Toowoomba Bushwalkers Calendar 2007

We do require non members, as well as inexperienced members, to contact the walk leader first to get their approval to attend the clubwalk.

Please advise the activity leader of your experience level in relation to the proposed walk. It will also allow the activity leader to discuss walk and other requirements with you.

Nightcap National Park (Queens Birthday Weekend) (Sat-Mon) 9-11 June

Walk Leader Ian Ryan

Contact Details 46321052 (home), 46881014 (work), 0419364210

Rating various - see below

Travel Distance ?

Start Time Contact Ian for details

Details Nightcap National Park is 35 km north of Lismore and can be accessed by five separate public roads from the south of the park. All are dirt with the exception of the access to Mt Nardi. The lush World Heritage-listed rainforest of Nightcap National Park was preserved by a determined group of conservationists. The Mt Nardi and Minyon Falls areas are easily available by car and offer breathtaking views.

Through / overnight walk on GOORGANA TRACK Grade M66-M77
Needs: 2days water, prepared for any weather, leg-rope for sleepwalkers, wait-a-while protection.
Party size – maximum of 8 – limited space on Sphinx saddle

I did the Goorgana walk with the YHA Club in 2004 and found it hardish but most rewarding. Our Club was about to do it Oct 2005 but it had to pull the plug on it at the last minute because of a heavy rain system (yes RAIN!) down there. June is coolest but not the driest with average of 150 mm. This walk should break the drought – even without sending out the nude lady dancers first!

Day1: With a start at about 7:30am, the first short section of the walk is to Pholis Gap (C3 on map). Beginning at the Mt Nardi the track meanders through rainforest for about a kilometre before splitting off the Mt Matheson Loop and descending gently towards the edge of the escarpment. Drier vegetation dominated by grass trees and blackbutt typify the walk to Pholis Gap which offers views of Mt Warning and surrounding valleys. From here we are on the Goorgana Track (C4) which skirts westward along the ridge line (old logging track) for a fair way in the scratchy rainforest. Along the way we should find remnants of the old Kunghur flying fox, which was used to lowered logs 500m to the Kunghur Mill during the 1940s-50s.
About halfway along after Mt Neville we are onto the narrowish ridge soon to become more exposed for a lookout to Sphinx Rock. We may reach the smallish campsite below the Sphinx about 4pm. The camping space is very tight and narrow with steep and dangerous drop-offs either side. So don’t be enticed out of your bed to dance to the bongos drumming up from the valleys or you might join the party sooner than you think possible. The views from here should be good either side – Mt Warning etc – pray for clear weather.

Day2: Day 1 is the long hard one covering about 10 km. Day 2 is much shorter distance wise (only about 3 km) but there is some time consuming scrambling early on and a view from Sphinx Rock to take in. After a climb up Mt Burrel we generally coast and slide in some places making the descent from the ridge. We should be down about 3:00pm to be collected (or collect vehicles)

Logistics: It's only a one night overnighter requiring a reasonably early start from Mt Nardi transmission towers about 20 min from Nimbin. So it would be more relaxing to "ooze" on down (280-300km 4 hrs) on Saturday, camp/stay in/near Nimbin for Sat night and hopefully there will be some base campers to drop us up to the start at Mt Nardi and better still, pick us up early afternoon on Monday from the road near Blue Nob.

Unless some base campers can help out we’ll need to leave a car/cars at “Merv’s place”, which is about 30km from Mt Nardi so we can shuffle back to our cars at Mt Nardi. With a shuffle at the end we may not be leaving Nimbin until about 5ish and hence an ETA of about 9pm in Toowoomba.

