Around Kangaroo Valley

Transcription

1 Around Kangaroo Valley The Kangaroo Valley i one of Autralia mot beautiful: cooped out by river eroion, clothed in luh farmland and fringed with foret. Reputed to be one of only even fully-encloed valley in the world, it netle between the Southern Highland ecarpment and the Cambewarra range that eparate it from the coatal plain. Thi valley offer a great range of poibilitie for walker. Thoe who want more than a troll through it hitoric village don t have to travel far, with a walk exploring Kangaroo River and tributary creek tarting jut beyond Hampden Bridge. Upper Kangaroo Valley ha, if poible, even more cenic charm with it wimming hole, rainforet and waterfall. At Fitzroy Fall the latter get really eriou, along with the view. Longer walk deep into Morton National Park open up other vita, including over Lake Yarrunga and the Shoalhaven River. You ll need a car to acce thee more remote walk, along with uitable protection from the element: Kangaroo Valley experience, a the tourit guide put it, ditinct eaon. 67

2 12 Kangaroo River Nature Reerve The lower reache of Kangaroo River have been tamed forever by Tallowa Dam but uptream where it till flow freely it a particularly beautiful waterway. The Kangaroo River Nature Reerve, landlocked and inacceible by road, i a hidden gem providing walker with acce to a cliff-lined tretch of the river northern bank. Luckily for walker, two path from the neighbouring Pioneer Mueum Park were waymarked before the reerve exited; thi route combine them. The pool, mo garden and rock overhang of little Nelon Creek are added highlight of thi delightful walk. At a glance Grade: Eay/medium Time: 2 hr Ditance: 4.5 km circuit Condition: Walk acceible Fri-Mon and chool holiday only; mall entry fee to the mueum; no barrier on lookout; upervie young children Getting there: Bu: 809/810 run from Nowra to Kangaroo Valley, Mon-Fri; T Car: From the centre of Kangaroo Valley village, cro Hampden Bridge and immediately turn left into the Pioneer Mueum Park Walk direction From the mueum 1 office, walk through the ground to the early ettler hut. Beyond thi, cro the 70-metre upenion bridge that pan the gorge of Tannery Creek. At the junction, head 2 left on the firt of two loop, waymarked with red-and-white marker on tree. A ign indicate you have entered Kangaroo River Nature Reerve but the map ugget the boundary i further on. Watch carefully for a little ide path leading teeply down the overgrown river bank to a beach. Thi i a great 3 place to take in the riveride cenery and you can wander uptream a hort way for a duck -eye view of the 1898 Hampden Supenion Bridge, probably the mot photographed bridge in rural NSW. Return to the main path and turn left, following high above the river with occaional glimpe below. Target Creek Cheryl' Beach 12 Kangaroo River Nature Reerve Take the next left, 4 croing a little wooden bridge over Target Creek, now following red marker. You ll oon reach a lookdown known a Tranquillity Top, where there are view uptream through tall eucalypt 4 N 0 100m 9 3 Kangaroo River 2 and over the river to cliff oppoite. Continuing above the river you ll reach a econd lookdown, igned on a tree a Lonely Siter Lookout. From here you can cramble down to lower rock for a ditant uptream glimpe of Hampden Bridge. Tannery Creek Swing Bridge Pioneer Farm Mueum 1 T P Hampden Bridge Mo Vale Rd TO KV VILLAGE & NOWRA 68 69

3 12 Kangaroo River Nature Reerve 12 Kangaroo River Nature Reerve Turn away from the 5 river, following high above Nelon Creek, which can be viewed from nearby rock. The path oon plit into the econd loop: keep left, heading downhill to cro the creek on rock. Nelon Tom' Waterhole Mo Garden 7 A hort downtream 6 detour (no path, but fairly eay going) allow for cloe inpection of rock overhang where the creek bend. Return to the croing point and Top 8 Trail Creek N m continue on the uptream path at creek level. The waterway ha carved out a mall gorge, complete with intereting rock overhang. The creek i pot-holed and hade enure that the rock port a healthy cover of mo. Pa below a large moy rock with the larget rock orchid you re ever likely to ee. At a bend, a rock wall 7 bar further progre o you mut cro back over the creek bedrock jut before reaching the delightful Tom Waterhole, fringed by moy rock and rainforet foliage and backed by the andtone cliff. You may, if you re patient, ee the azure kingfiher that fihe here. A ign on a tree ay Mo Garden - 5 minute circular walk. Thi ection i a tad confuing, with the introduction of yellow tag, but it head further uptream, paing a healthy array of yellow rock orchid, and then back, Kangaroo River Nature Reerve 5 Kangaroo River REFER TO OTHER MAP Cheryl' Beach Targe higher up the bank, to become the red-tagged Top Trail. Continue ahead at a 8 junction with the acending path from the waterhole. Preently rejoin the outward route and cro back over the little bridge (waypoint 4), turning left (uptream) to complete the red-and-white loop. The vegetation change markedly a the path wind through a cribbly gum foret and broaden into a trail. Ignore a trail left that lead to a farm gate on private property. A the trail curve 9 right, look for a footpad heading into buh left of a coppiced tree. Thi weave through hrub of kunzea and tea-tree, pae private property ign and then veer right to follow above Tannery Creek, returning to the upenion bridge. Cro the bridge to return to the mueum car park. For familie What life wa like A viit to the Pioneer Mueum Park, run by the Kangaroo Valley Hitorical Society, will give you a great inight into the life and work of the valley early farming familie. The main building houe a collection of 19th-century fahion, tool and houehold item. Dotted around the one-hectare ground are an 1870 hometead, a buh chool, a ettler hut, a dairy, a forge and hed exhibiting hore-drawn vehicle and early farm implement and machinery. Each building i wired for ound o you can hear about reident life torie and the item on diplay. Kid will love winging on the upenion bridge, looking for foil on the giant Selby Rock, running on the fun barrel and eeing the double-eated family loo. There are picnic table, barbeque and toilet and all building have wheelchair acce. For opening time and entry fee, ee

