Bushwalk Australia

Hi all,

I was wondering if I can get some help planning my first hike.

I am looking camping Friday, Saturday and Sunday night doing a trek from Mambray Creek (eg. Carrying all my gear from site to site).

I have talked to a ranger and he has advised we can do this despite fire ban beginning soon.

Ideally, I would like to go to secluded camp sites (no car access) and have a 50 km round trip (approx 15 km a day, 5 km on the last day).

Looking at the map, there doesn't appear to be too any walks that can accommodate this. Obviously Black Range Trek seems like a good starting point to plan.

Has anyone done a similar hike as outlined above? Can anyone recommend the trail I should take and which spots to stop at?

Thanks for all your help,


Dan

Okay I have done a rough plan...

Day 1 - Walk from Mambray Creek to Summit Camp (Mount Remarkable) along the Black Range Trek (approx 20 km)
Day 2 - Walk from Mount Remarkable to Stony Creek Camp, through Alligator Gorge (approx 20 km)
Day 3 - Walk from Stony Creek Camp along the Battery, down Hidden Gorge, and stay at Hidden Camp (approx 20 km)
Day 4 - Hidden Camp back to Mambray Creek (approx 5 km)

Has anyone done a similar trek and any advice recommendations? Are there better sites to stop at and are the distances okay?

Looks like a plan.

Keep a close eye on the weather. It's pretty cool now, but the temps up there can be 5-10C warmer than Adelaide, We were in the Flinders a few weeks ago and saw mid to high 30's. A warm change could make this a pretty hot hike!

What is the water situation at your camp sites and how much water are you planning on carrying each day?

I did a short overnighter 1.5 weeks ago, Wilpena to Cooinda camp via St Mary's peak and then back to Wilpena via the inside track (with detours etc I think it was 25km in all). Weather was a hair over 30 on day one, day 2 (the short day was pretty nice, I'd say about 18).

There was zero water except a few spots near the resort itself, that water looked pretty nasty.

Be absolutely sure to have enough water, pretty much everything was dry where we went (we carried 100% of our water for 2 days), hopefully it'll be a bit wetter for you're going though.

The above all said, have fun, getting out there is 100% worth it. I'm hoping to do the area you describe after the fire ban ends next year.

Good luck.

(EDIT: quick note on the distances, that's 100% doable if you start early and set a realistic pace, it may be a bit hard on your feet if you're not accustomed to it though, some areas have a lot of loose rock, you probably know that though.

EDIT 2: if this is your first ever hike (as opposed to first Flinders hike) perhaps something shorter may be advisable. If you've done plenty of longer day hikes with your full kit weight & used your gear for a few nights disregard the second edit though.)

I did a 2 day walk with a few similar sections back in 2008 - similar time at end of October.
There is a short report at http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1345
Second day was quite warm and we did about 22 km and were very foot sore at the end.
We set up camp on the edge of the road along the Battery not far from the turnoff down into Alligator Gorge.
We carried all our water for the trip.

But there are a number of water tanks in the park. The rangers will probably be able to advise - but water is critical, especially if it gets hot.
There are also a few dams. Boiling or water purification is advisable.
Do you have the map/brochure?
There were 2 tanks along the Battery track. Others are shown on the map at your camp sites.
I cannot see how you get to Alligator Gorge proper when going from Mt Remarkable to Stony Creek.
But it is worth travelling up the length of the gorge - either from Blue Gum Flat to the Battery.
In fact, while I haven't been to Stony Creek, I would recommend Longhill Camp instead to allow going up the gorge to the Battery on your day 3.

Thanks for all your replies! Definitely got me thinking.

I have attached a picture of the map I used to plan the trip. Ideally I would like to get a topographical map if possible (anyone know where I could get this?). Alternatively the full brochure is available at http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/ ... RKABLE.pdf

Water

I hadn't given this too much thought. As can be seen on the map, there are plenty of water spots, and everywhere I was planning to camp. From memory these were rain water tanks, so I am not sure on the quality/quantity. I would have assumed these would have been fine to rely on - but perhaps not?

I was planning on taking a 2 litre camelbak and another 2 x 1 litre bottles (one bottle that I would keep at the bottom of my bag for emergencies). So that would be 4 litres in total, and would refill at each spot if possible. Is this enough/too much? I should also note for dinners I will be taking dehydrated packs, so this will consume a bit of water. I have water purification tablets that I can use in case of an emergency.

Difficulty

I am 23 male of average fitness, and my hiking buddy is of similar stature.

I did a similar hike back at school when I was 16 - but haven't done any hiking by myself or much hiking since. I did the Hidden Gorge walk about a year ago and had a great time. Also I did Scouts back in the day, so feel my navigational/'bush' skills should be adequate. I have done a lot of camping, just not so much the camping. My gear is probably not the best. I bought a new bag (Hiker3700) and then went down to Kmart to buy the smallest and cheapest stuff I could get because my stuff was a bit big. This is a small $15 sleeping bag and $15 2 man dome tent. That being said, I have my Leathermen, Jet Boiler, compass etc.

I was looking for something that would be a bit of a challenge. I have purposely made the last day 5 km so if we fall behind, we can make it up on the fourth day.

I think Longhill Camp sounds good - depends on the time that we get there and how we are feeling.



I appreciate all the replies and will go have a read of some of the links provided.

daniel_4tw wrote:I have attached a picture of the map I used to plan the trip. Ideally I would like to get a topographical map if possible (anyone know where I could get this?).

