Green Gully Track 5

5/10/2018 17km

‘Back to the start’… only better – on to Cedar Lodge.

We are pretty much straight into it this morning and it is looking like we may get some rain. In the first 3 kilometres we will climb 600 metres and so for the first hour it is a steady, constant, uphill climb. The higher we go the better the view so it does have some benefit apart from building up our calf muscles.

…and its up we go.

Our breaks are more frequent but shorter to get us through the tougher steeper sections and we have more ‘ah ha’ breaks on this fire trail than when we were going down.
Whilst the majority of today is going up we do drop a 100 meters or so down to the Birds Nest Creek crossing and it is like a semi rain forest paradise. The creek is loaded with fat, black, healthy tadpoles that will hopefully grow into Stuttering Barred Frogs. These frogs are on the endangered list and do not do well in places that are regularly disturbed so its important to stick to the main track. Look but don’t touch.
There also seems to be more flowers on display for us to enjoy and they are much appreciated by this weary walker.

After 7km we join the Kunderang Trail and we begin to re-trace our steps from the first day – only 10km to go.
The mountain range, now on our left, is a deep indigo blue today due to the heavy rain clouds and lack of sunshine. White low lying clouds seem to be peeping over the tops of the ridges as if waiting to engulf the hills after we pass.
The rain does begin to fall, softly at first and enough for us to have to put on our pack covers. It is a gentle rain, which cools the air making things much more pleasant and there is nothing quite like the smell of rain to lift the spirits. We are so fortunate to be on our way back to base today as, if the weather does set in, some of the tracks will be nastily slippery in the coming days.
We stop at the same place to rest on the same log before the final slog into Cedar Creek. I have noticed some ‘hot’ spots on my feet but should make it out OK and could quite possibly be from walking in the water yesterday – still wouldn’t have missed out on that.
2:25pm we finish together and the people who stayed here last night have left the fire going for us so its nice a cosy.

Cedar Creek Hut

Cedar Creek Lodge

Soon its hot showers all round and I discover two blisters on my left foot – nothing on my right foot. What is with that???
The weather is closing in and it is the best spot to be, inside, watching over the valley, sipping on cider, nibbling on cheese and bickies and re-living tales of the tough but fantastic Green Gully Track.

Green Gully Track 4

4/10/18 13.5km

A creek walk to Colwells Hut

Today is the day since reading the descriptions that I have been looking forward to, following Green Gully Creek – joy oh joy, be still my beating heart – no up – no down – just the small inconvenience of wet feet. I am ditching the boots today for lighter sneakers, still with the liner toe socks and they feel great. We get to cross the creek 35 times today but I do have to point out that the rain has been sparse around these parts so the creek doesn’t look as ominous as the pictures were where people are seen wading through chest high water whilst holding their packs overhead.
At first we walk along side the creek but soon the choice is to navigate around through rocks or take to the water. I choose the later and love wading through the crystal clear stream but it was definitely possible to stay on the edge and stay dry.

Here we go, Green Gully Creek!

There is one section that nobody gets out of going through with their boots still on and our male counterpart takes the opportunity to have a swim.

Boots off crossing – Green Gully Creek

It really is a rare treat to be walking through the Canyon with high colourful cliffs either side of us, plant life from a time gone by, waterfalls and rock pools at every turn.

A section of the gully is just covered in stag horns.

These look a lot like thistle down but I can’t be sure.

Rock pools to delight

…..and this is where we get to eat lunch

After a stop for lunch I set off finding a well worn path to follow. It is a strange thing how the brain works because I was walking along thinking of all sorts of things and my mind goes – ooo something black and shiny, something black and shiny with a bright red underbelly …… and its moving. My legs are already trying to go backwards while my brain says snake my mouth says shit and my arms go up to the side to somehow protect the people behind. Its a Red-Belly Black snake and up pops the head before it quickly rushes away from us. I have to say it was a brilliant specimen that looked fresh out of its old skin but glad it went in another direction. Another snake is spotted further on and then an eel in the water so it put us all back on the alert thats for sure.
It was really nice to reach the hut today without feeling unwell and without medical assistance.

Colwells Hut

The hut is the smallest yet with barely enough room for four of us to sleep let alone six – it would have been impossible if the three other women had come on the same day as us. Stewart decides to sleep out side under the shelter and so the three girls take the hut.
Its our last night out here so we light a fire, talk and look up at the very, very big imposing hill that we have to climb tomorrow.

Green Gully Track 3

3/10/18 15.5km

Green Gully Hut

After waking at the early hour of 4:30am and then lying in bed trying not to disturb my fellow campers for another hour, some of whom are snoring gently in sleepy bliss, I decide to get up. Its a little too early but my motivation is to photograph two little birds, Welcome Swallows, who are sheltering in the drop toilet – of all places. Its my lucky day as they are already up but just sitting on the door waiting to fly off. They are very cute and even have a little song before they flit off into the bush.

It is a great time to be up listening to the birds waking up, watching the sun’s rays hitting the tops of the trees and soaking in the atmosphere of the bush. (I don’t know why I don’t get up this early more often – yer, I do know – I love a good sleep in more.)
It is not too long and we are all ready and off to the next hut with the added bonus of a hot shower – oh how sweet it will be.

Our morning trail is heading up to Birds Nest Peak following a faint bush track that, for the most part, is easily navigated. Trig found, peak conquered – tick that box!