4 17 Mt Ettalong Lookout 17 Mt Ettalong Lookout 72 73

5 Upper 13 Minnie Ha Ha Fall and Flatrock One of the loveliet hort drive in the Shoalhaven wend uptream of the Kangaroo River, penetrating deep into the cliff-girt upper Kangaroo Valley to an idyllic pot known unofficially a Flatrock, where the avvy local come to wim and picnic. Agile type adept At a glance Grade: Medium/hard Time: 2 hr 30 min Ditance: 2.5 km circuit Condition: Slippery rock and tinging tree; no formed track at rock-hopping will be amply rewarded by thi hort walk following contributory Gibon Creek up to lovely Minnie Ha Ha Fall. Along the way, try not to let the creek cacade and the luh rainforet cenery ditract you from the tak of taying upright while negotiating the many lippery rock. Finding the track From Kangaroo Valley village, cro Hampden Bridge and oon turn right into Upper Kangaroo River Road. Drive for 14.3 kilometre (the lat few unpaved) and park at a clearing on the left. Walk direction Walk down the road 1 toward the concrete ford of Gibon Creek but do not cro it. At the back of a tiny clearing on your left, pick up a narrow footpad which follow the creek uptream. You are immediately immered in a world of cool, dark rainforet. Watch out for the large, flat leave of the giant tinging tree, a hair Minnie Ha Ha Fall 5 Gibon 13 Minnie Ha Ha Fall and Flatrock on the underide deliver a naty ting. The footpad oon lead to a low cacade on the creek. Continue alongide 2 the creek, the footpad becoming more obcure. Progre can be made on the true right bank (that i, the left a you walk uptream) combined with rock-hopping in the creek. Look out for the uperb bird -net fern and elkhorn growing high in the canopy on the oppoite bank. Shortly, you ll reach 3 a broad, two-tiered drop-off with everal thread of water flowing over it. After admiring the cene, continue clambering up the creek or it bank to reach a plunge pool below a 1.5-metre drop off, above which i another cacade. The footpad climb beide the creek in ight of more cacade before veering left uphill to join an old cedar-getter trail. Soon leave thi to 4 decend again to the creek at a place where the oppoite bank form a low, heer cliff. You are now in Budderoo National Park. After ome more crambling poibly croing to the other ide of the creek once the main waterfall i in ight carefully head for the bae of the fall. Budderoo National Park 4 N 3 Creek Ford 0 250m Flatrock P Kangaroo River Rd 1 P Kangaroo River TO KANGAROO VALLEY 74 75

6 13 Minnie Ha Ha Fall and Flatrock Thi i a very 5 impreive place, particularly after rain, a Minnie Ha Ha Fall plummet down the middle of a horehoe amphitheatre of rock into a mall plunge pool. Near-permanent hadow enure the water in the pool i alway cold, even at the height of ummer. The bet time for photographer i late morning when there a chance of unlight penetrating the rainforet canopy. The fall are unnamed on the topographic map which alo fail to how that they drop off the lower of two cliff line: the upper one the true ecarpment i not viible from below. Now return to the old logging trail (waypoint 4) and tay on it a it contour high above the creek. You reach a ection 6 where tree-fall mut be crambled around but otherwie good progre can be made on thi level foret bench. The trail become more overgrown before you reach a junction where you hould head left, teeply downhill on a footpad that take you back to the rear of the lay-by where your car i parked. Now walk back down the road, thi time croing over Gibon Creek to reach the broad rock platform where it join the Kangaroo River. Thi beautiful part 7 of the river i known locally and unurpriingly a Flatrock and time would be well pent exploring your urrounding. Oppoite loom the high cliff of Budderoo Plateau. Jut uptream i a long, deep wimming hole bordered by a rock ledge and below it an obviou place to cro the river, though you might need to take hoe off, being careful of lippery wet rock. On the other ide you can head uptream by the river, following the river tone through the cauarina and water gum. You re in Budderoo National Park until a road ford i reached, beyond which i private property. Return the ame way or a little cloer to the towering cliff. Back on the right bank you will have no trouble finding a good pot by the river for a picnic before returning to the car for the econd time

