Tomat Creek

[Allchin09]

Hey all,

Has anyone been down Tomat Creek in the Southern Blue Mountains? From the map and aerial photographs Tomat Falls look to be something special!

Couldn't find much about it online.

[juxtaposer]

No. this is isn't Tomat Falls, but it's not far away.

[Allchin09]

Wow. That sure is impressive! I'm guessing that's not the usual flow level. I would like to go through the chasm one day as well.

[clarence]

I've done Bindook Falls from 500 Acre Flat, and it is something very special. My guess is that's the subject of Juxtaposer's photo. I suspect Tomat Falls is equally spectacular. Incredible walking country. I recall one of the two (Bindook or Tomat Falls) referred to in Rick Jamisons (?) canyon guide as "The Slot" or similar.

A friend of mine did a trip up Tomat Falls a few years ago, I can put you in touch if you want.

This part of the Blue Mountains from the Wollondilly over into Tuglow/Morong/Church Creek is completely overlooked by most walkers. A five day trip from the Wollondilly up Murruin Creek via Bindook Falls then down Tomat would be a good one for your holidays Alex.

Do yourself a favour and look at Kanangra's trip report from in the general vicinity viewtopic.php?f=47&t=4854&p=211895&hilit=500+acre+flat#p211895- though don't try to repeat Kanangra's speed on an overnighter.

Clarence

[Allchin09]

Yes, the photo caption says "Bindook Falls 20-4-1984" so I'd say that would be it. Jamisons 5th edition lists "Bindook Chasm (The Slot)" but there is no mention of Tomat Falls.

Funny that you linked that trip report of Kanangra's, I was actually reading it yesterday looking through the route on a map when I spied Tomat Falls! As you say, bushwalkers don't seem to head that why all that often, not quite sure why. South of the Kowmung has some, but not a heap of activity, mainly around Colong - Yerranderie area. South of the Colong Stock Route has even less.

Sounds like I'll have to sit down and plan out a route. Not sure how much rope I'll need to get down Tomat Falls through. I should have access to two new 70m ropes in a week or so but that may be a bit of overkill.

[puredingo]

I love this area and get drawn back on a regular basis. from the joorilands down to 500 acre flat to up and out is a life time of discovery. Dingoes, emus, snakes, ol' timey huts...So much to explore, what's not to love?
And for those forum members who whinge about social interaction whilst out on the track then get amongst it you see NOBODY out there.

[Caper Montanus]

Sorry to resurrect this old thread, which I just discovered googling down memory lane..

Just wanted to say that I have been to Tomat creek falls. Albeit I would have been 6 or 7 years old at the time. My father was the holder of a crown leased lot of which was close to Tomat creek, specifically where New Yards Creek is. We used to have a fair bit of trouble getting in there, as the main tracks were all terrible swamps. Often we would get the keys to Tomat Creek Station which was owned by Jimmy Hazelton (of Hazelton Airlines), a friend of my fathers, which would give us access to the better quality firetrails that would lead to my Dad's block. On one occasion my Dad flew us in, landing his light aircraft on a rough airstrip located on Tomat Creek station, although he swore never to do it again as the condition of the airstrip was so poor that it made the landing problematic.

On those trips we would explore the region on foot. On one of those trips we walked to Tomat falls, which I still remember today because the geography was quite striking. My dad was a hardcore aussie bushie, and we would spend weeks away from civilisation in the region exploring every school holidays. We used to search for old homesteads, old fence lines, and try to find and follow the old roads/tracks from the old days prior to access being shut off by the Waterboard. Once we found an old hut in ruins which still had cupboards stocked with dusty old glass jars.

Somewhere in my family are a lot of photographs my Father took of the region, Tomat falls I am sure would be there somewhere. If I ever get my hands on them again I will be sure to post them for other's reference.

I'd be keen to go back into the region one day to retrace some of my steps.

[kanangra]

Don't apologise Caper. There are some hard core types on here who can't get enough of that area. Your story sounds very interesting. Tell us a bit more about your Dad's old place on New yards Ck. I think I might have camped there once on my way through?

K.

[Caper Montanus]

Thanks Kanangra,

Interesting to think you might have been there.

Ok, so stretching my memory here, as the last time I was there I would have been 8 years old. (29 years ago)

My dad's block had a rough 4wd track in, which we cut out over a number of holidays that lead from the nearest fire trail (looking at the map I am unsure, all I remember looking at google maps, is that the 'swamp track' - millinigang rd improved significantly when it merged back with the tomat creek pass track) that lead mostly downhill to a level clearing, which was our campsite - we found this clearing already on the block and cut the track in to it specifically. Dad's old maps said there should have been a road in and a homestead somewhere around this part of the block, but we never found it, yet the clearing had some relics of old timber fence posts and there was however remnants of a road heading away from the clearing (away from the fire trail we used to access the block) which went slightly uphill and then bended heading down to New Yards Creek and across it. We also cleared that track to the creek and across, wide enough to get a car in, but I don't think we got much further than that. Over the creek was a section Dad and I used to call 'Wombat Flat' to the massive amount of Wombat burrows, that straddled the opposite side of the creek. It wasn't much past Wombat flat that we lost the original track and weren't ever able to pinpoint where it went from there.

Umm.. At the cleared campsite, there was a hollowed out tree where Dad used to keep his flagg'n of 'camp port', it could still even be there.

