While we got our mountain, waterfall and Onsen fix along the way the real reson we came to the Peninsula was the coast line.
From Kylie’s research we knew the coast line was going to be stunning but, despite terrible weather, it blew us away.
Between the rain and hunidity I struggled with the camera. At times I’d clean the lenz and before I could point it at the next subjst it was already fogged out. On a sunny day this coastline woudl be off chops.
We had hoped to do the boat trip into the Tensodo Cave at Dogashima but wind and rain meant the boats wouldn’t be running today. We were still able to walk up to have a look at the famous sky light from above.
Looking down into the cave. The boat sails in underneath this and at the right time of day the sunlight illuminate the cave belowThe other end of the cave. It goes quite away in before openning through the cliff to the ocean where the boat goes in
Braving the rain we make our way aroiund to the Futo Coast with it’s stunning sea stacks.
Just North of here is Cape Koganezaki and the infamous Horse Rock
After an awesome day exploring coast lines we make our wayback to Tokyo.
A few days in Tokyo with it’s bright lights and highrise buildings and were craving a bit of natural greenery.
Our timing wasn’t great, it was the tag end of Typhoon season so wet, windy and humid. But we weren’t going to let that stop us. We hired a little car and hit the road for the Izu Peninsula.
Eventually we left the major cities behind and wound our way up into the mountains. The lush green was such a contrast to the neon blues and reds and drab concrete.
The Izu peninsular is about 100km south west of Tokyo and the towns we began passing through, and you were never too far out of a town, were goregous but we were struck with the amount of seemingly abandoned buildings dotted around. It seemed like there was a failed attempt in the 70s to decentralise or something…
Anyhoo our first stop was Mount Omuro an extent volcano covered in lush green
Wonderful Views to Mountain Fugi
From there we headed to Amagiso Odaru Onsen with the time of year and poor weather we mostly had this to ourselves and Wow. It is amazing
Naturally feed hot springs at the base of a stunning waterfall
Ok so we kinda knew what to expect but pulling up to a non descript car park and following a path down a gully that alomst felt like we were walking into someones back yard. We were greeted at the gate buy a man who may or may not have ever left the gully. ¥1000 (or a bit under $9AUD) pp later and we in some sort of paradise.
The top onsens were about 42° and got progressively cooler as you wandered down stream along the river.
We spent a good few hours here just soaking it in before heading back to the car and just up the road a bit is the Seven Waterfalls of Kawazu
From here we head to the coast and the fanastic Hiromi Ocean View Spa Hotel.
Sunrise views from the room
This place was so luxurious. The view from the room would be worth it on it’s own but down stairs the onsens as next level.
Word to travellers, it’s tradition in Japan for people using the segragated Onsens to do so nude. Swim wear is considered rude unless stated otherwise. If that is off putting for you this hotel has the option to rent a private Onsen where you can choose to cover up or not. We tried both options.
We also took advantage of the serenity room that was full of automatic massage chairs.
I’m not really a big city person so I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy Tokyo.
I mean 37 million people jamed into 1 city….
Spoiler alert I loved it
We based ourself in Akihabara just out of Electric Town
This seems to be a base for cosplay, dress ups, gaming and glamour and, dispite all that, was perfect for us
We took a day to get use to things in Akihabara then headed over to Shinjuku-Ku for a show at the world famous Samurai restaurant. We did the morning show and can only imagine the night life here. As for the show I can not recommend it enough. Thoroughly entertaining and they had the whole crowd engagued. At times it felt like each performer was there just for you.
Of course no trip to Tokyo is complete without 2 things
Taking on the infamous Shibuya Scramble. This is billed as the busiest crossing in the world. Cars go one way. Cars go the other way. Then all traffic stopps and a sea of people go every which way. At first I was like, well OK its a lot of people but there a lot of tourist in that and didn’t seem that much more than peak out Sydney. But then you realise it’s not peak hour and this happen every 10mins from 9am to god knows when.
and 2.
The absolutely not infringing on Nintendo’s Mario copyrightany more Go-Carts.
