The next one is fairly basic down beside a smaller fall
A short hop skip and a jump down stream and we arrive at what we are here for.
The Famous chock stone abseil.
But to get there requires a short abseil and traverse
On their previous trips the water levels had been too high to attempt this one and there is the option to scramble out and do a dry line from high up just down stream of the chock stones.
Conditions today however are perfect so Jason sets a line and I traverse out and set the main drop
Jason follows me out and leads the big one
There are two redirects in place on this drop. The first gets you out, away from a sloping ledge that forms just as the water funnels into a ferocious torrent, the second keeps you out of the hydraulic that form in high flow at the base. Jason sets them both for us to follow
And the view back up tp it from just downstream is iconic
There was a bit of horsing around
It was still early in the day. We were tossing up the idea of continuing downstream and completing the lower section. Jason had done it before and thought it was interesting.
The other option was to play around here.
It would be cool to get on top of the chock stone say Wisey.
There is the dry line option, said some one.
We scrmble up the start of the exit track and find our way across to the dry line.
It’s a bit down stream of the chock stones but I manage to swing across to the upper stone to help the following party with a stuck rope (Notes say to throw the pull cord over the chockstone. This lead to the stuck rope. If the flow isn’t too high just bring the pull strand down with you. it pulls fine.)
then drop in.
Jas, Wisey and Dave follow me. It’s a surprisingly fun abseil and we opt to run repeat son it for funzies.
After spending the night at the Glacial Rocks camp we get up early hoping to catch sunrise light up the cliff face.
Sunset would potentially cast a better light onto the rocks at this time of year but it’s a spectacular feature at any time of the day and a short, wheel chair friendly, walk from the car park.
Like a pile of chopped and neatly packed logs you can see where it gets it’s name.
The hanging columns are amazing
As is our usual we push beyond the formed tourist trail on a rough but well used foot pad to explore the creek beyond.
Once again it’s dry but interesting
And more of the amazing shapes
The cliff lines soon peter out and the creek snakes it’s way cross the plateau so we retrace out steps and head into Narrabri for coffee and a bite to eat before deciding to drive up to Mt Kaputar for a look.
sand goanna (Varanus gouldii)
We decide it’s way to hot to do any of the walks in the middle of the day but the road up is outstanding and well worth the drive.
Euglah Rock from Doug Sky lookout
The road itself is an adventure and the views with in a 5min walk from the car just keep coming
But the temperature is pushing into the high 30s again so we make track down to Coonabarabran where we decide to splurge on a motel room with air conditioning.
Over the years I’ve had a quiet giggle at the poor tourists hopelessly out of their way asking “is this the way to the campground at, um, New Ness.” their GPS’s having them very confused.
Today I gained a deeper understanding for those poor souls.
It’s pronounced “War” Gorge, said the amused cowcockie we waved down to ask where the hell are we. Turn left here and you’ll see the signs. he says but where did you come from?
I get ahead of myself. That came later.
We were doing a less than direct route from Cranky Rock to Waa Gorge as we wanted to use a free camp ground at Glacial Rocks to give us access to both Waa Gorge and Sawn Rocks without too much back tracking.
The road in to the Gorge from this end was touted as 4wd and fair weather only so we wanted to swing by the camp to see if it was suitable and make sure the road between was doable.
The camp looked great and we continued on. GSP signal was lost.
We get a couple of bars of signal just down the road and it screams to turn right.
Veering onto Terrergee road the signs matched what we were expect, other than not mentioning the Gorge, “Road Suitable in dry weather only.”
But the road was a lot better than expected.
Must have been recently graded, said we, if this is the rough road people whine about on trip advisor…. We should have shut up.
The road takes us across the top of some beautiful county and then down steeply into the valleys. It did get a bit slippy on the descents and you could see why it would be problematic in the wet.
So far so good.
Take the second left onto “Berrigal road” Says the nice lady in the GPS.
But the second road is signposted “Haven Home road” or sumfink and it’s the only road sign we’ve seen all day and the road looks like a goat track.
We pass it.
Go back says the GPS lady.
We go back have another look. Doesn’t look right. We try the other option.
Go back says the GPS lady.
I get out my phone and check the GPS topo app. I could see where the roads go but Waa Gorge isn’t marked and I’m not 100% sure where it is.
We take the goat track. It gets rougher and rougher.
There’s some dry creek crossing we need to engage 4wd for.
This is why we bought the ute. Says I
but it gets wilder.
Eventually GPS lady says, Turn left 100m ahead.
The left was even more over grown. I check the app again.
It opens out just through there but I’m 100% sure it’s private property.
Straight will skirt around the property boundary but add 18min to the drive.
Oh well we skirt around.
We are now in 4wd more than not.
