Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- 200501 [2023/08/11 08:29] – created - external edit 127.0.0.1
+++ 200501 [2023/11/10 17:21] (current) – kennettj
@@ Line 1490: / Line 1490: @@
 PAY ATTENTION - Please ensure that you carry adequate water in these hot and dry
 walking conditions!
-| Page 14 The Sydney Bushwalker January 2005
-Colo River Walk with Alison Shames 4-5/12/2004. Don Finch
-The final twelve walkers started to assemble from 6:30pm on Friday 3 at the appointed spot, one kilometre along the
+**Colo River Walk with Alison Shames** \\
-Culoul Range fire trail. Ros reported ill and left work early on Friday to return home to bed a disappointed non-starter. The
+-5/12/2004. Don Finch
-weather was quite cool with low cloud and a light breeze prompting Jim to get a fire going for warmth and cheer this was
-done until about eleven.
+The final twelve walkers started to assemble from 6:30pm on Friday 3 at the appointed spot, one kilometre along the Culoul Range fire trail. Ros reported ill and left work early on Friday to return home to bed a disappointed non-starter. The weather was quite cool with low cloud and a light breeze prompting Jim to get a fire going for warmth and cheer this was done until about eleven.
 At 5:30am the early birds were out of bed getting ready to meet the leader Alison Shames edict of a 7:30am
-departure for Hollow Rock car park. Advice from Wilf indicated that a small tree which was across the road two
+departure for Hollow Rock car park. Advice from Wilf indicated that a small tree which was across the road two weeks previously needed temporary ramps to negotiate. So an early start was made by Don to see if the chain saw would help. It did. The group was finally all together at Hollow Rock car park and after the usual formalities we moved off about 8:15am. Initially walking back along the road but after a hundred metres our leader led us off into the scrub on a bearing of 101 degrees magnetic until we cut an old road, this was followed for 700 metres to a cairn indicating the start of a track, which we followed along the Boorai Ridge. As we came down the hill into the saddle north of spot height 484 the track came onto an old road at a substantial cairn. The remains of this fire trail were followed along the ridge top to the end at grid reference 699197 (AGS66). Morning tea was declared and taken with relish. A few hundred metres past the end of the road a rock platform and cliff provide a spectacular view into the Colo River. Including a clear view of Barakee Creek and surrounds where we were intending to find traces of Townsends survey track and a cave used by his party. Wilf and others had located these traces on previous trips.
-weeks previously needed temporary ramps to negotiate. So an early start was made by Don to see if the chain saw
-would help. It did. The group was finally all together at Hollow Rock car park and after the usual formalities we
-moved off about 8:15am. Initially walking back along the road but after a hundred metres our leader led us off into
-the scrub on a bearing of 101 degrees magnetic until we cut an old road, this was followed for 700 metres to a cairn
-indicating the start of a track, which we followed along the Boorai Ridge. As we came down the hill into the saddle
-north of spot height 484 the track came onto an old road at a substantial caim. The remains of this fire trail were
-followed along the ridge top to the end at grid reference 699197 (AGS66). Morning tea was declared and taken with
-relish. A few hundred metres past the end of the road a rock platform and cliff provide a spectacular view into the
-Colo River. Including a clear view of Barakee Creek and surrounds where we were intending to find traces of
-. Townsends survey track and a cave used by his party. Wilf and others had located these traces on previous trips.
-The leader led us down through a cliff line along a rocky ridge and then down a cairned track to emerge on the
-Colo River 100 metres up stream of Boorai Creek. We crossed the river to a very large sand bank and found
-ourselves at our lunch and campsite at 11:00am. Tents and flys were erected in the preferred spots provision made
-te oa for the evening campfire and it was
-. announced that the side trip would
-start after lunch but before one
-oclock. The weather which had
-been mild all morning was now
-Starting to warm up.
-Don was given the job of leading
-the party up to find the track which
-was known to be somewhere up the
-western side. But having led the
-party up into an impossible section
-of the cliff a bloodless coup
-occurred and Roger, John and
-Francis set off to retrieve the
-situation. After several false starts,
-Alison who had been there before
-remembered the way and we
-moved further to the left (south)
-where James, Kelly and Stephen
-found separate ways through the
-steep broken cliff line. Above the
-cliff line at 190 metres ASL, 70
-metres above the river were remnants of Townsends survey track. The party gathered and waved down to Jim and
-Caroline who were on guard duty at the camp below. The track was followed to the west along a wide ledge dotted
-with angophoras an enormous orange cliff soared up on the south side and the cliff drop down to the river to the
-north provided a clear view up the Colo gorge. The consensus was that it would have been a most spectacular train
-ride if Townsend had been able to build his railway line.