7 14 Fitzroy Fall: Eat to Wet Fitzroy Fall were dicovered by landowner Charle Throby in the 1820 after which they became known a Throby Fall. Throby howed them off to Governor Fitzroy who paid a viit in 1850 and who modetly renamed them after himelf. The grandeur of upper Yarrunga Creek gorge wa obviou and the urrounding land wa dedicated a a Public Recreation Reerve a early a Thi oneway ecarpment walk connect a tring of lookout along the eat At a glance Grade: Eay Time: 3 hr Ditance: 6 km one way Condition: Bet on a fine day after rain; wheelchair acce to main lookout from viitor centre Getting there: Bu: Two ervice run from Nowra to Mo Vale via Kangaroo Valley and Fitzroy Fall: Kennedy 810, Mon-Fri, T ; Prior, daily except Sat, T and wet rim; you ll need two vehicle or the time to walk the return. If you don t have thi opportunity, jut walk the more pectacular Wet Rim Walk (and return) from the viitor centre. Finding the track The walk a decribed require two vehicle, one to be placed near the end. From Kangaroo Valley village head wet on Mo Vale Road and, after climbing the Barrengarry Mountain hairpin, pa Manning Lookout Road on your right. After 400 metre, cro a bridge over Fitzroy Canal and note two gate immediately on the left. The right gate mark the tart of the walk o one vehicle mut return here. Drive a few more kilometre, paing the entrance to Fitzroy Fall Viitor Centre. Turn next left into unealed Gwen Road and follow it for 14 Fitzroy Fall: Eat to Wet 500 metre, parking one car near where a fire trail join it from the left. Drive the other car back to the gate decribed above and park nearby. Walk direction Hop over the righthand barrier and walk 1 wet along the old trail for 300 metre. It peter out hort of an unfenced ecarpment lookdown but you now pick up a walking track heading north. Thi i the tart (or a a ign indicate, the end) of the Eat Rim track, which hug the eatern cliff line of the heer, horehoehaped amphitheatre of upper Yarrunga Creek. After 200 metre through heath, you reach the twopart Yarrunga Lookout, the firt of many lookout on thi walk. You ll find 2 uninterrupted view both up and down the Yarrunga Creek gorge where the outhern horizon i punctuated by the flat-topped mea of Mount Carrialoo and rounded Mount Moollattoo. Hereabout the expoed plateau i home to tunted cribbly gum and mountain mallee. The vegetation become le tunted a you continue for 500 metre to aptly-named Valley View Lookout. N 0 250m Lamond Lookout Valley View Lookout 3 Rd Nowra Yarrunga Lookout 2 P 1 TO KANGAROO VALLEY 78 79

8 14 Fitzroy Fall: Eat to Wet 14 Fitzroy Fall: Eat to Wet At the railing note the 3 heer and colourful cliff to your immediate right. Nearby i a fallen cauarina, kept alive by a tap root ent down from it uplifted mat of root to the oil and rock below. Continue on to Lamond Lookout where more 12 The Grotto Twin Fall Starkey Lookout Renown Lookout excellent view are to be had down valley. Next cro a dry creek bed and pa a termite mound urrounding a burnt out tree trunk. Pa a lookout rock on your left and later P Rd Gwen Jerey 9 Lookout Twin Fall Richardon Lookout Lookout Yarrunga Creek Lady Hordern Fall Warrawong Lookout P i 8 Main Lookout 4 7 T 6 decend right of a couple of outlying boulder before reaching Warrawong Lookout. From here, you are 4 on the Janet Coh Wildflower Walk, named to honour a local plantcollector. You can ee acro and down valley here but the main view i obcured by a large eucalypt; at an unnamed lookout a few metre further on you get your firt glimpe of Fitzroy Fall. The path become le even a you decend into the luh vegetation of Ferny Gully. There are actually two creek gullie: where the two join i a beautiful grove of black wattle. Follow the bank of the firt creek and cro it uptream on a footbridge near exquiite tree fern. Fitzroy Fall May Lookout N 0 250m 5 Ferny Glen The rainforet environment between the two 5 creek i a delight with an abundance of moe, lichen, water fern and king fern protected below a tall canopy including aafra, mintbuh and native mulberry. You may urprie one of the lyrebird that favour thi area. Cro the econd creek on a footbridge, wander through more tree fern and cro another ide gully before climbing log tep to regain the cliff line. You ll oon reach 6 a hort ide track to May Lookout, which look directly acro to Jerey Lookout on the valley wet rim and, a few minute further on, get to Janet Coh Lookout. After the path become boardwalk, cro Yarrunga Creek on a footbridge under the main road and fork right for the viitor centre. The eco-friendly 7 Fitzroy Fall Viitor Centre i a popular tourit haunt o you ll find you are uddenly back in civiliation. There are picnic helter and barbeque and the Fall Café i open daily for meal and nack. The centre ell a range of book, gift and ouvenir and helpful taff can provide information on the region national park. Kid will enjoy the tuffed animal and interactive diplay. Suitably refrehed, return along the boardwalk but head right on the Wet Rim Walking Track. In only 150 metre 8 you ll reach the main lookout at the head of Fitzroy Fall. The platform i cantilevered out over the drop and metal grating provide an exhilarating view of water plunging 81 metre down the main drop. An orientation ign help you identify landmark down the valley; Mount Carrialoo i now joined by Mount Scanzi. Proceed on the broad track, paing interpretive ign, and down log tep to Jerey Lookout where you get a clear view of the main fall and ome lower cacade. Another 200 metre up more log tep bring you to the next viewpoint