It was a fun drive.
the road links us back onto Terrergee road, about a 5min drive further on from where the GPs insisted we turn off it earlier and still no signs for Waa Gorge.
We flag down a landcruiser coming the other way, the first car we’d see all day.
Um is this the way to “Wah” Gorge, say I sheepishly.
With a wry grin the afore mentioned conversation takes place.
The GPS took us down that road back there.
That bloody goat track!, it would have tried to take you across old mates property too.
I sense this isn’t his first of such encounters.
Anyhoo we are on the right track now. If the final little bit of bumpy road into the car park is what Tripadvisor folk are complaining about they don’t know what they are missing.
It’s 38°c as we pull into the car park.
By the way, it’s pronounced “War” gorge. 🙂
Sunscrees, hats, water, electrolytes, deep breath
Ok let’s head up. drink lots and if it gets too much say early and we’ll head back.
having suffered heat stroke and dehydration before I’m extra cautious in hot weather so we have a lot of water between us.
It’s a short walk up to the Mill-bullah water holes.
There is water in them but it has been in there a long time with no flush through to clean it out.
The top waterhole looks a little nicer but still stagnant.
The constructed tourist trail ends here but a well used ad hoc trail leads up through the cliff line.
The track skirts above what looks like would be a fun little canyonette full of jumps and slides, in the right water flow
Unfortunately we are here in the middle of one of the driest summers we’ve had since 2019.
Above the canyonette the gorge is shaded but the heat still oppressive
we find a clear pool to splash some water over us in an effort to cool off
We continue up, disturbing this lace monitor with his mouth full of a water dragon sandwich
Finally we get to the junction. Left takes us to the big wall .
A dry cascade greets us.
I head up, Kylie waits in the shade. The heat blasting off the stone is next level
The top of the gorge is impressive
We had a permit to fly the drone for 30min here so I get it out and try my hand at flying again
We slip back down to the junction, have a bite to eat and a big drink in the shade then explore up the other branch
another dry waterfall into a stagnant plunge pool greets us. It looks like there are some interesting levels above too. Definitely worth some exploration when things are cooler and wetter
We make our way back down to the car. And head back to the camp
the Ancient Glacial Rocks site on Rocky creek is interesting. Superficially it looks like another granite lined gorge. A closer look and the rocks are different. You can see how they have been churned up, smashed together and dumped out.
Once again the river is running through agricultural land and wild goat are everywhere but once again it’s too hot to be picky so we cool off in the rapids and then settle in for the night.
The camp site is basic but has bins and toilets. It’s worth checking out the toilet signs for a giggle.
There a 2 other campers set up. Flat spots are at a premium but we manage to jag a flat spot in shade
Winning
We eat diner with the goats. Tomorrow we head to Sawn Rocks.
Leaving Girraween and dropping back into NSW we are aiming for Warialda but decide to take a bit of a detour into Kwiambal NP for a look at Macintyre Falls.
Macintyre falls are located about an hour out of Ashford, near the Ashford limestone Caves (which at the time of writing were closed to the public).
The falls aren’t massive but they are impressive none the less, check out the little whirlpool near the top of the main falls in the top view. hate to get stuck in that in high flow.
the view from the lookout is impressive and a tourist trail leads down to the pool below
large Murray Cod could be seen swimming in the waterhole and fishermen are setting up so we opt not to swim and disturb their hunt for dinner
We spend a bit of time rock hoping and exploring then head across to Lemon Tree Flat for a swim in the Severn River.
This is a beautiful little camp ground I got zero photos of…
Then it was onto Warialda and the very cool little council run camp ground at Cranky Rock.
At $20 a night for a powered site it’s a great low cost campground with hot shower and clean toilets.
And an impressive swimming hole
Now I have to be honest, being spoilt in the crystal clear waters you find in Blue Mountains canyons the water hole here did have that agricultural run off look and slight whiff but on a stinking hot day with no better publicly accessible swimming holes within cooee it’s an oasis.
Sure, I wouldn’t drink it but there is no hesitation at jumping in and cooling off.
and the colours in the rocks pop at sunset
With the battery in my head torch now charged I thought I’d have another go at spot lighting.
The creek and waterhole was weirdly devoid of frogs and their predators. I spent a bit of time poking around but was giving up and heading back to camp when this little guy came out to say hello
Spotted Black Snake, Pseudechis guttatus, aka the Blue Belly Black snake
this species comes in range of colours, from creamy grey to shiny black but how good is the camouflage of this speckled version against the blotched granite.
Back at camp Kylie had luck with the furries. Spotting several sugar gliders running amuck in the trees behind our camper.
and also managed to
1. find this little burrowing frog
and
2. find it a second time to show me
But it is getting late. We are mindful of our fellow campers so call it a night.
we also have a long drive tomorrow.
