BARRINGTON TOPS AND GLOUCESTER TOPS NP - DRIVE, HIKES AND SWIM - 18 JANUARY 2017

I woke up early, had breakfast and readied the van for a drive.

During the night, I heard a large band and as I was leaving the campsite, I saw that the money box holding the camp fees and part of the pole were gone. the mystery of the bang was solved.

I drove in the Gloucester direction and stopped for a short hike at Cobark Park. The parking area looked impressive but the trail was overgrown and lead nowhere.

I continued on and stopped at Gloucester for a cappuccino, breakfast and petrol. Gloucester is a nice town and I like the atmosphere, the small cafes and the backdrop of rugged mountains.

I continued further towards Gloucester Tops. I passed over about six causeways with water running over them and then in was the long and windy road to the top where the hikes are located.

My first hike was to the Gloucester Falls. It was an easy track leading down to creek and then following it. I turned off the main track at one stage to wander closer to the creek and watch the water cascade over the rocks. Further onwards, I stopped at the view point for the Gloucester Falls. I hike up a steep hill brought me to expansive lookout with great views. I continued along the track back to the car. It was an extremely hot day! I rested for awhile in the shelter and struck up a conversation with a retired couple.

Though it was very hot day, I did another 1.17 km hike along the Beach Forest Track. The vegetation was very thick with trees and ferns and the track was steep in parts leading to two creek crossings. The humidity was extreme. The second creek crossing was very peaceful and pretty and I  rested here for awhile taking in the relative coolness of the cascading water. Back at the van and it was time to get out of the heat and down to the camping area.

The camping area at Gloucester River was nice and I gathered some light food and sat in creek for the rest of the afternoon to cool off.

Late in the afternoon a storm hit with strong winds, rain, thunder and lightning. the rain continued lightly throughout the night.

BARRINGTON TOPS NP - MTB AND HIKES - 17 JANUARY 2017

I woke up with a view of a mist shrouded swamp in the foreground and a rising sun in the background. Kangaroos were feeding and hopping around the camp and the swamp area. All very nice.

I had a small breakfast and decided to try the Barrington Trail to Barrington Mountain. Well, that was the plan...

The track started off uphill, wet and grassy. This continued for ages and when I reached a cross road my shoes were soaked. The next track, was also uphill but on a service road. It passed through a few open areas with pretty flowers. I finally joined onto the Barrington Trail but due to an incorrect map I turned the wrong way. After a short uphill, there was a long steep downhill ride that was very exciting. It ended in a cleared area with a small creek running through the centre. There were a lot of kangaroos here. I continued uphill again but near the top, I had had enough as there wasn't much to see and I was sure I was going in the wrong direction. Well, I was going in the wrong direction and unknown to me, I was only a few 100 metres from the main dirt road. As it was, I had doubled back and had a great ride back to the camp with lots of steep downhills and only one uphill.

Still, a great 14.61 km ride.

I rested the rest of the morning and read a book while taking in the beautiful view from the camp area while lying in the back of the van.

Later in the afternoon, I thought I take a bit of a drive to check out a few lookouts and a hike.

The first stop was Devils Hole Lookout. This was a short  0.17 km track with great views over the green and rugged mountains.

I then checked the camping area at Devils Hole but it was pretty much over used and didn't look like a nice camp.

The second lookout was Thunderbolts. This was a short 0.76 km hike through some old growth forest. The lookout was just a little further east than the last lookout but the fencing wasn't around the whole area so I could stand on the rocks overlooking the drop below.

The third stop was a hike along the Honeysuckle Track. This was a great short hike through tall trees, open spaces, moss covered logs, huge ferns and total silence. The humidity was extreme and I was drenched after a such a short and easy hike.

Back to camp to rest and have dinner.

Presently, i'm sitting on the bed in the back of the van with the rear door open. There is a coolish light breeze running through the van. My view is the swamp area and the surrounding background trees in the dying light of the sunset. Nice.

BARRINGTON TOPS NP - POLBLUE SWAMP TRACK AND POLBLUE FALLS MTBs - 16 JANUARY 2017

I left home this morning for a few days away. Four and a half hours later, I was at Polblue Camping Area at the Barrington Tops National Park.

I set up camp, which didn't take long as I have a campervan. After breakfast, I had my first ride.

The Polblue Swamp Track starts at the camping area. It was an easy 3.09 km ride along a track that was a bit sluggish as it was mainly grass based. There were some wild flowers growing along the side of the track along the way. The track circumnavigates a swamp area with a number of small bridges spanning the small creeks that fed the swamp.

I had lunch then a short sleep.

(As I was writing this, a blue winged kookaburra landed on the lower branch of a small tree just outside the van. looking in that sideways look that kookaburras do when looking for food.)

Well, I woke from my nap and felt refreshed enough to try a longer ride.

I followed the main dirt road in an easterly direction then turned left onto a smaller and rougher road. This had a some good and fast downhill runs along the way. The scenery was a bit monotonous with dried grasses and medium sized eucalypts.

Eventually, I turned left onto the Butcher Swamp Trail. This track was so much fun. It was a long, rough and fairly steep downhill run. It just kept going and going.

I reached a crossroad and turned right up a large steep hill looking for Polblue Falls. At the top of the hill, I felt that I had gone too far and should have reached the picnic area that leads to the falls. I had a great downhill ride back to the crossroads. I continued along and up the road a short distance and arrived at the Polblue Falls Picnic Area. My map was inaccurate! Annoying! A narrow track off the picnic area lead to a viewing platform of the falls which actually cascaded over the rocks. I backtracked a bit and took a very narrow track that lead to the falls themselves. I had a wander around the falls and the surrounding rocks. It was very pretty and the sound of the gurgling water was revitalizing.

I continued along the road then turned left onto the Polblue Creek Ridge Track. It started off good with a short fun and rough downhill but then turned into a very long and steep uphill climb walking the bike that went on and on. This track would be heaps of fun going in the opposite direction. Eventually, I reached the main dirt road and cycled back to the camp area.

It was a hard 17.52 km ride with great downhills and punishing uphills

Back at camp, I had an shower outside at the back of the van, then dinner and a relax.

In retrospect, I was surprised with the amount of wild life I had seen in the whole day. Basically, a kookaburra, a couple of skinks and one kangaroo.