We head on for our lunch-time destination and a couple of look outs on the way. We can see down into the canyon where we will be walking tomorrow. It’s a long way down and we all are a bit apprehensive of what the afternoon will bring and knowing my falling down efforts yesterday I am feeling nervous about the ‘punishing’ downhill section.

Over looking Green Gully

Donkey Orchid

This is the most difficult downward slope I have ever done, it is loose, with a shaley rock surface and quite steep. Everyone seems to have their own way of getting the job done – the zigzag method, the straight down the path, a combination of both and I bush scrub my way down – at one point sliding on my rear end for a couple of metres. Lucky I have old trousers on. We stop for a break and I sit. Almost immeditately I am overcome with nausea, I stand up and I am very dizzy – not good. The team goes into action – bag off, jelly jubes, anti vomit pills, vitamin b, drink sit and wait. I think it takes about 20mins for me to feel good enough to go on so off we go heading down again. Its only about a kilometre and before too long we are all the way down to the creek. So good, fresh cool water, I wet my hat to help cool things down and then we simply have follow the creek to the hut with some curious Rock Wallabys on watch as we pass by.

The Kangaroo Tail at home on the steep slopes

Curous Rock Wallabys

The cattle yards here have the largest corner posts I have ever seen. Huge!

Green Gully Hut

Extremely good to get here, shower and feel almost human again. We have a night of laughter that I still smile about just thinking about it – how can doing a crossword puzzle be so insanely funny, something in those pills maybe but then some of the clues were absolutely ridiculous.

Green Gully Track 2

2/10/2018 17km

Into the Birds Nest Hut.

Its been a rough night with noisy mattresses so I don’t think any of us got a great night sleep. I would try not to move and then I’d hear the swishing sound of movement which then seemed to set off a chain re-action of further swishing by the rest of us – this continued on repeat every hour or so. Plus we did have a mouse munching into a muesli bar – very clever getting into the the bag, bypassing the healthy apple to go for the caffeine flavoured snack.
We move the cars to the Lodge in the morning, the accommodation for the last night of the walk, and the three women, who wanted to gate crash our walk, are up and about. Out of the goodness of his heart our male companion gives them a book to read for the day, nice touch, so, absolved from guilt, we set off. (Not that we are guilty at all, or even feel guilty but it made us look like the good guys!)
Thankfully, the start of the day is perfect, a beautiful blue sky, the sun shining bright and a cool breeze bringing scents from the bush welcoming us on our way.
I always feel and a sense of anticipation starting a walk and this is no different. The blue tinged ranges to our right are amazing – apparently caused by the oil of the eucalyptus trees mixing with the air and water in the air causing the effect – but hey it just looks beautifully to me.

We are traversing some undulating hills, some more serious than others, and the track is a fire trail which includes very loose gravel sections. I’m busy chatting away when my feet loose traction and I find myself landed fair on my bottom – a good place to land and non the worse for wear I am up and going again, not for long though I go down on one knee and no propositioning to be had. I’m a bit cranky with myself now – what am I doing falling over. Nothing else for it I slow down and walk more to the sides of the track – much better.

All in all, its a great day and we are an hour ahead of schedule. Around a bend and a steep downhill ahead of us we see the roof of the first hut a very welcome sight.

Bird Nest Hut

Cattleyards

Cattleyards

It is a beautiful spot with the creek running along beside it, bird life abounds, some spectacular cattle yards and time to recover. Unfortunately, I am not feeling the best and collapse on one of the stretcher beds out in the sun, sleeping on and off. (….and I have to admit earlier on I was protesting about moving the stretchers outside.) Later on in the afternoon I remember I have brought along some kiwi fruit and have one of them which not only tastes amazing it does the trick, reviving me completely.
Stories abound, crosswords are solved, food is consumed during the hours before bed – what a great bunch to be out walking with.

Green Gully Track 1

1/10/2018

Getting there is half the fun!
Our destination is a long drive from Wagga Wagga, an overnight stay in Tamworth and then a three hour trip into the start of the Green Gully Track (GGT) over an hour of that on a winding dirt road.
Walcha was a very interesting little lunch time stop over with a walk around the local out door art gallery – we are told that farmers around the district created some of the sculptures – some more unusual than others but all interesting.

art to repose on

art to enjoy

art to be a little afraid of

Over all it has been a great trip, a little shopping, coffee, a little sight seeing and meeting a new fellow hiker. Ebor Falls was a highlight with an incredible canyon – very dramatic with its columned basalt rock formations. Perhaps with the lack of water tumbling over the falls made its focus more intense but I would like to come back and see it flowing one day.

not a drop falling

the canyon is spectacular

Cedar Creek Cottage is a welcome sight after the dirt road and I admit to being a little queasy but after getting beds ready so we can relax around the fire and look out over the glorious valley spread out before us I am feeling much better.
Our peace is disturbed when 3 women arrive insisting that they are booked in, we check our paperwork and they check theirs. Its a bit of a stand off for a while as they set up over at the lodge. They have it wrong but are still insisting that they can’t possibly walk a day later. The Green Gully Track has been designed so you walk with your own group but we still try to come up with solutions with one of our group offering the ultimate sacrifice of taking her mattress so she can sleep on the floor. Thankfully an hour later we get the all clear to keep to our program, the others will stay behind another day and we will have our walk to ourselves. Very, very happy!