Our next stop will be Waa Gorge (It’s pronounced “War” not “Wah”)
Returning from The Sphinx as the heat began to ramp up a visit to the underground creek sounded ideal.
If nothing else the name was cool.
A short drive from our camp took us up into the surrounding hills. The car park is well signposted and gives access to both the Underground creek trail and Dr Roberts Waterhole.
The walk out to the underground section the creek is just over a 1km and fairly flat.
So what the hell is it?
This section of creek drops down through boulders into a a short section of old lava tube
If you find the top secret… I mean really obvious entry it’s such a cool feature
of course we spend no time scrambling down
It’s a short section but well worth exploring a bit.
Just upstream we scrambled up past this feature. Belatedly we found an easy trail that bypasses around the little cliff line up to a sunny platform that’s worth a look
iddy biddy baby canyon
iddy biddy baby water dragon
big dyke
On the way back we made the detour to Dr Roberts waterhole. It’s a nice spot for a dip.
We’d spend another night in Girraween before hitting the road and head towards Cranky Rock
The trail out to the Sphinx was longer but far less steep than what we did yesterday to the Pyramid summit but the day was meant to be even hotter so we got an early start.
The trail winds it’s way up a gentle ridge and there is plenty to explore just off track
I’t a tad over 3.5km out to the Sphinx, gentle uphill most of the way.
Given the weather forecast of heat heat and more heat we opted not to do the side trip to the top of the castle.
The Sphinx
More like Darth Vader or Batman if you ask me
A short skip further down the trail gets you to turtle rock. The track ends here and you could scramble up but, again with the day heating up, we just have morning tea then head back to camp.
By the time we get back we’ve worked up a sweat and decide it’s a good time to visit an underground creek.
From Booboo Booboo we do a bit of a down and around, crossing the boarder into Qld and into Girraween.
Bald Rock and Girraween are not that far apart as the crow flys, but we aren’t crows and the road needs to circle around the mountainous country in between.
We roll into an almost empty camp ground, the Christmas/New years crowd have dispersed. Just about everyone else we see here we saw at Boonboo Boonoo. Haha
We have a couple of nights here and planned to smash out as much as possible. but the heat was oppressive so we cut our list of things to do from “Everything all at once” to our “must sees” and worked out a bit of a plan for best time of day to see the things. In between we do something rare for us. We chill out and enjoy the camp ground.
and with views like these out the back of the camper why wouldn’t you
The neighbours were amusing. Knobbie the dragon was preaching the virtues of sun baking. Maggie Pie seemed very engrossed in the topic.
We thought we’d start our stay with a quick walk up to the Granite arch.
An nice easy walk lead us past serval granite outcrops up to this beauty.
On our way to Bald Rock we had stopped at “Thunderbolt’s hideout.” and joked at the time that if we didn’t stop on the way in we wouldn’t stop on the way back as we’d be sick of looking at Granite tors and boulders .
Narrator: Neither Craig nor Kylie got sick of looking at granite tors or boulders.
Just adjusting the placement for a better composition
A big storm role din with lots of thunder and lightning so we dashed back to camp.
Knobby Dragon. I think. Could be a Jacky Dragon. I aint know. I’m not a dragon tamer.
The storm passed over without rain and the sky cleared so we thought a late afternoon walk up the Pyramid would be just the ticket.
It’s about 2km from the campground to the summit, so not a big walk.
But it’s steep.
While not the steepest signposted tourist track we’ve been up (I’d probably give that to the Red Track at Bungonia) added to the steepness is the exposure.
Grippy shoes and dry weather is a must for this one. Once the rock is wet you’d have more grip on an ice skating rink.
The first part is along a clear easy path. This leads to some stairs. They lead to a big granite slab. White dots lead the easiest path up. All good so far
Then you scramble up this rocky chute, referred to as the pyramid passage.
Then comes the traverse.
You make your way out, angling up. To the right the granite slab towers above. To your left a steep slope dropping off to nothing but air.
It’s terrifying but worth it. Say a couple coming back down.
(Belatedly, on the way down, we find there is a less terrifying option of veering right and around the back side of the boulders above)
Past traverse its another little scramble before you round a corner to views of the infamous balancing rocks, defying gravity (for the meantime) right on the edge of the dome.
Breath taking in the soft afternoon light of sunset
The view across to the second “Pyramid” and equally impressive granite dome.
If you close both eyes and try really hard to imagine a pyramid it looks just like a pyramid.
The aboriginal name for these peaks seems to have been Terrawambella. Early pastoralists mapped them as “the domes” at some point they became known as the Pyramids.
With the sun sitting low in the west the light was magical and we had the views all to ourselves.
