!

Hugh Speirs,Blue Mts Bushrangers

Map: Cullen Bullen

The Bushwalker | 15



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parked last week. 20 m to the left the biketrack again headed off SE and we followedit for 150 m or so. It seemed an appropriatespot to head off-track down towards theTemple Ck. ...

Finding a descent point wasn't obviousand we spent some time on a broadheadland looking longingly into someinaccessible fern-filled depths surroundedby vertical cliffs. Harold found a great slot,narrow, deep, but he thought it a possibleway down. To quote Harold, as he licked hislips, If the Bush Club blokes were heretheyd be down this like a rat down a drain-pipe!! We moved on a bit.

We bush-pushed down for 10 min to thefirst level, but soon realised it was muchfurther down to the creek. We thendescended through thick ferns, headinggenerally NE as we looked for TheCatacombs (see The Gardens of StoneNational Park and beyond, Book 6, MichaelKeats and Brian Fox, - thanks gents). Itwasnt easy going. Either the ferns becamehigher or I found a lot of holes. That waspossible, theres no way of really tellingwhere youre putting your feet. The trick isto get someone else to go first and followthem closely. If they disappear its usually ahole!! Waist-high ferns became chest-high,then head-high - even on me.

GPS checkings showed we were close.Wed actually come perhaps 50 m too far.Harold scouted brilliantly and found thewinding tunnels and climbs, and tunnels,and more tunnels, that make this spot achallenge (for anyone around 2 m tall andsporting a back-pack), and a lot of fun!!

See the pile of huge fallen rocks,(difficult to see from where wed beenfurther up the slope), the crushingstructure of the Catacombs - and the seriesof tunnels hidden beneath and betweenthem. No, not visible.

This collection of massive fallen rocksleaves just enough access beneath them.One scrambles on hands and knees (andbelly once or twice, in the mode ofgenuflection). Then one is inside, so tospeak.

Almost at the end we came to anenclosed space that seemed to haveno outlet. My first sight of it said tome, Well have to re-trace our steps (or ourbelly wormings)!. We looked upwards toour right where a large rock shelf hung. Noway. But still there was one way, to our left,a hidden small opening to a short tunnelthat took us out.

We looked at where we were - we werenow at the S end of the tunnels.

Wed been here earlier and thought itcouldnt be the right place to enter. It was1300 and over time for lunch. And what aLunch Spot!!

After lunch we needed to find our wayout of the gully. We looked carefully at aslot Harold had discovered at the top. Hedbeen through it, but was obviously doubtfulthat I could do it without considerabledifficulty. And if theres one place yourgeriatric doesnt want to find considerabledifficulty its in a 30m deep slot which isbarely wide enough to squeeze through andhaving several near vertical climbs withoutfootholds or walking frame availability(another would be when belly-wormingthrough subterranean tunnels!!).

The upshot was that we wended our wayback up the way wed descended. Onreaching the old access track we followedthat back to the car, the long way round butit afforded us a good way to stretch the legsout.

[Highly edited to get it to fit - Roger Caffin]

Catacombs of

Harold pops out

107 kg of ageing elaphantinegrace on a path of destruction

Standing room inside

Harold looking concerned:can Huey manage this?

Pic

d'An

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Fren

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Phot

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winter 2016 vol 41 no 3

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