Depending on where you are:

The Map Shop,
6-10 Peel Street
Adelaide SA 5000
phone: (08) 8231 2033

CartoGraphics,
147 Unley Road
Unley SA 5061
phone: (08) 8357 1777

There should be a 1:50k map that covers the area in great detail.

Edit: Here is the index to available 1:50k and 1:100k maps: http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/ ... _50000.pdf

Re water, I'd call the Ranger again and ask about it. You definitely need to know if water is available on your route.

I was planning on taking a 2 litre camelbak and another 2 x 1 litre bottles (one bottle that I would keep at the bottom of my bag for emergencies). So that would be 4 litres in total, and would refill at each spot if possible. Is this enough/too much? I should also note for dinners I will be taking dehydrated packs, so this will consume a bit of water. I have water purification tablets that I can use in case of an emergency.

As a rule of thumb, for places like the Flinders it's better to carry enough water to last 2 days. If you arrive at a destination and there is no water you can spend the night & turn back.

How much water you need varies a lot from person to person. Personally I would drink 3 litres on a 20km day depending on the heat & terrain, add a little for cooking (250-500mL for dehydrated meals) and I want want 6 litres for 2 days (more if it's particularly hot). This means if I run out I'll be back at the last refill point (or car/start) thirsty but not disoriented & severely dehydrated. Last week was a 6 litre hike for me, our final day was only 8km and very flat according to the topo data, I had about 100ml left when I got back.

My recommendation (totally egocentric) is to go with 6 litres. If you get very dehydrated you can get disoriented & lost, you will also be more likely to injure yourself.

As you say there are tanks along the way & there's been rain in the area recently so they'll likely have a bit in there. That said the final page of the PDF you linked to advises that you should not rely on them. The parks are likely "covering" themselves, but I wouldn't ignore it on such an assumption either.

By the sound of things you'll probably be fit enough to do just fine, I've taken friends hiking in the past who were fine without a pack but a 17kg pack destroyed them at just 12km (they'd literally slowed to a shuffle), they weren't 23 either though (at that age you can push through almost anything). You seem to have done your research so again you'll likely be fine. Just be sure to have a good torch (or headlamp) & spare batteries, if you're a little late getting to camp you'll need some god illumination to avoid sprains & such.

Bubbalouie wrote:There was zero water except a few spots near the resort itself, that water looked pretty nasty.

This is very rare, there very nearly always water in the creek just north of cooinda. From memory the pool is marked on the map.

Regarding how much water - I carry 3 l for drinking and cooking per day in winter. This time of year I would think 4l would be closer if its mild. 5l if it is warm and sunny (i.e. 27 degrees plus).

This is very rare, there very nearly always water in the creek just north of cooinda.

We were told by a ranger there was no water there, we didn't go in the direction of Malloga (sp?) falls to confirm either (it was pretty late when we got to Cooinda). With that in mind, it may have been that they meant no potable water too, so anything I've said should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt. What we did see was bone dry, what we didn't however may have been quite different & shaving a few kilos of your pack never hurts.

Next time I'll leave earlier in the day, Malloga falls does sound nice & we cut things a bit short last time (I think I'd still carry at least 5L of water unless it's winter though as you say).

Maelgwn may well be right about the waterhole.
Its a distance upstream along the creek bed, or if you keep your eyes open you can spot it from the track to Malloga.
This is what it looked like in good conditions in Sept/Oct 2005.


However, I also visited it in a dry November in 1982.
[We had been there also in winter of that year with the creeks flowing nicely, so it can dry up fairly quickly]
There was water at this same waterhole - but it was a small pool covered in deep green slime.
We had a lot of water on us and chose to go on. Later we found flowing water deep in Edeowie Gorge.

Hey guys

Sorry about the late reply. I ended up going on this hike and had a fantastic time. First two days were incredibly hilly, but the walk from Alligator Gorge down to Mambray is something I won't soon forget. Hidden Gorge was breathtaking.

Water wasn't an issue either which is always good. All campsites had ample water, as well as along the tracks.

Thanks for all your help on planning my first real hike - went off without a hitch.

One of the beauties of Mambray is the provision of water by various different means. So it is a good place get a grounding in how to cover terrain & navigate and what to expect further North in the Flinders without having to carry water.

It is a good site for a first overnight and first multiday wander.

As a place it changes quite a bit with the seasons so it is worth visiting year after year and by adjusting your tracks and taking into account a different season it can still be interesting.

I have set a 24 hour Rogaine in Mambray and so have been on every track at least once place a whole bunch of places in between done of which the then Parkies had not been to.

daniel_4tw wrote:Hey guys

Sorry about the late reply. I ended up going on this hike and had a fantastic time. First two days were incredibly hilly, but the walk from Alligator Gorge down to Mambray is something I won't soon forget. Hidden Gorge was breathtaking.

Water wasn't an issue either which is always good. All campsites had ample water, as well as along the tracks.

Thanks for all your help on planning my first real hike - went off without a hitch.

Excellent.

Can you write up a trip report?, sounds like a good option there might be others interested.

Yes, please1 We did Mambray to Alligator last week and enjoyed it and a couple of years ago Mt Remarkable which was great. I would like to know about the Black Range Trek if you did that as planned? Dept Environment lists as "demanding" but then suggests 2 days for 48km return- reconciling 24km a day with demanding terrain sounds odd.