Tops to Myall Heritage Trail

[buckoraider]

Hey guys, I'm looking to have a crack at this walk later this month and was just wondering if anyone had a copy of the old guidebook, or advice on where I might be able to get it.

Thanks!

[Mullaitivu_83]

I have a copy in PDF format. I’m not sure if I can attach it to a post here. I’m happy to share.

[davidmorr]

That would be great. I have been looking for a copy for years.

You should be able to use “Upload attachment” below the Submit button.

[Ms_Mudd]

Finished the final section into Hawks Nest on Thursday, completed it to find the news of a 5pm lockdown.
Mungo Brush to Hawks Nest- 23km

We had intended to start from Bombah Point Ferry (currently closed) but arrived to a road closure just before Boomeri campsite, so parked on up and started from there.
There is currently an blue green algal bloom in the area, so we elected to do a road bash for the first part of our day to avoid possible contact with standing water. The trail is low lying and often a bit "aquatic" to walk.
Due to campground and road closures , the road was quiet , with only one car passing us in 10km. The going was flat, pleasant. The winter sunshine divine on our skin.

We ducked onto the official Tops to Myall Heritage Trail once clear of Brambles Green and were amazed at the dingo tracks on the sandy trail. We had seen three dingoes close to town during our earlier car shuffle.
We then emerged off the T2MHT at Lemon Tree and walked onto the beach - if a beach walk is not to your liking, you could continue along the trail further before crossing to the beach side.
The beach was stunning, not a car or person to be seen. It was tough going though, with those few kilometres feeling harder than the many that had come before them.
Following the gpx file, we came off the beach to an overgrown trail. Someone had left pink ribbon in a few sections, but it was a matter of knowing your end goal and finding the path of least resistance. If I were to walk it again, I would avoid this short but scrubby section and instead walk slightly further along the beach than the gpx file indicates and then pick up the Michael Rowe Walk from there.
It was a cruisy walk once we had emerged from our bush bash and before we knew ir- we had arrived to the Surf Life Saving Club at Hawks Nest where we had left a car. Done!

Although technically I have not walked the first section in Barrington as dedicated instalment on this trail, I have walked that section many times as it is local to me, so I am still considering myself as walking all of Tops to Myall Heritage Trail.
I will revisit the Barrington Tops section with my friend once lockdown has ended as I have walked all the other sections with her and would like to do those kms with her too.

[Cated]

Hi there,

I'm hoping someone has walked this track and camped recently. I'm wanting to do with my daughter and another friend. Running it in a day is SO not an option.

I'd be super grateful for any guidance on water supply, camp grounds access to nearby roads, navigation etc from anyone who has experienced the trail

[Ms_Mudd]

Hi there, I have walked the entire trail in sections this year. Finished final section right before lockdown.
I am planning on walking it as a single, uninterrupted walk before the year is out also given interstate travel is looking off the cards.
Feel free to ask any questions you have about particular sections and am more than happy to answer them as best I can and suggest water , camp options etc for those particular places.

You will have a great time, such a varied trail that you will have all to yourselves.

[Pink Cap]

I’m keen to do this trail next year but as I’ll be alone I will need to have use of some public transport to get me between the start and finish points. Even if I do the walk in stages I would need to get back to my car or into a town for resupply. Any suggestions? The Myall Lakes end is not so problematic and I have walked there before, it’s the Tops that seem a challenge of logistics. Help much appreciated!

[Ryz17]

I have a copy in PDF format. I’m not sure if I can attach it to a post here. I’m happy to share.

Hello. I have just recently registered on this site and am interested in researching the Tops to Myall trail a little more before committing.
Could either Mullaitivu_83 or anyone that may have a PDF copy of the guidebook please send me this? Please send me a private message so I can give you my email.

Perhaps some tips for a novice hiker as well??

Thank you

[Hoojar]

I have a hard copy of the guide book in my collection. I wrote to the local tourist office circa 2001 and they mailed it to me.

[dantarctica]

I have a copy in PDF format. I’m not sure if I can attach it to a post here. I’m happy to share.