9 14 Fitzroy Fall: Eat to Wet Richardon Lookout 9 i cantilevered over the cliff and o i unobtructed by tree growth. A well a a direct view of the main fall, you can now ee ditant Mount Tianjara down-valley. Up tep you join Red Hill Fire Trail for 30 metre before veering left, decending more tep to reach the two-part Twin Fall Lookout. Thi offer a great view down valley and of the ide-by-ide Twin Fall, impreive after rain. Now cro their feeder creek on a footbridge to reach an unnamed lookdown over the ame ide-creek amphitheatre and to oon reach Paine Lookout. Decend tone tep, following the path below a low, eeping rock wall through a ferny dell known a the Grotto. After croing 10 another idecreek footbridge you can detour left down to the lower part of the Grotto: it only 50 metre away down tep. A railing limit exploration of the overhang behind a mall cacade but if you tay awhile you might pot rock warbler going about their buine. Little unlight penetrate the coachwood and water gum that pread gnarled root over the moy rock. Back on the main path, continue outh for 400 metre through a much dryer undertorey hakea, mountain devil and tea-tree toward the penultimate lookout, reached on another hort detour path. From Starkey 11 Lookout, the full 320-metre extent of Yarrunga Creek decent into the gorge i captured, from the main fall to the cacade below and to the final 70-metre drop of Lady Hordern Fall. Now return to the main path and walk downhill for 300 metre to the final lookout. Renown Lookout 12 make a uitable grande finale to the walk. The extra ditance from the fall improve the view, framed by a venerable old man bankia growing near the railing. After taking in the cene grandeur, retrace your tep to pick up the Red Hill Fire Trail (waypoint 9). Follow thi back to Gwen Road and your car

10 15 Above Bendeela 15 Above Bendeela Thi foret walk motly in Morton National Park reache the Pipeline Lookout for one of the bet view over Kangaroo Valley. The walk i rated hard for everal reaon: for one ection the trail i faint and difficult to follow and negotiate a patch of nettle and leeche. Thee obtacle can be avoided by taking the eaier route decribed under Variation but there no ecaping the cruelly teep trudge up the trail At a glance Grade: Hard Time: 6-7 hr Ditance: 18.5 km circuit Acent/decent: 550 m/550 m Condition: Avoid in ummer; watch out for downhill mountain biker on weekend; nettle and leeche on a hort ection Further info: Refer 1:25,000 map: Bundanoon (8928-1S) that begin the walk and the matching decent on the return. Nonethele, thi i a rewarding walk and one ideal for building fitne! Finding the track From Kangaroo Valley PO, drive over Hampden Bridge and turn firt left into Bendeela Road. After 5.7 kilometre, watch for a harp turn off right into a mall fenced area with pace for everal car and a ign welcoming walker by the track head for McPhail Trail. McPhail 3 4 N Walk direction Take the teep eaement 1 track that give walker acce to Morton National Park. There i a hort repite at the top of the firt incline and then a teady hairpin acent through tall foret. The track level through McPhail 0 500m Trail Morton National Park an old clearing and the vegetation become luh a the oil turn a rich red-brown. Further uphill, the foret become drier with large turpentine tree. Fallen tree acro the trail have been built up a ramp for biker benefit. The rock wall of Mt Carrialoo rie up 10 on your left and you pa a red tag 7 King Creek 5 6 Trail Jack 1 P Corner TO KANGAROO VALLEY Rd 84 85

