Bushwalk Australia

Hi All,

I have a week spare and want to hit the Tooma River with the fishing rod in mid November. Ive identified a few routes from this forum and various other sites, each with their pros and cons, but i was hoping i could get some opinions and insider knowledge to help make the decision.

Route Option 1:
Day 1 - Guthega Power station to Grey Mare Hut (25 km)
Day 2 - Grey Mare Hut to Wheelers hut via Hell Hole Creek FT (23km)
Day 3 - fishing Tooma river
Day 4 - fishing Tooma river
Repeat day 1 and 2 in reverse to get back to the car
Pros: mostly on fire trails
Cons: Longest walk of all the options

Route Option 2:
Day 1 - Guthega Power station to Grey Mare Hut (25 km)
Day 2 - Grey Mare Hut to Wheelers Hut via Strumbo Fire Trial and Pretty Plain
Days 3-4 fishing
Repeat day 1 and 2 in reverse to get back to the car
Pros: Marginally shorter than option 1, get to visit Pretty Plain Hut
Cons: Strumbo FT sounds like it doesn't exist anymore in places (or at all) between GM hut and the top of Pretty Plain

Route Option 3:
Day 1 - Drive to KNP border via Nimmo Road/Snowy Plains FT walk via Cejacks hut to Derschos Hut (15ish km mostly off track)
Day 2 - Derschko's to Wheelers Hut (15 kms mostly on track)
Days 3-4 fishing
Repeat day 1 and 2 in reverse to get back to the car
Pros: Shorter Walk, side trek up Jagungal most likely with this option
Cons: uncertainty about Nimmo road/SP fire tail (sometimes locked gates) Fording the river during thaw.

Route Option 4:
Drive to Swampy plains road, Walk Everards FT to Wheelers Hut via Dargals Trail ( Day 1 Approx 20km)
Days 2-3 Fishing
Day 4-5 Free time to do a side-quest
Repeat day 1 in reverse to get back to the car
Pros: Shortest walk
Cons: Swampy Plains road is closed somewhere near the Everards trail turnoff due to fire damage, Dragals trail sounds overgrown and could be unwalkable

My preference is option 3, but the Gungarlin river ford and snowy plain FT are a concern. I have a raised D22 Navara STR, but no snorkel or winch, so i cant get too adventurous - if i get bogged i'm up sh*t creek!

I'd love to know your thoughts/idea/experiences/advice you have.

Thanks,
Rob

Hey Rob,

Option 3 is by far the Most scenic and enjoyable. If Bulls Peak Creek is running high just park the car there and walk up the Snowy Plains Firetrail to Cesjacks. It’s only 5km extra from memory and really not that bad.

Schlink road in option 1 and 2 is a boring walk on a wide dirt road and should be avoided where possible.

As for the Strumbo Firetrail between Grey Mare and Pretty Plain, I’d say forget it. I’ve walked it every year now for the past 7 years, most recently this June. It is no longer an enjoyable or efficient route. The Scrub is horrendous In some parts and the road is 95% gone. There is lots of low and slow scrub for most of it. It’s sad that it’s been neglected by walkers and NPWS because it is such a fantastic way to join those two parts of the park with some great views on the way. It should be removed from the NSW topos.

I'd say go the route you haven't tried before. It would be more interesting. Wheelers would be nice ATM. You can always try Nimmo first and see how you go and try another option if your not confident.

Port Phillip will be busy but you could give that a go and wait for Tooma Road to reopen next year.

Not a fisher but I believe the Cooleman is crap

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

Thanks Zapruda and Crollsurf,
do you know if the bridge over gungarlin river is suitable for vehicles? or is fording the river the only option for cars? I'd 100% choose this option if i could drive all the way to bulls creek without fording rivers/creeks.

i agree Schlink road is a dull - ive only done the first few km's but i was hoping it got more exciting further up. good to know it and makes the choice easier.

i'll probably hit up the long plain area too at some stage over summer, but i'm keen to get hit the tooma river while its not easily accessible via tooma road.

robc wrote:Thanks Zapruda and Crollsurf,
do you know if the bridge over gungarlin river is suitable for vehicles? or is fording the river the only option for cars? I'd 100% choose this option if i could drive all the way to bulls creek without fording rivers/creeks.

i agree Schlink road is a dull - ive only done the first few km's but i was hoping it got more exciting further up. good to know it and makes the choice easier.

i'll probably hit up the long plain area too at some stage over summer, but i'm keen to get hit the tooma river while its not easily accessible via tooma road.

If you mean the narrow footbridge, I have heard of people driving over it carefully. That ford is not normally an issue it’s the next one up at Bulls Peaks Creek that can be. But as I mentioned parking at the either Bulls Peaks Creek or before it at the Gungarlin adds only a few KMs on to the walk. I wouldn’t let those forrds deter you.

Zapruda wrote:Schlink road in option 1 and 2 is a boring walk on a wide dirt road and should be avoided where possible.

I have always used one of the aquaduct tracks to avoid most of the road. Going up I prefer the eastern side, but accessing it is now more difficult without the bridge, and the western side for the descent.

Me too. I prefer jumping across the rocks where the bridge used to be over the Munyang and heading up the track a little until just before Disappointment Hut and then leaving the track for the beautiful Disappointment Ridge.

The other track that goes above Horse Camp is ok but still throws you out on to the the road and under the power lines.

Strumbo FT sounds like it doesn't exist anymore in places (or at all) between GM hut and the top of Pretty Plain
Actually, I think that the bit from Pretty Plain westwards is worse. Very high wattle regrowth post-fires. I would not say that the 'road' has gone: it is just that it is where the wattle regrowth is thickest. I gather that Parks are not fussed about it.

Bulls Peak Ck, and Barleymans Ck before it, are both likely to be high in the thaw. Double or triple the normal width. Been there, seen that, and walked.

Option 1 is feasible but a bit boring.

Cheers

I assumed Gungarlin River would be the most perilous of the crossings - good to hear it is less challenging than crossing Bulls Creek. if i need to start the walk at bulls creek its sounds like its still a shorter and more interesting walk than starting at the power station.

Also, does anyone know if Cesjacks Hut is still standing? khuts website has its condition listed as good, but satellite imagery from February looks like the area around the hut was burned

Cesjacks is fine. It was protected by the local RFS and had some controlled burns done around it.