Base Camping: The only camping ground in the park appears to be Rummery Park Camping Ground in Whian Whian State Conservation Area located 2 km from Minyon Falls. The campground is 200m off the Minyon Drive, along Peates Mountain Road. Note the Peates Mountain Road link to Gibbergunyah Range Road is not suitable for caravan/camper trailer access. The route includes unpaved roads, generally suitable for 2WD cars, though roads may become impassable in wet weather. Facilities include pit/composting toilets, picnic tables, electric/gas barbecues, wood barbecues, firewood supplied. Bringing your own water supply is recommended. The campground has a rainwater tank but water, if available, is not suitable for drinking. From this grassy area, you can take a short walk beside Boggy Creek to the beautiful Minyon Falls. You can also go car touring or birdwatching, or just sit back and enjoy the peaceful camping experience. The campground is suitable for small caravans, and it has a communal cooking gallery and wheelchair-accessible toilets.
Fees: $3.00 per adult per night, $2.00 per child per night.
Of course you can always stay in/ near Nimbin! - and get back to the wild days of the 60s and 70’s. We can firm up on the logistics at the next general meeting on May 9.

Day walks: While I haven’t done any of these, options for day walking are:

Protestors Falls 1.4 km, 45 minutes, easy This easy walk winds its way through bangalow palms to the base of Protestors Falls at Terania Creek Picnic Area. Swimming is not permitted in the area as it is home to the endangered Fleay's bared frog.

Big Scrub Loop 1.5 km, 45 minutes, medium difficulty
Starting off Gibbergunyah Range Road, you can stroll among some of the best examples of remnant rainforest in NSW. See large figs, abundant birdlife and crystal clear creeks.

Mt Matheson Loop 3 km, 1.5 hours, medium difficulty.
Originating at Mt Nardi, the Mt Matheson Loop heads out through the lush rainforest encircling Mt Matheson. Drier vegetation communities are found near the cliff edges. The Pholis Gap and Historic Nightcap tracks split off from this walk.

Pholis Gap 4 km, 1.5 hours, medium difficulty.
The track was named after Athol Pholi who was killed by a tree fall while working in the area. Beginning at Mt Nardi the track meanders through rainforest for a kilometre before splitting off the Mt Matheson Loop and descending towards the escarpment edge. Drier vegetation dominated by grass trees and New England blackbutt typify the walk to Pholis Gap, which offers views of Mt Warning and surrounding valleys

Minyon Loop 7.5 km, 4.5 hours, difficult,
Beginning at either Minyon Grass or Minyon Falls picnic area, this walk takes you through changing vegetation to the base of the falls and along the escarpment edge. If you want to walk only to the base of Minyon falls, the walk begins at Minyon Grass and is a 4 kilometre return walk taking around 2 hours. Both walks have steep climbs out of the valley floor.