-The track is well formed and easy to see in some places, trees are growing in the middle of it in other places and
-scrub hides it completely in other places.
-The track disappears into the small creek at GR 693189 it was followed around the ridge into Barakee Creek at
-GR 689193 and again followed around the ridge north of Barakee Creek to GR 692196 where a wall of built up
-stones a metre high brings the track around a corner onto a down sloping ramp. The track zigzags down to the creek
-with several more substantial rock walls built up along the way one of which is over a meter high at one and 5
-meters long. In the creek on the northern side at GR 692196 is a low overhanging cave and given the presence of
-flood debris caught at the back of the cave it is subject to flooding by the creek from time to time. On the floor of
-the cave near the eastern end are about 12 crowbars and what appear to be wedges all very badly rusted. These relics
-from 1920 were not disturbed. The track was followed 250 metres past the cave to the east and around the comer to
-a point above the Colo River. Several more man made rock walls were noted on this section of track. It was possible
-to get down to the river from the cave on either side of the creek, on the true right side sidle high above the creek to
-the ridge leading down to the junction and then fiddle down through the cliff on the creek side. A very refreshing
-swim was had in the pool at the junction and it was noted that some birthday suits were showing signs of wear. An
-easy amble in the now very hot afternoon down the river to the camp was enjoyed with the leaders assurance of
-happy hour for all of the good kids.
-The Sydney Bushwalker January 2005
-Page 15 |
-Happy hour took place but was mostly missed by your scribe who had taken his ease on a far too comfortable bed
-under a fly net and woke to the left overs an hour too late. Did I mention the flies, black bush types and lots of
-them? At dusk the odd mosquito reinforced the definite need for the net which was packed JIC. With dinners on the
-coals and fire smoke annoying various people the leader announced an 8:00am start in the morning to go up Barakee
-Pass.
-At 8:00am, with Caroline left in charge of the camp eleven people with water moved off up the river to the creek
-at GR 694192. We went up the creek thirty metres and then climbed the slope to the west up to the cliff then sidled
+The leader led us down through a cliff line along a rocky ridge and then down a cairned track to emerge on the Colo River 100 metres up stream of Boorai Creek. We crossed the river to a very large sand bank and found ourselves at our lunch and campsite at 11:00am. Tents and flys were erected in the preferred spots provision made for the evening campfire and it was announced that the side trip would start after lunch but before one oclock. The weather which had been mild all morning was now starting to warm up.
-around to the right and climbed up through a cave and then fiddled up through the cliff line to find the track we had
-been on the day before. Climbing higher and angling to the right we passed around the impossible bit of the cliff to a
-more broken section just around the corner. Roger found a cairn and a zig zaging route was followed more or less
-straight up through the cliff to GR 690190 some awkward sections required a joint effort with John hauling up
-Alison, Rosemary and Don. The cliff claimed several bits of skin from various members during the scrambie.
-Stephen lost some visual perception when he took off his glasses and he immediately walked into a rock losing skin,
-some red fluid and control over his vocabulary for a short time. At the top, a short easy sidle east onto the nose of
-the ridge brought us to a view up and down the river. The day was very hot and Margaret made a determined effort
-to off-load her chocolate-laced scroggin before it melted, liquid filled M&Ms are quite a nice surprise. The twenty-
-minute break soon passed and it .
- was then back the way we had
-come to the survey track, which
-was then followed back around to
-above the camp at Boorai Creek. A
-careful descent through the cliff
-brought us to the river at 11:30 am
-where swims were most
-appreciated as the heat of the day
-was now in the stinker class, the
-sand on the river bank was too hot
-to walk on.
-Lunch was all over by 12:30 pm
+Don was given the job of leading the party up to find the track which was known to be somewhere up the
-and with storm clouds gathering
+western side. But having led the party up into an impossible section of the cliff a bloodless coup
-from the west people started
+occurred and Roger, John and Francis set off to retrieve the situation. After several false starts,
-packing for the climb up the hill.
