Perry's Blog

Perry wrote:

The day has dawned very misty in the valley. Should have taken a photo yesterday!!

Not a bad night sleep: helps to be exhausted. It's cool this morning too (I'm wearing all my clothes).

We're having porridge and coffee this morning (oats soaked over night) as our tea and coffee supplies will run out very soon. It'll be a relaxed morning and wander to the next campsite, which is only a 3 hour walk.

Sandi wrote:

It is Wednesday misty moisty morning. Awake early again. Dawn chorus gorgeous, always a new call not previously heard. Porridge really delicious. Coffee good too. Small brown ants a spot invasive.

Perry wrote:

Just wandered up to the other 'main' campsite to fill out the Track Register. It really is a beautiful spot: probably the most beautiful camping spot so far. We were trying to figure out what made it so, and felt that the oasis like feel with the grass and grass trees had a bit to do with it. The camping area surrounds the old Trig Station (only the base exists now), which sat on a softly rounded dome.

Question: Do they still use trig stations in this age of satellite navigation? Like this one, the trig out from Patonga wasn't there either and we couldn't see the trig on Mt Wondabyne.

Amazing: 8am, we're still unpacked and a long way from starting to pack and we're still misted in!!

Last night and this morning we watched as a small flock of Channel Billed Cuckoos wreak havoc in the bush! They are amazing birds with such a distinctive call: very reminiscent of the Fell Beasts from The Lord of the Rings.

Question: How do baby Cuckoos learn their horrid habits if they are trained by other species?

11:13am Leave Camp
After lifting camp we wandered along to the old bullock drivers "house" that Brian explained to us.

Perry wrote:

Just lifted camp, for the second last time - with some sense of sadness at the shortness of the time left. I've left my shirt off for as long as possible, because I can't stand the stink. At least least when I'm walking I'm leaving it behind! We're just going down to the old shack for a photo. Brian says the old bullock team driver lived there when that's what they used to drag the timber out. The dam where we got our water last night was used to water the bullocks.

12:45pm Morning Tea
Morning tea was had beside the road, as we couldn't find anywhere more suitable; and our porridge had disappeared.

1:05pm Leave

Sandi wrote:

The walk had been totally along fire trail style of tracks but in very good condition. Still some long slow slopes that had me puffing and panting. The first part much harder than the last part, so that we were suddenly there.

2:26pm Forestry Campsite
The Camp Site is a large open space: not what we were expecting at all. As Brian had informed us the water tank that was mentioned on the map (and we were relying on) had been vandalized and was dry. Brian didn't know that the toilet had also been vandalized.

Perry wrote:

What a lovely morning and walk - didn't leave until after 11. And the walk was wonderful, a few hardish climbs in the first half, but all along a road/fire trail. Very glad once we got here, it was a fair effort, not sure about the speed.

The day's walking was great - very cool, morning mist that never cleared and turned into overcast.

We had walked at a good speed: 12kms in 3 and a bit hours = 3.7 km/h!

Sandi wrote:

Very disappointing to find the toilet unusable due to vandalism. We went past some amazing rock formations en route and over a couple of those very tall stiles. Very few flowers. Not what I'd expected the Watagans to be.

Perry wrote:

There's a dry tank, some BBQs and a long drop toilet. I'd only just said to Sandi that if it started to rain, we could put our packs in the toilet when the first drops started to fall. At that point we were getting things ready for a fire.

So we raced everything down to the toilet, only to discover that someone had vandalized it and it was roped off!! What's wrong with people? I can sort of understand graffiti, but destruction? It's like all the beer bottles and drink cans we've passed on the road: so these people really hate Australia so much??

Anyway, we popped our stuff away and put on our rain jackets and started at the fire again. We always carry a little bit of rubber for situations like this (thanks to Graham Lowe) and a bit of rubber, pine cones and tiny twigs and it was away and a happy little blaze in the midst of the rain.

Another angel had left some longer, bigger pieces of wood. We were able to feed these in, end on, so the fire dried them before they had to ignite. Soon the fire way hot enough to dry the hot plate: the BBQ was a two side affair, one side with fixed bars, the other with a hot plate welded on two sides. We had the fire under the hot plate.

This raised another question: the rain drops were instantly turning to steam when they hit the plate: we wondered what sort of fire would be required to keep the plate dry in heavy rain?

So we cooked lunch: noodle soup with extra vegetables followed by coffee and a nut bar - just fantastic and really hit the spot.

We then went to look for some seats, and eventually found some old bricks that we brought back and used. So we sat in the rain in front of our fire, warm as toast, and talked about what we'd do on our next holiday. It felt wonderful.

After a couple of hours of rambling ideas, we decided it was time for dinner. A dehydrated pasta thing into which we threw extra dried veges. Very yum.

We also got the chance to dry our clothes over the fire during a break and finish setting up the tent.

Sandi wrote:

The rain was so sudden and I was so thankful for that broken toilet giving shelter for our packs, quite amazing plus the half covered barbecue and the cones to light what turned out to be an excellent cheerful little fire. I can not say what a blessing that all was, to be able to warm ourselves, eat two hot meals and have a hot coffee plus when there was a break in the rain to dry off our wet shorts was nothing short of sensational.

We'd got the tent up so all was as ready as it could be. Also thinking of being able to have a very relaxed sort and pack at Barraba plus porridge with heaps of water to have tea etc and wash up bodies and dishes. All very nice.

As the day drew to a close it started quickly to cool off, so we decided to jump into bed to stay warm and dry.

Perry wrote:

Well, what a funny day. Here I am writing with the rain pittering on the tent (fly) - our last night in the bush. It's felt like it's been saying goodbye to me all day, as the tracks slowly became more obviously trafficked.

It was so interesting on top at Barraba - it felt like it's history was oozing out of the ground. Stories of wood cutters, salt miners, graziers - their lives and blood - so interesting. Already the roads of previous labours have just about disappeared and returned to bush. Our impact can be so fleeting.

And that was the end of penultimate day where we walked 12kms at 3.7 km/h! We've walked 161kms!

I'm not expecting tomorrow to be too difficult, as it should be just a wander down to Heaton Gap.