There are a bunch of different companies in different parts of Tokyo the offer this experience we went with Aloha Go-Carts from near Minato and they were amazing.
I can’t imagine to many other major cities that would let you zip through traffic in a go-cart dress in nothing but and Tiggr and Minion costume. At one point we had pulled up and our guide was out taking photos of us in the middle of the road. A police car pulled up with flashing lights and I thought Ok her we go. The please held up traffic for us and waved us on with grins…
The Japanese food was amazing and I loved so the next lot of photos might seem strange but Ashley had found out there was a Pizzeria run by the only 2 time winner of the World Pizza Championships, Hisanori Yamamoto. So we had to check out Pizzeria e Trattoria da ISA.
TBH we had a massive day and were starving so we probably wolfed it down and didn’t savour it as much as it deserved but, yes it was the best pizza I’ve had.
Tokyo has to be the cleanest city I’ve ever visited. No smog or polution that I noted. Clean street.
I have been saying for years we should get rid of public garbage bins. If there is a bin available people put stuff in it. Should great, but if it’s full to overflowing they still try and put their rubbish on the pile and it blows away. If it’s not full the birds get in and up it out. either way you end up with rubbish everywhere. I didn’t see a single public rubbish bin anywhere out side of an amusment park and you know what people did? Took there rubbish home to dispose of properly.
Not a scrap of litter any where to be seen except after a big Anime party on the final night in Akihabara and eventhen by 7am it was swept into neat piles for collection.
Anyhoo Tokyo is rad. more art galleries, mountains and coast to come shortly
Had a fantastic road trip testing out the Alucab and generally have a great adventure.
Thought I’d try my hand at an interactive map to tie it all together. You should be able to click the icons to take you to the blog post with more photos and stuff
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 forms in high flow at the base. Jason sets them both for us to follow
And the view back up to 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 the heat of Waa Gorge and Mount Kaputar we decide our best plan would be to get up super early and get the bulk of the Grand High top walk done before the heat of the day.
But first we have to get there. There was another feature just out of Coonabarabran we wanted to check out.
We pull into Hickey Falls, never seen them this dry before. Says a local lady we bump into.
as dry as Uncle Geoff’s sense of humour
The side trip to Hickey Falls meant we’d enter the Warrumbungles from the eastern side and the drive in is spectacular.
View after view.
We pull into the visitor centre to book into our camp we are thinking they are going to say we are nuts but when we mentioned we we planning the Grand Hightop Walk in the morning they just smiled and said, Oh lovely. You’d be best to start early in this heat.
Oh yeah we are going to start about 5 and try and get up to the breadknife for sunrise.
Oh that would be awesome…
Ok so we aren’t nuts. Or not as nut as when thought.
We pull into camp. We had picked our site based around the morning view
All set for the view
It took about an hour, though for the shade to disappear and we begged a change of site to find afternoon shade.
The afternoon is spent having a short section of song echo over and over and over and over.
It was a bit weird, at first I thought the grounds keep really likes his teeny bop but I go for a walk and there’s a K-pop or TikTok or whatever the kiddies call themselves these day <Old man shakes fist at Cloud> perfecting their dance moves to the song.
We are pretty much the only ones in the entire camp ground so good on them say I.
Still, I do my best to get into their background and ape their moves. It’s how I roll.
Anyhoo
We were up at sparrows fart and hit the trail at about 4.45am
It’s a lovely morning for a walk.
and the first of the pillars pops into view just as the sun lightens the sky and Kylie some how turns into Dicky Knee
Are you thinking what I am thinking?
yes, I just made a Hey Hey its Saturday reference…
I apologise.
and the views keep coming
It’s actually really shit at cutting bread
Sunrise and the Breadknife
We spend a bit of time here and a bit further up just watching the changing light and taking a gazillion photos
the light kept getting better
We are not sure how or why Kyle dressed as a school girl
We scramble up to the tops, the last 100m or so of trail is under construction so it’s still a bit of a scramble.
Topping out the wind is intense.
We take the short cut back down past Balors hut and get back to camp just after 9.
Another hot day poking around town and that brings a close to our epic first road trip in the Alucab
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”)