I think we also put a tank on the block. We definitely ran a black flexi-pipe down to the creek where a pump was originally installed to pump water back to the campsite. I am not sure we ever got the tank rigged up though. The pump could still be on the block theoretically, I'm not sure Dad ever made it back to the block.

Dad's block was also accessible from much further up the mt egan trail. We used to come in from that side and try and join up with where we had explored from the opposite side. I remember an old miners hut that was still standing somewhere around mt egan that had a resident owl that would have no qualms in sharing the hut with you if you stayed the night.

[Caper Montanus]

Mind you this was 29 years ago, so the quality of these tracks would have significantly diminished..

[puredingo]

Hey Caper, that's really interesting...I'm one of those die-hards Kanangra is refering to who visits on a fairly regular basis.

From your description and without having a map handy I'm assuming the existing property that sits above the new yards ridge, east of the creek, isn't your old mans?...or it is your old mans and they have since built a hut on it.

I'm sort of getting the feeling you are somewhere around the link track that connects the Millnigang FT to the New yards in holding track where the hut I mentioned sits. If you head North from the hut you strike the Mt Egan FT,..follow the Mt Egan FT East and you strike the miners hut you mentioned, which if it's the same one, is still standing.

phew...thats confusing and inspiring!

[Caper Montanus]

Hi Dingo,

There definitely wasn't a hut on the block when my Dad had it, well at least not one he put on there! Dad sold the block about 10 or 12 years ago and has since passed away.

If the hut is less than 12 years old it could be that block. I definitely don't remember there being any signs of any huts or other dwelling once passed tomat ck station, and I can see on Google satellite that there is a clearing and dwelling just running off the new yards ck trail.

Something is confusing me looking at Google Earth.. when we were walking Dad's block we never crossed any roads. That makes it difficult to imagine the block being on the western side of New Yards Ck Track, as we would have crossed it. However if it was on the east it wouldn't be possible to get down to the creek without crossing the fire trail. Perhaps where we used to camp was further south than where New Yards trail end.. I have to imagine we were walking east if the other side of the block was further east on the mt egan track.

I have a feeling the entrance we took to the block was on the left hand side of the road (must be the milnigang track we entered from, now considering that!) and then we would descend down a steep hill to the campsite. Haha this is like a puzzle now. When I see my Brother in October I will get him to point it out to me on the map, he is much older and would have a better memory.

Wow, thanks for confirming that the miner's hut is still there.

[kanangra]

Caper,

Was the clearing where you camped on the New Yards Ck? If it was then I have camped in there. There is a track which leads down from the New Yards track. Note although not shown on any map there is a track on the other (western) side of the creek which leads up to the Millnigang track. I followed it and it is quite clear. Perhaps that is the way you used to come in? If that was your Dad's block that is very interesting because it is now completely surrounded by NP. It is also quite an irregular shaped block. I've wondered what the history of that was? There is a very rough open structure off the track to the right (west) which you pass on your way in. I think this must be what you are seeing from Google earth.

There is another possibility though. There were other inholdings now resumed for NP which could have been your Dad's block? Some of them must have been pretty rough?

Fascinating that you have this recollection from your childhood. Your Dad must have been an interesting guy to take up a block in this rough country.

K.

[kanangra]

To make that clear, the structure is off New Yards track before the turn off to the creek and camping spot that I was referring to.

K.

[Caper Montanus]

I am thinking the track branching from Millnigang is going to be the old access road to Dad's block. There was nothing there when we came along, no other tracks, no nothing in the immediate vicinity other than bush. It makes sense in my mind because if we came from the direction of Tomat Station, the track was on the left hand side, that puts the creek east of where we entered, and where we camped.

If you followed that track to the west from New Yards Creek, I am guessing it would have first gone up and over a small hill, to a small level clearing (our campsite), then up a reasonably steep climb back to the Millnigang trail.

I know prior to Warragamba dam, the block used to be farmed by a family by the name of McGovern. I am not sure when my Dad purchased the block, however it would have been no later than the 70s.

Is there anywhere online where I can find the maps that show the land divisions? I have a feeling Dad's block was oddly shaped - and now I also think we had to cross NP to get to the other side of his block, because I remember there being a large flat we would often cross that had those big Pig traps.

[puredingo]

It's a funny thing when you recall a childhood memory of a certain place and you would swear the geographical layout is exact in your head but then when you finally revisit it all seems turned around....and definitely smaller! I had this just the other day looking at a river mouth in Narooma I surfed a few times as a 10 year old.

But yeah, that track off to the left, on Millnigang that links the ridges sounds right in your desciption. That place must of been littered with properties back in the day as any flat (or near flat) ground off any fire trail has some sort of farm remnant, fence wire, posts, sheet iron etc.

I wonder if the shape of your dads block was the result of a land chop up, maybe the New yards hut and it where all one place at one time? I know if you walk up from the miners hut, up and around Mt Egan there's a property that stretches for quite a way S/W sort of in the direction of your dads. There is a pig trap on there and plenty more throughout the region, although on my last walk out there I noticed some had been removed.

I've always wondered what the market value of one of those places is, any idea what your dad flogged it off for? (answer optional of course Haha)

[jonnosan]

Is there anywhere online where I can find the maps that show the land divisions?

Try https://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/ - there is a 'Lot Boundaries' layer but it only shows up if you zoom in a bit