Wet night on the Nattai last night.

[kanangra]

I drove down to Wattle Ridge after work last night and walked into Macarthur's Flat. I arrived just on dark as the first of the rain started falling. Hastily I collected water and firewood and had a fire going before it got too heavy. Just had time to set up the tent and have dinner before it really started to pour. Huge claps of thunder reverberated off the cliffs and bolts of lightening illuminated the valley. It was just awesome. It was so loud that sleep was impossible till things settled down.

I was away early this morning returning to the car via the track above Troy's Ck. This made an excellent circuit. I was back at my desk by mid morning.

K.

[michael_p]

I checked the weather radar several times last night and there was lots of deep red around the Southern Highlands. It sounds like it was a fun night.

Being in a tent during an intense thunder storm can be exhilarating and terrifying. Only had this experience once myself many years ago. So hard to sleep when the lightning is so close it illuminates the inside of your tent just like it is daytime.

Quick question. How overgrown was the Troys Ck trail?

Michael.

[walkerchris77]

What tent were u using kanga. Did u stay nice and dry

[kanangra]

Michael I know exactly what you mean. I was using my Moment and the ends are quite low which meant the rain was beating down only about a foot above my head. It did the job though keeping me perfectly dry. No problems with condensation either even though there wasn't much wind. I found it exhilarating just to lie there with the storm raging all around me. With all the lightning it was as if there was strobe light show going on outside.

The track up Troy's Ck is a little overgrown lower down but is quite open higher up where the country is drier. Still it is never hard to follow and it did look as if someone has made an attempt to cut back the regrowth in one or two spots. I picked up the track by walking up the hill behind the old oven and upturned laundry sink at Emmet's Flat.

If headed down that way don't forget to look out for the grey wombat that resides on the flat. Also I found Troy's Ck to be running quite well but then we have had a fair bit of rain this week.

K.

[puredingo]

Reminds me of a experience I had in the valley a year or 2 ago when all hell broke loose!

OT...I did the drovers ridge track today...up to stockwhip hill anyway. Crossing Yawal creek was fun.

[kanangra]

Pure Dingo I'm glad you got through there this time. Wont be much left of that track in a few years time.

K.

[GPSGuided]

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[puredingo]

You're not wrong there K, it's already nearly unreconisable where the sun hits it the most. I was actually going to drop down the big creek (can't remember its name) at pommell pass but it was pretty stormy and thought better to leave it until I got a mate along. So if you're keen..or anybody for that matter, let me know. It would be a neat little circuit.

The views to the Nth off the rocks ontop of Stockwhip are magnificent.

[jeffyffej]

Hi guys,

Ended up doing this walk a month or so from Coolendel out to near Gunmarl saddle and back.. Ended up being a bit of a slog but was worth it with the spectacular views down into the gorge.

National Parks sure had a good time knocking down trees over the track though hahaha constantly hoppin over logs most of the track until you get up to the plains a bit further up from Pommel pass - then it was pretty cruisy walking.

Pretty cool rock formations around pommel pass though..

did you find the track ok from Yalwal creek? I found it based on some of your info in another post.
Found where it was from Timboolina flat - got through the scrub on the river bank and found a big grassy flat.
The track was on the left hand side of this flat (left hand side of the creek heading up) and apart from being a little overgrown with logs across, it wasn't bad..

[puredingo]

Yeah mate I found the track up from Timboolina Ok but this was my second look at it. The first time I basically bashed from Coolendel up to Yalwal Ck and then onto the ettrema/yalwal junction. By this stage maybe I wasn't looking all that hard to go up haha. This time I took the fire trail down to yawal creek, crossed it and headed up the first creek just to be sure. Then stayed about 200mts high on the spur and cut across until the second creek appears and then the track.

You're right about the tree fall, my hips felt like I had been chicken boned when I got home.

I had my lunch on those Pommel pass rocks, geat views. You can actually walk up along them pretty easily until they drop back down to the track almost.

I had that sneaking suspicion that only a bushwalker gets that somebody had been around not all that long before me. Like i said if anyones keen to drop down off pommel pass into ettrema creek that would be nifty little circuit even on a hot day.