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| Wild blue yonder |
14-Feb-2006 |
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Take a hike into another world.
By
Bianca Nogrady.
DESCENDING into the Grose Valley in the Blue Mountains of NSW, you could be entering a lost prehistoric world. Tree ferns erupt like luscious green fireworks, shaggy wet moss drapes the rocky walls around us and the sounds of the modern world vanish. All we can hear is the trickling of tiny waterfalls, the sounds of birds and the crunch of our own footfalls.
Apparently it is easy to get lost in the Blue Mountains but thankfully the path we follow is clearly and conveniently marked with stepping stones and the occasional handrail for steeper parts. We’re heading from Neates Glen, near Blackheath, through the Grand Canyon and down into the heart of Grose Valley — the Blue Gum Forest.
Blue Gum Forest was bought by conservation-minded hikers more than 20 years before the Blue Mountains National Park was created in 1959. It’s a spot of incredible beauty, but getting down to it can be a tad on the ugly side — at least as far as the legs are concerned.
The first part of the track from the Neates Glen car park takes us through an almost completely enclosed canyon decorated with dripping moss and an amazing variety of ferns before you emerge into the Grand Canyon.
A favourite spot for canyoning expeditions, this channel carved through the valley is so deep in places that from the walking track we can hardly see the bottom. The wind funnels through it at speed, creating a noise like an aeroplane as it whistles through the fire-scorched tree trunks. As the track meanders back and forth across the river, we also catch glimpses of improbably bright-orange crayfish lurking in the water.
Then the real fun starts — a knee-twanging descent into the valley that torments muscles I never knew I had, and now wish I didn’t. Fortunately there’s plenty to distract from the pain. Iridescent blue dragonflies flit around while lizards bask on hot rocks, faking a casual pose as we approach but keeping a watchful eye for sudden movement.
Best of all, there are crystal-clear waterfalls and pools everywhere to soothe weary feet and bodies. Sandstone cliffs tower above us, fading to orange as the day wears on, reminding us how far we have descended … and what we have to climb back up tomorrow.
Finally we reach Blue Gum Forest and the nearby camping site at Acacia Flat. The area is dominated by immense ghostly eucalypts and as evening approaches, the calls of bell birds echo through the trees.
The next day is up, up and more up. My thigh muscles and I are still not on speaking terms, but it was worth it.
FACTFILE
To get to the start of the walk, from Sydney take the Great Western Highway past Katoomba and turn onto Evans Lookout Rd, just before Blackheath. The walk is challenging and takes 4-6 hours depending on the number of swim and snack stops. Take plenty of water or water purifying equipment. Camping is free at Acacia Flat.
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