11 15 Above Bendeela 15 Above Bendeela on a tree that denote a rough route up onto it plateau. Continue on the track 2 to cro a hady gully, followed by a econd. Where tree-fall block the track, a footpad divert around it. The track make a gentle decent on a addle, with filtered view north of Morton National Park. A level area, cleared of tree, mark the ite of McPhail Farm and make a good place for a ret break. Continue on through 3 the clearing for 500 metre or o, paing a large boulder and following the path through a harp witchback and then around another bend. At a McPhail ignpot, turn harp right into the buh. It no longer viible from the track, but you hould find the remain of an old logging track that head to your right, outhwet and level around the lope. Although thi begin in the national park, it take you through private land, o pleae don t abue the goodwill of the landholder. Follow the remnant 4 track for almot 3 kilometre a it proceed along a wide, foreted bench between two level of ecarpment winging eat and then outheat. Along the way, it croe over a culvert in a gully. About an hour from waypoint 4, the remnant track veer right (ignore a footpad left) to follow the top of a pur, paing red-and-white pole and a notice about buried cable. The track pae 5 above a clearing where there are the ruin of a cabin and, nearby, a good view off the ecarpment; take care if exploring near the cliff top. The track now wing northwet to cro a gully. Thi moit ection i, adly, overgrown with nettle and bramble and leeche but it i, thankfully, hort. A bridge that croed the creek i broken, o cro the gully where the path i blocked to regain the track on the other ide and turn right to follow it outheat. Where it broaden, keep left uphill. Power line come into view and you cro a patch of bracken to reach cleared land. By now, you ll no 6 doubt be needing lunch and thi i an excellent place to enjoy it, along with the view over Kangaroo Valley, with Mt Broughton or the Wedding Cake a it i alo known at it far end. After your ret, follow the edge of the clearing briefly uphill and pick up the good unealed ervice road that climb teadily. The road wing lowly northeat and you might glimpe a trange tower in the ditance; thi i a urge tank and i part of the Sydney Catchment Authority infratructure. About 1.4 kilometre from where you joined it, the road reache a junction. Turn left here and 7 decend gently. The road croe the Kangaroo Pipeline by a fenced-off building; the maive pipe carrie water a it i pumped uphill from the Kangaroo River at Bendeela to the Fitzroy Canal, where it enter Sydney water upply ytem. A trig marker tand, apparently abandoned, by the roadide on your left. A few hundred metre along, there i a marker pole on the left, jut before a barrier by a curve in the road, indicating a footpad. Thi hort detour i 8 extremely rewarding. Decend the embankment and then follow a erie of pole (marking the route of an underground cable) acro a minor creek. The route werve left (outh) Walk variation Strangely enough, not everyone like nettle and leeche. Walker who nonethele enjoy tretching the leg mucle can tay on track and avoid thoe irritant by ignoring the direction at waypoint 4 and continuing up McPhail Trail, turning right at waypoint 10 and enjoying the detour at waypoint 8 to Pipeline Lookout; thi ection involve a bit of path-finding but there are pole to follow through the crub and the view are rewarding. Return the ame way, a per the direction above, for a walk of 14 kilometre in total

12 15 Above Bendeela 15 Above Bendeela and bring you to a rocky outcrop on the tip of a point on the ecarpment. The view from thi pot known a Pipeline Lookout i dramatic: below i Bendeela Pondage and the Kangaroo River naking it way to Lake Yarrunga; behind that i the pimplehaped Mt Scanzi; further wet i Mt Moollattoo with a ridgeline leading up to the raied plateau of Mt Carrialoo. Retrace your tep, 9 taking care to follow the pole back acro the creek. Turn left when back onto the road and follow it a it wind generally north. Almot 2 kilometre along, on a gentle decent, you reach a four-way junction. Turn left on 10 McPhail Trail where a ign indicate it i cloed (to vehicle); thi i a lovely ection of path, taking you downhill by a bank decorated with clump of native gra and with a creek gully down to your right. Pa the ign at waypoint 4 and keep on the main track, walking back through the farm clearing and retracing your outward route. Apart from a hort climb that eem unfair at thi tage in the day, the walk out i all downhill; you might want to pick up a walking tick for the teep decent at the end. Shoalhaven environment Tree, tree, tree! Apart from all thoe yellow pea-flower and white heath, wildflower are relatively eay to differentiate. Native tree are quite another matter; if we could ee their leave and flower, it would make life eaier. Coachwood, for example, have floret that turn red they are cloely related to Chritma buh and it can be eay to pot them acro valley late in ummer. The nowrare Red Cedar i deciduou and o tand out in winter. For many tall tree though, we have to inpect their bark to gue their identity. Coachwood trunk, for example, tend to be mooth and plotchy while Saafra ha caly bark. Turpentine aren t too difficult: the red-brown bark i rough with rugged, deep crack running vertically. Sydney Peppermint ha grey bark that i fine and fibrou. With experience (and a bit of application) the intereted walker will develop ome idea of which tree thrive in which habitat open foret, rainforet, along creek, in coatal woodland and o on. Thoe who lack the patience or memory can imply give a tree a friendly pat in paing

13 16 Yarrunga Valley and Griffin Farm There i omething poignant about finding a long-abandoned farm in an iolated valley, the urrounding buhland reverting to it wild tate. Thi walk in Morton National Park penetrate deep into the heart of the beautiful Yarrunga Creek valley to the ruin of a farm that wa home to Clyde Griffin and hi large family in the middle of the lat century. The timber in thi area wa a very At a glance Grade: Medium; econd variation i hard Time: 5 hr Ditance: 14 km return Decent/acent: 220 m/220 m Condition: Yarrunga Creek may be impaable after prolonged rain Further info: Refer 1:25,000 map: Bundanoon (8928-1S) valuable reource (not urpriingly, a Yarrunga i an Aboriginal word for large tree ). Finding the track From Kangaroo Valley, drive toward Fitzroy Fall over Hampden Bridge, taking the firt turn left into Bendeela Road (which become Jack Corner Road). Drive for 11.3 kilometre, parking near a locked gate where the road wing left. Walk direction Thi i Jack Corner, 1 o called becaue the propertie of four different Jack met here. Walk around the locked gate onto Griffin Fire Trail; there a picnic table here and a new toilet jut down the trail. A trailhead ign how the one-way ditance to Yarrunga 16 Yarrunga Valley and Griffin Farm Creek and Griffin Farm: 5 and 5.8 kilometre repectively. Follow the broad fire trail northwet. After about metre, ignore the unigned trail left (thi i Beehive Fire Trail which can be walked to Beehive Point on Lake Yarrunga). The firt 3 kilometre are pleaant but uneventful walking, motly gently downhill a you contour below the wetern lope of Mount Moollattoo, an Aboriginal name meaning gray mountain. At a left bend where 3 the trail begin a teep decent, ignore a narrower foot track right: a teeper hortcut to Yarrunga Creek. The trail now decend between many large boulder. The gradient increae at a harp bend right, after which you reach a econd locked gate traddling two huge rock: the perfect trailbike deterrent. Continue teeply 4 downhill for 500 metre, where the trail wing left at a dry gully croing. Climb briefly out of the gully then make a final decent and hairpin turn to reach Yarrunga Creek. The bank of thi idyllic creek are a pleaant place to relax for a few minute