Would love to get a copy of this!

[Mullaitivu_83]

Dantartica,
I will need to send a copy via email. Please send me a PM and I can send you an email with the text attached.

[chris_g]

I will need to send a copy via email. Please send me a PM and I can send you an email with the text attached.

Hi. I've been following this thread for a while and am keen to explore this trail over the next 12 months. I tracked down a copy of this guide book at the National Library of Australia in pdf form (48 pages long apparently) last year. Price was $76 for electronic version which I thought was pretty steep. I ordered it reluctantly anyway but then they cancelled the order as they were out of action due to Covid.
I guess I could place the order again now but if Mullaitivu_83 is happy to share their copy that would be fabulous. I will flick you an email and you can let me know. Thanks.

[Feet]

Thanks to everyone for keeping this route alive.

I tested John and Lyn Daly's track notes for this route in 2014, alone, single push, unsupported, starting from the bottom of the Corker and heading to the coast. I can't comment on the condition of the specific route today, but I think some of my track notes might still be relevant. Many of these are already covered by the Daly's track notes, though I don't believe they've published.

For those who don't realise, the Daly's route was mostly a response to the highway realignment, which makes the route in the original booklet impossible. I photographed the pages of the original booklet on loan from the State Library of Victory and can confirm the new highway is the main issue with the original work. All the lovely people who've done the route here seem to have solved the same issue in much the same way as the Dlays, meaning the route is still open. The digital files posted here will be your best bet going forward. Thank you to everyone who's posted their routes.

I did the trail in the middle of winter, meaning the first few days had no road traffic. The locals at Dungog told me in very strong terms to NOT attempt the trail as I planned, as a southerly storm was approaching that same day. For most people, I suspect this would be a serious issue. As it turned out, yes, the storm certainly would have killed anyone unprepared for that kind of weather. That said, I was prepared. From the Corker itself, you can see storms rolling in long before they hit. As it came overhead, I geared up with my storm/snow gear, and the front hit just minutes later with sideways rain and ice. I was wearing totally waterproof gear, including waterproof shoes, pants, a long jacket (with elastic waist) and hood. I wore ski-pants beneath the waterproof outer layer, and a fleece jumper. My pack and carry-bag (ha, yup) were also waterproof. I was fine. Without the gear, I'd be dead. By the time I reached Selby's, the rain was gone and it was snowing. You're not really supposed to stay in Selby's, but don't be stupid - if it's a snowstorm, stay in Selby's and don't camp at Wombat. There are rats in this hut year-round (they're not antichinus!) so keep your food inside your sleeping bag if you can't pitch your tent.

There was about 6 inches of snow the following day, which gave way to ice by the time I reached Munro Hut. The icy areas feel colder than the snowy areas, so don't be fooled as the snow gives way. Yes, the snow is very nice, and I recommend this mode of walking if you have the gear. If you're not using gas (I used metho), take a modern lighter in addition to matches, the cold is enough to choke flame.

The rest of the mountains is pretty straightforward, except there are a number of unmapped side roads which can be confusing at times. I'd recommend a proper GPS unit, obviously, but it's curious how this is because of the vehicular roads (built for cars) rather than for the off-road parts. I was disappointed that the first half of the route is almost entirely on trafficked roads, which had a surprising number of cars on them even in winter. In the Karuah River area, there are bike-tracks either side of some of the roads, running parallel, and I chose to walk on these instead of the roads - I suspect they are not maintained.

I ended up quitting the walk halfway for a weird reason. I stayed at log-dump camp, and the water there was so bad (black) I didn't dare even filter it, which meant the next day I was already short on water. I suspect everyone suffers this same issue at Log Dump, even today. It's in the notes. You can get water from Craven, but in my case, my route to Craven was blocked by road traffic. Yeah. The roads again. To get from Log Dump to Craven, you need to cross the bridge on the Buckets Way. For reasons I still don't understand, the traffic over that bridge on the day I passed through was insane. An endless line of cars, travelling at speed, both ways. Maybe it's always like that? There's no footpath over that bridge, there's not even a shoulder. Even the lanes themselves are narrow. You have to walk in the lane itself, on the road, with the cars. There are barriers either side of the bridge too (because it crosses the railway) meaning that once you're on the bridge, you're trapped for about forty metres. I arrived at the bridge about midday, and I was stuck there for hours. It puzzles me even today.