Well, us and Mr Cunningham.
I only recently learnt that Cunningham skinks have the ability to change their colour a bit, sort of like a chameleon, to help blend into the background.
Once back down off the dome we veer off track to check out other balancing rocks and views
Gadget and The Great Pyramid of Girraween
It’s been a good day. We have punched out a couple of short but steep walks. Basketswamp Falls, the Granite Arch and the Pyramid.
We get back to camp as another storm rolls through. The temperature was due to ramp up again tomorrow so we plan an early morning trek out to the Sphinx
But not before a bit of late night herping
it was a frogathon but I forgot to charge my head torch so had to call it before the snakes came looking for diner.
It’s pronounced “Bunoo Boonoo” Thou tbh I had to ask Kylie how Bunoo was pronounced differenty to Boonoo.
One is “bun” and one is “boon”. She explains patiently to her favourite idiot.
Anyhoo
After a pleasant morning at Bald Rock the day has heated up and so we drive past the campsite and head to the main falls.
The road runs along the creek as it tumbles through a little granite gorge. It looks like it would have plenty of nooks and crannies to explore.
From the car park tourist trails lead to rock pools above the falls or down to a viewing platform over the main drop.
We head down to the lookout. It’s an easy 5min walk.
A 260m cascading waterfall tumbling into the steep sided gorge below.
Beyond the fenced path glimpses of old trails hint at adventure. If it wasn’t so hot or dry we may have been tempted.
Instead we make our way up to the rock pools intent on a dip.
The main pools at the end of the trail are beautiful, but why stop at there when there’s so much to explore.
We make our way upstream
A bit of rock hoping leads us past a series of cascades and semi hidden water holes
You can see just how low the water is by the waterline on the rocks. But still enough for a cool dip on a hot day.
And we choose a plunge pool below a little waterfall tucked into an alcove and play in the current of the falls wondering just how nasty the hydraulic would get in higher flows
From here its a short drive back to the camp ground where we set up for the night then explore the camp ground
The camp is upstream of the gorge and gives access to the river
We spend the twilight chilling out on the bench by the platypus pool. Unfortunately we didn’t catch a glimpse of any this time around.
An evening storm is our first real test in the Alucab in heavy rain. Lessons learnt: the make shift rain gutter works well but even with it on leaving the door open wasn’t a great idea…
Next morning we get up early and head to BasketSwamp Falls for sunrise.
Kylie below the lower falls
Even after last night storm the water level is low but at least there is some flow over the falls.
Kylie had gifted me a Potensic Atom 2 drone for Christmas and had been forward thinking enough to also apply for permits to fly it in various national parks we’d be visiting .
We were denied permission as the first couple because it was peak tourist time over the New Years long weekend but even then they encouraged us to apply again.
Most of our requests were granted though. There were a few conditions on the permits but they were easy enough to comply with
So if you are taking a drone it’s worth planning ahead and doing the right thing. There were also a few times where we had permission but opted not to put it up due to not wanting to disturb other visitors.
Can’t deny the awesome perspective you get with them though.
This was one of my first flights.
From here we’d be heading west into Queensland… sounds weird but the border does a little curve here. Bald Rock in NSW is North East of Girraween in Qld.
Ash wanted to head to Surface Paradise so we thought it might be nice to drop him off for a day out and drive up to check out a couple of the touristy waterfalls on Tamborine Mountain.
We knew Jason was up visiting family in Brisbane so we threw him a shout out to meet us there.
Our first stop was Cedar Creek falls.
This is another popular swimming spot and it has limited parking. We needed to park way back at the turn off (Junction of Tambourine Mountain Road and Cedar Creek Falls Road.) which gave us an extra 800m walk each way.
Locals at the end of the road had set up a paid (donation) parking lot in their paddock and the kids had an esky set up sell cold drinks. Kylie half jokingly wondered if said locals rushed out of a morning on public holidays and filled the car park up with their own cars before the crowds appeared. Clever them if so as their paddock was just about full.
And to be fair, imagine having this place pretty much as your private back yard extension before the crowds discovered it and the tourists (like us) rolled in.
From the car park a boardwalk style trail leads you down past a nice picnic area beside the creek then down to a lookout above the main falls.
The trail then continues down to the base of a lower cascade and a nice swimming hole.
There are two main pools accessible from the trail.
A series of other cascades and pools are off limits due to safety concerns and rangers were on and to remind people of the need to comply.
We have a dip and laze about then head back up the mountain to check out Curtis Falls.
There’s a much bigger car park here but it’s equally full, luckily people are leaving and we get a park close to the trail head. Winning.
There is no swimming allowed in this one but is a lovely walk along a shaded creek and a very pretty waterfall.
sleepwhenwearedead 