14 16 Yarrunga Valley and Griffin Farm To cro the creek 5 you can either loh through the (uually) hallow water of the road ford or make ue of tepping tone a few metre downtream. Look for tout tick to help you balance there i often a collection nearby and leave them on the oppoite bank for your return croing. Scramble up the oppoite bank on a worn footpad to rejoin the trail. Go left, heading downtream, ome 20 metre above the creek through tall, luh foret replete with tree fern. At the cret of a mall rie, 800 metre from the creek croing, you ll find a footpad off left. Follow thi to the 6 remain of Griffin farmhoue. There not Shoalhaven hitory A hard life in the buh much left, jut ome foundation and a bit of tone wall overgrown with blackberry and nettle. The onward footpath oon emerge onto broad gray flat, kept trim by the reident marupial. The flat are encloed by a bend in Yarrunga Creek; they make a popular detination for overnight hiker, accommodating large partie with eae. To the Clyde Griffin, hi wife Jean and their ix children mut have done it tough back in the 1940 when they worked the hundred of acre of buh he had bought cheaply in the iolated Yarrunga Creek valley. He had to bulldoze a road in from Kangaroo Valley o he could truck out hi timber to ell to awmill; when it rained the only way out wa by hore. The Griffin family were elf-ufficient: they had a vegetable garden and orchard, brewed beer and raied livetock for meat, egg and dairy product. The firt home wa an old bark hack; later they built a 3-torey home, made from timber off the property. The farm urvived flood and fire before being dimantled when the property wa old to the tate in the 1970 for incorporation into Morton National Park. north i a magical view of the andtone ecarpment forming an unnamed point. Have lunch here al freco or find the way down to the bank of the creek on a wombat track that leave the clearing between two large campfire. Here you can it on 7 a log and dine to the ound of flowing water and have a paddle if it a warm day. After lunch, return to Griffin Fire Trail: oppoite waypoint 6 i another obcure footpad (once a road) leaving next to two pot that once upported a ign. It climb a pur and oon lead you to an old concrete reervoir, once the farm water upply. Return to 8 the trail below and retrace your outward route but continue a little pat where you rejoined the trail after the tepping-tone creek croing. Where the trail bend harply right TO TIMEALONG TRAIL Yarrunga 16 Yarrunga Valley and Griffin Farm down to the ford, a welldefined track continue ahead uptream, following above the creek on a level bench. Thi old cedargetting track make a very worthwhile detour to ee the uperb Griffin TO LAKE YARRUNGA 8 T Griffin Farm 4 Firetrail N 0 500m P 1 Jack 3 5 Ford Creek Corner Rd TO KANGAROO VALLEY foret that till line the creek, though you mut contend with ome treefall. 9 Morton National Park 92 93

15 16 Yarrunga Valley and Griffin Farm 16 Yarrunga Valley and Griffin Farm About 800 metre 9 uptream, an excellent tand of Sydney Blue Gum grow on an alluvial depoit where an unnamed ide creek join Yarrunga Creek. You can continue further uptream a far a you like but the track become more overgrown a you go. Return to the trail junction, turn left down to the ford and the tepping-tone croing jut downtream. Now return the 5 kilometre to your car, taking plenty of ret on the teep ection. Overnighting and walk variation 1 A newly-intalled toilet at Griffin Farm make overnight camping a more comfortable experience with plenty of good walking on offer from here. You can continue along Griffin Fire Trail for about 1.5 kilometre to the ford on Crankey Creek; downtream you ll find a good wimming hole. Continuing further will take you to a trail junction where you can follow the hitoric and well-engineered Timealong Trail 5.5 kilometre down to Lake Yarrunga. Thi wa the original road from the highland into Kangaroo Valley; the route wa an Aboriginal trading route hown to Charle Throby in 1818 by an Aboriginal man named Timealong. 2 Another, more trenuou option i a navigationally-challenging circuit along old, overgrown logging road north of Griffin Farm. The old track to the reervoir (waypoint 8) continue uphill, eventually breaching a low ecarpment and reaching a junction. The right fork travere a broad foret bench high above the valley before finally dropping down to Yarrunga Creek and becoming the track decribed in waypoint 8 and 9. Thi route wa on the previou Bundanoon map but i no longer hown; it i now a negotiable route only and it very eay to loe the line of the track o thi variation i one for experienced walker competent navigating with map and compa

