It started, as all good ski trips do, with Jimi Hendrix. That helped keep us awake for the long drive down to the snow, and we pulled into the Island Bend rest area as the clock struck midnight. The stars were vivid and it was still, perhaps we had picked the right weekend for this big ski trip.
On a frosty Saturday morning we warmed ourselves by the fire clutching cups of hot tea until the first rays of the winter sun reached our camp. Then we headed up a leafy creek, following a faint track whilst trying to avoid the cold damp fronds of the verdant understorey. Where the creek forked we climbed a ridge which took us into warm sunshine and thence onto a lookout rock from which splendid views back down the valley to Newnes were seen.
We were a bit worried about the weather as we passed through a downpour on the bus on the way to the start. The forecast wasn’t the best, but at least it was dry as Vannessa and I started our trek in the colourful moor lands. We soon reached the pretty Crater lake, that was surrounded by beautiful orange deciduous beech trees (Fagus) at this time of year.
It started with a traffic jam late on Thursday night which delayed our arrival at a damp and drizzly Kanangra walls. Leaving one car at the Uni Rover Trail and another at Kanangra Walls we walked in the thick damp cloud to the Dance Floor Cave and found passable spots to bed down for the remainder of the night.
I’d been wanting to trot down Moko Creek for some time — I can’t think precisely where I heard it, but the rumour went that despite the sound wisdom of Bash The Ridge And Not The Creek, several of the streams running south off the Gangerang Massif are in fact excellent walking, with crystal waters, beautiful cascades, the creekbed comprises extensive and impressive rocky slabs stretching to the far yonder, it’s a fully licensed venue, there are friendly yowies to carry your pack and massage your feet, et cetera et cetera. Clearly worth a look, even if only to disprove the rumours of a wet bar on this Big Rock Candy Mountain.
Four of us met up outside Parramatta station – and headed off to Parramatta River – to where it looked like a bike trail was from my Google Earth observations. Sure enough – we found the trail and rode off along it. The weather was perfect – sunny. not too hot and no winds. Nice. The riding was through parklands – lined with stately gums trees – very pleasant indeed – until the cycle path stopped in an industrial area – and we had to scout around to find the best way ahead. Eventually we regained the path and continued on our way. We had joined up with the old route – and I now knew the way. Easy. At least it was until we hit a big gate across the path. Ahead was an area being redeveloped and the path was temporarily closed. There was a route around it – so we set off – but that was when Stuart got a puncture. While he was fixing it – i scouted around on the other (south) side of the river and saw a new (to me anyway) bike path – that looked good – so we changed our plans and instead of heading along the north side to Meadowbank – we followed a delighful path on the south side which linked up with Bicentennial Park at Homebush. This followed the foreshores past some old docks and past Silverwater Nature Reserve.
Long version: The weather was beautiful and we started walking by 9am, wending our way down from Berowra Station to Cowan Creek and then walking along its banks. We stopped quite a few times to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but still made excellent time. We were most amused upon reaching the Mt Kuringai end of the Cowan Creek section of the walk to find a sign announcing that the track we had just walked was closed!! Perhaps it would be more effective if signs were placed at BOTH ends of the track!?! There is also some debate about the cause of some rustling in one of the bushes we walked past – with varied eye-witness accounts including a lizard, snake, bunyip… and my favourite… the young couple ahead of us on the walk!!!
In the end it was just three of us that managed to escape Sydney on the warm and humid evening of the Thursday before Easter for a 4 day canyoning adventure in the northern Blue Mountains. In keeping with Easter tradition, a change in the weather brought cool and damp conditions for most of the weekend.
My plans of doing a weekend trip to Galong Creek didn’t end up coming to fruition (not for the first time), and so instead a small group of us set out for what turned out to be a fairly leisurely day walk. After meeting at Strathfield station on Sunday morning we drove to Faulconbridge and out to the locked gate on Grose Rd. The walk out to the end of the ridge took about an hour and a half. There are some excellent views from here looking down into the Grose river valley. Returning about 1km back along the fire trail, we took the side track which leads down to the river. The track was in good nick and after some easy rock scrambling we reached the river in time for lunch and a swim. On returning, we arrived back at the car with plenty of time to stop off at the Lapstone Hotel for some cold beers before returning to Sydney. Thanks to those who came along for an enjoyable day of bushwalking.
The inspiration for this daywalk came from Graeme Barrow’s track notes in his book “Namadgi & Tidbinbilla Classics: Tough Bushwalks in Canberra’s High Country.” We based our route on Walk 18, which involves a long road-bash down the Old Boboyan Road, followed by some fire trail bashing alongside Naas Creek in the Boboyan Valley, then a gradual uphill gully bash to the Gudgenby Saddle, finally topped of with a tough scrub bash and challenging slippery rock-slab climb up to the summit of Mount Gudgenby, 1739m. Barrow says this of the mountain: