A Day in the Nattai Valley.

[GPSGuided]

K, a question on your route. How did you get back to Nattai Rd from Wanganderry Ck? Did you retrace your steps or did you go another way? Reading your 1st post, I get the impression you beat a separate path back to the car park on Wattle Ridge. Is that correct?

[puredingo]

In case K is out walking I'll take the liberty for you.

I think after he walked down stream along the Nattia river he followed the prescribed path of Robert Sloss and headed up onto the left hand bank, leading through to the Nattia Rd which he them returned on back to the car park.

I'm sure he'll get back to you if I'm wrong?

[puredingo]

RIGHT HAND BANK!!! If heading down stream....

[GPSGuided]

Yes, that seemed to be logical explanation. If so, at what point was the cairn? What's the path of Robert Sloss?

[puredingo]

If you follow Robert Sloss track guide he suggest at about 800mtrs (maybe less?) from hidden valley or Allum flat you leave the Nattai river and head up onto the old road where you continue on to Beloon pass etc.

I have know idea why, I've never done it. By the time you reach that point you actually experience some of the best, easiest walking along the river but I'm sure Sloss has his reasons?

If I was you I'd stay on the river until you reach the flat and do some exploring. Be sure to walk right up the back corner...There's stuff to see of interest. on your return simply walk back to where the obvious road leaving the flat crosses the river at a small ford and follow the road back to the car park.

[GPSGuided]

Ummm... None of those names are marked on my LPI Topo map of the area.

[puredingo]

Hmmm, then where did I get those names from, I must of heard/read them somewhere??

Anyway, I'm sure Allum river will show up, follow the Nattai river to there and the flat is on it's Northern side. From there everything will become fairly obvious.

[GPSGuided]

Thanks Puredingo! Going on SIX, it's further north along Nattai River, next topo map up. Found the road but gosh, it's a pretty long loop.

[michael_p]

Ummm... None of those names are marked on my LPI Topo map of the area.

I don't have a 3rd edition Nattai map but I do have a 2nd edition Nattai map and the numerous flats are named on it. Might be worth trying to find a 2nd edition of the Nattai map and if you can the 2nd edition of Hill Top.

Michael.

[GPSGuided]

Thanks Michael. I only have Hilltop (8929-2N) topo and the area being talked about are in the next map area up (Nattai). Going onto SIX, I've now know where you guys are talking about. All very interesting. Getting pretty close to Burragorang Lookout...

[kanangra]

Yes Pure dingo was right. I'm not a big fan of out and back routes much preferring a circuit if at all possible. So from Wanganderry Ck junction I continued down the Nattai till I cut the Nattai Rd. From there I turned right and walked back up the steep hill out of the valley. It was about 2.5 hours or so from where I cut the road to the CP.

The going through the valley was not simple or straightforward. There is no track to speak of but there are markers but they are not easily followed so I didn't really bother. Every now and again I would sight a marker but didn't particularly look for them. I found it necessary to cross the river a few times as there were bluffs usually on the true right bank. There was one reasonable camp cave about half way on the true right bank.

You know you are getting near the road when, after crossing a lot of dry gullies on the true right bank, you cut a creek that usually carries water. (This is the creek that drains the pass which the Nattai Rd follows.) I crossed it well back from the river and pushed uphill for about 150m on the far side to cut the road at a cairn. I took a picture of the cairn and will post on Monday but there is no track!

Once on the road I turned right to go back up the hill to the car. Had I turned left then a short way further on the road fords the river. Just back from this is a track off to the left which also fords the river and leads to Hidden Flat as has been mentioned by others. At the back of this flat is the Allum River. If camping at the flat be sure to take your water from Allum River. You have to push through some scrub to get to it so take all your containers at once.

Another thing I noticed is that behind the bluff at the junction with Wanganderry Ck there is a nice area of paper barks and a small camp spot.

K.

[jackhinde]

The area with the paperbarks is the so called Cathedral Forest, it will be a while till it looks as good as it did in the 90s as the paperbarks are still charred from a fire a decade ago. The rocky hill that separates it from the river has a few names, I think Burts knob is the current one. It is a nice spot to camp, though is quite moist. Puredingo is spot one with the claim the Sloss track up to the fire trail is odd, as to continue to follow the river down to Alum flat is indeed the easiest going on the whole Nattai. I have twice traversed the dry slopes between the river and the Nattai rd from Wanganderry Creek down to the near permanent creek Kanangra mentions, Which makes an interesting but punishing alternative to the river- you are rewarded with better views as you are in very light scrub, but many of the gullies are steep and the rock is loose.

[puredingo]

All this Nattai talk of late got the cogs turning so on Monday with a day off and "her indoors" squawking about lawns needing mowing and cars needing washing i decided it was time to make myself scarce and head out West.

I was originally going to do a loop thats had me intrigued for awhile. It starts a little way in from the car park, heads East along a creek to it arrive in the valley under the the long nose ridge Rd and then returns a couple of Klms North on the next ridge.
But being short on time thought better not test the unknown and did a basic up and back of Starlights/Nattai river.

This time arriving down in the valley I actually followed Sloss markers, usually I'd just beat a path straight down the river from Emmetts. Staying up high on the right hand bank the markers are numerous and track fairly well defined, this lasted for abut a Klm, roughly half a K from Wangenderry Cr. here I struck some scrubby, relatively high bluffs so i just hit the river until the creek.

It was about 2pm now and had to get the daughter to work at 5 so I back tracked home to the car. Going up starlights was a doddle compared to my previous efforts up iron pot.

[kanangra]

Puredingo. I'm glad you got in there. It looks a picture down in there at the moment. At least where the track hits the bottom.

K.

[Onestepmore]

Lol, all you Nattai/Macarthur guys should actually get your act into gear and do a walk together. And then either a coffee and brunch at Ryans in Picton, or a drink at The George, depending on when you finish. Or I meet at the end for a car shuffle with cold beers in the Engel!

I still have to convince hubby to try a hammock. Last afternoon trip to Thirlmere Lakes his NeoAir went down. I was fine suspended in hammock bliss.

[jackhinde]

At the back of this flat is the Allum River. If camping at the flat be sure to take your water from Allum River. You have to push through some scrub to get to it so take all your containers at once.
K.

Just read through this thread again and thought I'd mention that there is an old farm/fire trail leading from Allum flat that goes within about 4 yards of the Allum river. Just find the fire circle I built a few years back (don't start!) just up from the river crossing and follow the obvious track it is on for half a click, no scrub involved.
Same track that you'd use to get toward what someone on here referred to as ANZAC pass (Clarence perhaps?) and what you exit from if you descend the Allum from ex Wanganderry Station off High Range.

[GPSGuided]

Lol, all you Nattai/Macarthur guys should actually get your act into gear and do a walk together.

Are you suggesting we should turn this into a forum project? To clean up and map out all the possible routes of said area?

[puredingo]

Lol, all you Nattai/Macarthur guys should actually get your act into gear and do a walk together. And then either a coffee and brunch at Ryans in Picton, or a drink at The George, depending on when you finish. Or I meet at the end for a car shuffle with cold beers in the Engel!

I still have to convince hubby to try a hammock. Last afternoon trip to Thirlmere Lakes his NeoAir went down. I was fine suspended in hammock bliss.

Osm, are you suggesting we've turned the sleepy little Nattai valley into the new ruined castle?

[GPSGuided]

Wife and I went down to Wattle Ridge yesterday and enjoyed the perfect early winter weather. Was planning to visit Ahearn Lookout and possibly Starlight Trail but as was our fate, got attracted by the numerous colourful markers some 900m into the Ahearn Lookout track. Whilst fully knowing the correct direction for the lookout track, we were tempted like bees to flowers and went down this "unnamed" track to the left, thinking it must be something good given how many markers were at the entrance. Initially I thought this could be an alternate "scenic path" to the lookout but the fact it continued to descend blew that hope. By that stage, we were too far gone and decided to fully explore this nameless track. The track continued down the gully, to the right bank of a creek Along the way, there were some decent descents/climbs and a lovely rocky platform lookout half way down. We followed the largely clear blue metal markers all the way down until we reached Nattai River. Then, the blue markers disappeared. Whilst we assumed we could continue along the Nattai and reach Emmetts Flat that's around 2km away. But with shortish winter day we figured we are running out of time. We just made back to the car park at sunset and drove out in the dark. Lovely day but would have loved to explore the section by Nattai river and come back out via Starlights Trail to make it a full loop. Next time. The only question is, what's the name of this track? Surprised by how well it's marked but appears nowhere on topo and other maps. Anyone know anything about this track? Why was it so well marked? Does it go any further along the river?

[buggeriamold]

Hi, it's called slots way. Originally marked out by Robert sloss as far as I remember. I am surprised to hear of the markers they must be new, last time I went down it there weren't any that I could see.

I was out in the nati on the weekend as well, popular place at the moment!

Mark

[Allchin09]

GPSGuided - Do you have a copy of any of Robert Sloss' books on the area? The track that you followed may well be marked on one of his maps.

[GPSGuided]

Allchin09, I don't have Robert Sloss' book but will check.

BuggerIamOld, There were at least 2 varieties of markers. There was a big metal red arrow at the entrance to the track. Then there were orange ribbons all the way down to the mid level lookout while blue metal tags/arrows and tags were present all the way down to the river. By the look of some of the metal tags, they've been around for at least a few years. These markers were visible at relatively close range with only two sections where we had to search around. Otherwise, the blue markers disappeared at the bottom, or at least we couldn't find any further along the river. Spent 15mins exploring and gave up.

[michael_p]

..Then, the blue markers disappeared...

Unfortunately this is a common occurrence around that area. The Chasm lookout track is the same, thankfully it is dead easy to follow but it is still disconcerting for the tags to just stop. Not sure why but it's been like that for as long I have been going out there.

I hope to be heading down the Slott Way soon. Looking forward to it.

[GPSGuided]

Is it Slott Way or Slots Way?

The "annoying" thing was, there were so many tags coming down to the river, much more than what I have seen on other tracks. Then it suddenly all vanished. Just searched on Google and note from FatCanyoner's blog that there are some markers across the river, leading to Russells Needle. Interesting.

[jackhinde]

Blue metal markers are typical of Sloss's tracks, the walk down the Nattai was known locally as 'the blue track' post late eighties because of these markers. Fires have removed many, mainly the 2001 blaze. Same fire allowed regrowth that makes upper nattai such a struggle. New tags have been added in a variety of colours. Pink or orange tape doesn't last long, people like me who find it offensive remove it. It is the Slott way, and it is indeed the quickest way to Russell's needle as I advised earlier in the thread.

[GPSGuided]

Are you saying that Sloss was the one who put up all the metal blue tags? Not the park rangers? What's interesting and disappointing is, the latest topo map on SIX doesn't show any of the tracks in that area when older printed maps show them. What are our map makers doing?

[Allchin09]

The makers would have been put in by Sloss, not the park ranger. The current maps are showing less and less tracks as new versions are released. They aren't really being designed with bushwalkers in mind.

[jackhinde]

Sloss, his daughter and helpers put in the nailed metal markers. Unlikely to see a park ranger on the nattai, but if you do they'll probably take your kit...

[puredingo]

Ain't that the truth!!! I'm still waiting for compensation for that, Jack. I believe sloss and Co. put the markers in during the 88' bicentenial track upgrade project.

ps Lets do the M2W soon?

[kanangra]

M2W?

K