16 17 Brook Plateau Lookdown Eay, level walking on old trail to four different vita make thi itinerary ideal for the whole family a it can eaily be hortened if enthuiam flag or time run out. The track out to variou point on the rim of Brook Plateau travere open woodland and heath that At a glance Grade: Eay/medium Time: 4 5 hr Ditance: Up to 12 km return Condition: No hade, avoid in ummer; unfenced lookout burt into flower in late winter and pring. Thi i when honeyeater come to dine o look out for Eatern Spinebill, New Holland, Yellowfaced and Lewin honeyeater. You might even pot a wedge-tailed eagle oaring high above the Shoalhaven River. If you only walk to one lookout, make it the Shoalhaven River View at waypoint 6. Finding the track From the wetern edge of Kangaroo Valley village, take Mount Scanzi Road toward Tallowa Dam for 19.7 kilometre and park in the large lay-by on the right, oppoite the trailhead. Walk direction Thi walk i called the 1 Three View Trail on the NPWS ign by the locked gate; there a fourth viewpoint acceed on a leer path but it not hown on 17 Brook Plateau Lookdown the ign chematic map. Follow the broad, level fire trail for 600 metre through low crub teatree, bankia, iopogon and mountain devil to reach a igned junction. Take the right fork, 2 igned to Lake Yarrunga View and Tallowa Dam View (1.5 and 2.5 kilometre return). Continue ahead at the next junction until you reach 3 Moollattoo Tallowa a turning circle. A footpad continue ahead through crub for 60 metre to reach the expoed rock of the firt viewpoint, Lake Yarrunga View. If you make your 3 way down to a lower ledge, you gain fine view of the dammed Kangaroo River and Yarrunga Creek which, together with the backed up water of the Shoalhaven River and Bundanoon Creek, make up Lake Yarrunga. Dam River 4 Moollattoo Spur Firetrail Trig Firetrail 2 Rd P TO KANGAROO VALLEY 1 N 0 500m Shoalhaven Plateau Firetrail Brook

17 17 Brook Plateau Lookdown 17 Brook Plateau Lookdown Flat-topped Mount Carrialoo can be een in the ditance to the north; nearby i Moollattoo Trig. Backtrack for 600 metre and turn right, walking for 850 metre until the fire trail end at a broad expane of flat rock. Now follow a rough footpad and yellow arrow over rock to reach another trig point. Taking care, walk out 4 to a more expoed rock for the bet view over the wall of Tallowa Dam and the Shoalhaven River arm of Lake Yarrunga. Mount Phillip and Purri Plateau loom acro the gorge and luh tree grow on Barron Flat below the dam. Return to waypoint 2 and follow the ign to Shoalhaven River View (4 kilometre return). Preently the track begin a gentle decent, paing an expane of rock pavement on the left. After the trail begin to acend gently, note a cairn on the left, oppoite a lone cribbly gum; thi mark a detour path (outh) for you to ue later. Shoalhaven environment Tallowa Dam Continue ahead 5 through tunted cribbly gum and angophora. Toward it end, the trail become a bit rocky and end at a ign: Shoalhaven River View 40 metre. Follow the yellow paint dot on rock out to a boulder on which i perched a geodetic marker TO1 and from where there are view of the river in both direction. For the walk bet 6 view, get down off thi rock and find a footpad out to an outlier rock, paing everal large gra tree on the way. Here the view capture the weep of the river around Apple Tree Flat below you; Apple Tree Creek form a ide gorge oppoite the flat. Downtream the view extend to the endle hill of the Ettrema Wilderne. A lunch break provide a great excue to linger here! Now backtrack 700 metre or o to the cairn at waypoint 5 and head Tallowa Dam i managed by the Sydney Catchment Authority to top up Sydney dam level during dry pell, which it doe through a erie of pipe, tunnel, canal and reervoir. Opened in 1977, Tallowa wa to have been the firt of everal dam on the beautiful Shoalhaven River. Fortunately for the health of the river and the pritine wilderne of it uptream gorge, the Welcome Reef Dam ha been put in mothball. The dammed 9-quare-kilometre Lake Yarrunga i now a popular playground for fihing, canoeing and kayaking. The trip up the Shoalhaven gorge beneath magnificent andtone bluff and cliff toward Foicker Flat i incredibly cenic and i the mot popular flat-water paddle in NSW. If viiting the dam, make ure you ee the new fih lift, deigned to tranport ba and other frehwater fih from the bae of the dam to the lake and river. right toward the unnamed fourth viewpoint. The path i eay to follow but omewhat overgrown and cratchy, in contrat to the other broad trail. On reaching a mall 7 cairn, continue ahead on the le obviou path and you ll oon reach the ecarpment where you can continue on rock, high above the river valley, all the way to a narrow, unnamed point. You ll pa ome intereting andtone eroion including a rock with a natural window in it. Downtream on the Shoalhaven you can ee Bull Flat, while the bluff known a Three Mate tand entinel over the gorge. Now you need to retrace your tep along the cratchy footpath to the fire trail and then back to the car