+Alison who had been there before remembered the way and we moved further to the left (south) where James, Kelly and Stephen found separate ways through the steep broken cliff line. Above the cliff line at 190 metres ASL, 70 metres above the river were remnants of Townsends survey track. The party gathered and waved down to Jim and Caroline who were on guard duty at the camp below. The track was followed to the west along a wide ledge dotted with angophoras an enormous orange cliff soared up on the south side and the cliff drop down to the river to the north provided a clear view up the Colo gorge. The consensus was that it would have been a most spectacular train ride if Townsend had been able to build his railway line.
-At 12:40 pm it started to sprinkle
+The track is well formed and easy to see in some places, trees are growing in the middle of it in other places and scrub hides it completely in other places.
-and as the last walker started up the
+The track disappears into the small creek at GR 693189 it was followed around the ridge into Barakee Creek at GR 689193 and again followed around the ridge north of Barakee Creek to GR 692196 where a wall of built up stones a metre high brings the track around a corner onto a down sloping ramp. The track zigzags down to the creek with several more substantial rock walls built up along the way one of which is over a meter high at one and 5 meters long. In the creek on the northern side at GR 692196 is a low overhanging cave and given the presence of flood debris caught at the back of the cave it is subject to flooding by the creek from time to time. On the floor of the cave near the eastern end are about 12 crowbars and what appear to be wedges all very badly rusted. These relics from 1920 were not disturbed. The track was followed 250 metres past the cave to the east and around the corner to a point above the Colo River. Several more man made rock walls were noted on this section of track. It was possible to get down to the river from the cave on either side of the creek, on the true right side sidle high above the creek to
+the ridge leading down to the junction and then fiddle down through the cliff on the creek side. A very refreshing swim was had in the pool at the junction and it was noted that some birthday suits were showing signs of wear. An easy amble in the now very hot afternoon down the river to the camp was enjoyed with the leaders assurance of happy hour for all of the good kids.
-hill it rained with lightening all the
+Happy hour took place but was mostly missed by your scribe who had taken his ease on a far too comfortable bed under a fly net and woke to the left overs an hour too late. Did I mention the flies, black bush types and lots of them? At dusk the odd mosquito reinforced the definite need for the net which was packed JIC. With dinners on the coals and fire smoke annoying various people the leader announced an 8:00am start in the morning to go up Barakee Pass.
-way to the top. The good bit was,
+At 8:00am, with Caroline left in charge of the camp eleven people with water moved off up the river to the creek at GR 694192. We went up the creek thirty metres and then climbed the slope to the west up to the cliff then sidled around to the right and climbed up through a cave and then fiddled up through the cliff line to find the track we had been on the day before. Climbing higher and angling to the right we passed around the impossible bit of the cliff to a more broken section just around the corner. Roger found a cairn and a zig zaging route was followed more or less straight up through the cliff to GR 690190 some awkward sections required a joint effort with John hauling up Alison, Rosemary and Don. The cliff claimed several bits of skin from various members during the scramble. Stephen lost some visual perception when he took off his glasses and he immediately walked into a rock losing skin, some red fluid and control over his vocabulary for a short time. At the top, a short easy sidle east onto the nose of the ridge brought us to a view up and down the river. The day was very hot and Margaret made a determined effort
+to off-load her chocolate-laced scroggin before it melted, liquid filled M&Ms are quite a nice surprise. The twenty-minute break soon passed and it was then back the way we had come to the survey track, which
+was then followed back around to above the camp at Boorai Creek. A careful descent through the cliff
+brought us to the river at 11:30 am where swims were most appreciated as the heat of the day was now in the stinker class, the sand on the river bank was too hot to walk on.
-of course, the drop in temperature.
+Lunch was all over by 12:30 pm and with storm clouds gathering from the west people started
+packing for the climb up the hill. At 12:40 pm it started to sprinkle and as the last walker started up the hill it rained with lightening all the way to the top. The good bit was, of course, the drop in temperature.
-Quick time was made walking
+Quick time was made walking along the fire trail to an afternoon stop on the 500-metre contour just past the cairn at GR 718211. The damp and a light breeze kept the temperature under control for the walk back to the cars where we arriving at 3:45pm after a very enjoyable walk well led with pleasant companions.
-along the fire trail to an afternoon stop on the 500-metre contour just past the cairn at GR 718211. The damp and a
-light breeze kept the temperature under control for the walk back to the cars where we arriving at 3:45pm after a
-very enjoyable walk well led with pleasant companions.
 Mid - Week Walkers Notice - Camp Fires and Stoves