As I was testing the route, this was the breaking point for me. Any number of nasty things could have happened in the mountains, specially considering the storm, but the Buckets Way bridge is a death trap. You get a bad traffic day for some reason, and there's no backup on the western side. Nowhere to camp, no water, no reasonable alternative route. It would be much safer, and much more illegal, to cross the tracks beneath the bridge - but there's a nasty drainage line beside the railway on the western side which makes this less than an attractive prospect.

A few months later, I was doing the lower half of the route, which was mostly uneventful and nice enough. However, it turns out Bramble's Green is a favourite prawning spot for the Tamboi fishermen, so it pays to keep an eye on the moon-cycle if you're heading through this area. If there's no moon, don't camp at Bramble's Green! The fishermen move in after dark and set up a massive industrial operation which is very noisy and smelly and lasts all night. It's interesting, sure, but you won't get any sleep. Just camp further along the path toward the beach - there's plenty of room.

Everyone else here seems to have a better grasp of the rest of the route. Thanks again for sharing, guys.

[davidmorr]

There are rats in this hut year-round (they're not antichinus!) so keep your food inside your sleeping bag if you can't pitch your tent.

Beware though that the rats will eat through packs and probably sleeping bags to get at the food. In both huts, make use of the wire hooks hanging from the roof to hang your pack containing food....

[Feet]

Beware though that the rats will eat through packs and probably sleeping bags to get at the food. In both huts, make use of the wire hooks hanging from the roof to hang your pack containing food....

That's very true. I slept with my snack-bag (used while actually walking, so doesn't go in the pack) in my sleeping bag (at the head end) and was awoken twice during the night by rats trying to get in. Waking up was enough to scare them away. I guess if you're a heavy sleeper, this could be bad. That said, I've never known hooks to stop rats. They'll stop native mice, antechinus and dunarts and whatever, but black rats are basically arboreal. The food lockers on Hinchinbrook were recently replaced with hooks, but someone forgot to tell the rats they weren't allowed to climb. Better than nothing, sure, but if one is afraid of rats, best advice is to not sleep inside the cabins at all. I didn't notice any rats at Munro, but yeah, the point still stands.

I should also mention, having started the walk at Lagoon Pinch in winter (in winter the tracks up the hill are closed anyway) I would also recommend starting the walk in winter at the Wilderness Cottages, as already suggested in this thread. There's space to park outside the gate, and the manager's typically on-site, so you can park-up and leave a note. The trail to Lagoon Pinch starts on the other side of the old destroyed guesthouse (which can be confusing at first, but it's there) or else off the creek loop nearby. If you're starting the walk early (say, after staying at the cottages) then the time it takes to execute this extra leg will fit in nicely with your arrival at Wombat in the afternoon.

I started about lunch, first time around, but have since done it the other way round, starting early, and can recommend that first leg. Very pretty, and gets your legs warmed up for the sudden incline on the Corker.

[davidmorr]

Also lets the leeches get a head start!

Just at present, Barrington Tops is pretty isolated. Landslips on the road to Lagoon Pinch, as well as from Gloucester and Scone. Local access vehicle tracks also closed. The NPWS web site says the Rocky Crossing walk is also closed. Might be able to get in from the north, but the roads will be horrible.

[Leopard2019]

I have a copy in PDF format. I’m not sure if I can attach it to a post here. I’m happy to share.

Hiya

I would like to attempt this trail in Feb/March. Would appreciate a PDF.

[rynot]

Hi. I am back here after a long time away. I’m not sure how to search for updates to this topic about The Tops to Myall.
Is there track updates available?
Many thanks
Tony