Nightcap National Park (Queens Birthday Weekend) (Sat-Mon) 9-11 June
Walk Leader	Ian Ryan
Contact Details	46321052 (home), 46881014 (work), 0419364210
Rating	various - see below
Travel Distance	?
Start Time	Contact Ian for details
Details	Nightcap National Park is 35 km north of Lismore and can be accessed by five separate public roads from the south of the park. All are dirt with the exception of the access to Mt Nardi. The lush World Heritage-listed rainforest of Nightcap National Park was preserved by a determined group of conservationists. The Mt Nardi and Minyon Falls areas are easily available by car and offer breathtaking views. Through / overnight walk on GOORGANA TRACK Grade M66-M77 Needs: 2days water, prepared for any weather, leg-rope for sleepwalkers, wait-a-while protection. Party size – maximum of 8 – limited space on Sphinx saddle I did the Goorgana walk with the YHA Club in 2004 and found it hardish but most rewarding. Our Club was about to do it Oct 2005 but it had to pull the plug on it at the last minute because of a heavy rain system (yes RAIN!) down there. June is coolest but not the driest with average of 150 mm. This walk should break the drought – even without sending out the nude lady dancers first! Day1: With a start at about 7:30am, the first short section of the walk is to Pholis Gap (C3 on map). Beginning at the Mt Nardi the track meanders through rainforest for about a kilometre before splitting off the Mt Matheson Loop and descending gently towards the edge of the escarpment. Drier vegetation dominated by grass trees and blackbutt typify the walk to Pholis Gap which offers views of Mt Warning and surrounding valleys. From here we are on the Goorgana Track (C4) which skirts westward along the ridge line (old logging track) for a fair way in the scratchy rainforest. Along the way we should find remnants of the old Kunghur flying fox, which was used to lowered logs 500m to the Kunghur Mill during the 1940s-50s. About halfway along after Mt Neville we are onto the narrowish ridge soon to become more exposed for a lookout to Sphinx Rock. We may reach the smallish campsite below the Sphinx about 4pm. The camping space is very tight and narrow with steep and dangerous drop-offs either side. So don’t be enticed out of your bed to dance to the bongos drumming up from the valleys or you might join the party sooner than you think possible. The views from here should be good either side – Mt Warning etc – pray for clear weather. Day2: Day 1 is the long hard one covering about 10 km. Day 2 is much shorter distance wise (only about 3 km) but there is some time consuming scrambling early on and a view from Sphinx Rock to take in. After a climb up Mt Burrel we generally coast and slide in some places making the descent from the ridge. We should be down about 3:00pm to be collected (or collect vehicles) Logistics: It's only a one night overnighter requiring a reasonably early start from Mt Nardi transmission towers about 20 min from Nimbin. So it would be more relaxing to "ooze" on down (280-300km 4 hrs) on Saturday, camp/stay in/near Nimbin for Sat night and hopefully there will be some base campers to drop us up to the start at Mt Nardi and better still, pick us up early afternoon on Monday from the road near Blue Nob. Unless some base campers can help out we’ll need to leave a car/cars at “Merv’s place”, which is about 30km from Mt Nardi so we can shuffle back to our cars at Mt Nardi. With a shuffle at the end we may not be leaving Nimbin until about 5ish and hence an ETA of about 9pm in Toowoomba. Base Camping: The only camping ground in the park appears to be Rummery Park Camping Ground in Whian Whian State Conservation Area located 2 km from Minyon Falls. The campground is 200m off the Minyon Drive, along Peates Mountain Road. Note the Peates Mountain Road link to Gibbergunyah Range Road is not suitable for caravan/camper trailer access. The route includes unpaved roads, generally suitable for 2WD cars, though roads may become impassable in wet weather. Facilities include pit/composting toilets, picnic tables, electric/gas barbecues, wood barbecues, firewood supplied. Bringing your own water supply is recommended. The campground has a rainwater tank but water, if available, is not suitable for drinking. From this grassy area, you can take a short walk beside Boggy Creek to the beautiful Minyon Falls. You can also go car touring or birdwatching, or just sit back and enjoy the peaceful camping experience. The campground is suitable for small caravans, and it has a communal cooking gallery and wheelchair-accessible toilets. Fees: $3.00 per adult per night, $2.00 per child per night. Of course you can always stay in/ near Nimbin! - and get back to the wild days of the 60s and 70’s. We can firm up on the logistics at the next general meeting on May 9. Day walks: While I haven’t done any of these, options for day walking are: Protestors Falls 1.4 km, 45 minutes, easy This easy walk winds its way through bangalow palms to the base of Protestors Falls at Terania Creek Picnic Area. Swimming is not permitted in the area as it is home to the endangered Fleay's bared frog. Big Scrub Loop 1.5 km, 45 minutes, medium difficulty Starting off Gibbergunyah Range Road, you can stroll among some of the best examples of remnant rainforest in NSW. See large figs, abundant birdlife and crystal clear creeks. Mt Matheson Loop 3 km, 1.5 hours, medium difficulty. Originating at Mt Nardi, the Mt Matheson Loop heads out through the lush rainforest encircling Mt Matheson. Drier vegetation communities are found near the cliff edges. The Pholis Gap and Historic Nightcap tracks split off from this walk. Pholis Gap 4 km, 1.5 hours, medium difficulty. The track was named after Athol Pholi who was killed by a tree fall while working in the area. Beginning at Mt Nardi the track meanders through rainforest for a kilometre before splitting off the Mt Matheson Loop and descending towards the escarpment edge. Drier vegetation dominated by grass trees and New England blackbutt typify the walk to Pholis Gap, which offers views of Mt Warning and surrounding valleys Minyon Loop 7.5 km, 4.5 hours, difficult, Beginning at either Minyon Grass or Minyon Falls picnic area, this walk takes you through changing vegetation to the base of the falls and along the escarpment edge. If you want to walk only to the base of Minyon falls, the walk begins at Minyon Grass and is a 4 kilometre return walk taking around 2 hours. Both walks have steep climbs out of the valley floor.