18 18 Bugong ecarpment Thi hort foret circuit, in the pleaantly obcure Bugong National Park, reward walker with ome big view of the Shoalhaven River and the wilderne beyond. A nearby rainforet walk along Bugong Creek provide a complete cenic contrat. Plan are afoot to make thee walk official o watch out for development. The quiet At a glance Grade: Eay Time: 1 hr Ditance: 2 km circuit Condition: Expoed cliff; inditinct path Further info: Refer 1:25000 map: Burrier N drive from Kangaroo Valley via Bugong Gap i a delight in itelf. Finding the track Thi walk can be reached from Nowra via Illaroo Road. From Kangaroo Valley, follow Mt Scanzi Road for 4.8 kilometre and turn left (now on dirt but till on Mt Scanzi Road). Travel another 11.9 kilometre (the road become Bugong Road) and turn right into Lower Bugong Road. After 1.9 kilometre turn left into Illaroo Fire Trail. After 1.3 kilometre, park by the road at a bend next to a mall dam. Walk direction Continue walking 1 down the road for 120 metre and turn right onto an old, unnamed (and unmapped) trail. It wind through tall eucalypt foret, well recovered from a pat buhfire. The trail peter out in more open woodland a it veer left toward the ecarpment rock, paing below an arch formed by two neighbouring eucalypt; remember thee ditinctive tree for your return or leave a bright object here! From the cliff top, 2 the view of the Shoalhaven valley and beyond i uperb. Below i a large meander in the river in which Coolendel camping ground netle. Beyond, N you can ee 18 Bugong Ecarpment 0 250m 4 Mount Barron, eparated from a more prominent but namele peak by Banfora Saddle and, beyond that, foreted hill receding to the horizon. Verdant farm field on the river flat provide a 5 1 TO KANGAROO VALLEY Illaroo Firetrail VIEW TO SHOALHAVEN RIVER Coolendel Lookout

19 18 Bugong Ecarpment delightful contrat. Now detour left along the ecarpment for 200 metre, pat intereting cleft and crevice, to where it jut out in a point. Jut left of thi i an unexpected ight: a few metre from the main cliff line i a rock pinnacle topped with a garden of rock orchid and burrawang. Thi i an example of block gliding, where a block of fiured andtone ha gradually moved down the lope on a bed of weaker ilttone and become a freetanding pinnacle. Retrace your tep and 3 find the outward track near the arched tree. Soon leave the track left at a bend near an old campfire, entering the open foret to find the beginning of a footpad (thi one i on the map). Follow it north, parallel to the ecarpment which i viible through the canopy. The path i fairly narrow but level Walk variation and motly eay to follow. It then wing northeat, diverging from the cliff. Pa a mall rock 4 cairn before croing a log on the path which become more pronounced a you pa everal gra tree. The path broaden to become an old vehicular track. A hard-to-pot footpad diverge off to the left perhap marked by a mall cairn thi i the departure for the walk variation. Twenty metre later you reach a track fork. Both arm of the fork 5 oon reach the road but the right fork will get you directly back to the dam and your car. If you would like to ee a bit more of the cliff line above and below find and follow the footpad at waypoint 5. It head north, reaching the cliff in 350 metre or o. Remember or mark thi point for your return. After taking in the view over the Bugong Creek valley and north to Mount Scanzi, walk left (outh) a bit away from the ecarpment and look for a erie of cairn which lead you to an eay pa down off the cliff line. You can explore the bae of the cliff in either direction and you ll fairly oon find a way back up. The hortet return i to head right of the large outlying rock at the bae of the pa and then follow the bae of the ecarpment pat beautiful andtone weathering. Stay near the cliff bae and pa a large rock outlier on your left and a dead tree hugging the cliff. A mall rock cairn on a moy rock point the way up. Back on top, look left at the weathering of the rock helf and the elegant, eroded bowl hape. Leaving the rock, you re almot oppoite the outward path. Out and about: A nearby rainforet walk 18 Bugong Ecarpment On the return to Kangaroo Valley you might like to pend an hour or two exploring the beautiful rainforet environ of Bugong Creek. Bugong Road ford the creek 5.3 kilometre from the Lower Bugong Road turnoff and there room for one or two car on the northern ide on the right. A vague footpad provide uptream creek acce; there are no proper track here though there are ign of earlier logging. After inpecting the cliff wall, follow a flat bench below the cliff line and above the creek bank. On the far ide of a (probably dry) ide creek, the going get a bit harder a the level bench gradually become a lope and the cliff line break up, only to reappear later. If you perevere, the walking become flat and eaier and you can continue uptream quite a long way while till in Bugong National Park. The creek i very pretty, particularly at a pot about a kilometre uptream of the ford: miniature cacade and reflective pool will tempt you to linger here. You can return through the foret or rock-hop downtream, taking great care on lippery rock