My plan was, to stay high until I had the distance, and then find my way down into the river valley. Contours looked ok. I wasn't expecting any difficulties. (Famous last words)
Anyway, it turns out that those contour lines aren't gradual 20m drops, the terrain is littered with straight down 20m banks into crevasses and I keep getting stuck.
A - multiple forays to the edge of the river gorge before skirting around
B - hit another stream gorge that I wasn't expecting, follow it until I find a lower part I'm happy to scramble down into where I can see that the other side will be ok to climb out of
C - hit another stream gorge, try north, and find a way in. Not sure if I can get out again, but by now I'm frustrated and impatient so I give it a crack.
My little gorge gets narrower and narrower until..............
I end up crawling through little holes!
But finally I make it to the river valley, the valley of the wallabies as it turns out - I have never seen SO many wallabies!!
I end up on a beautiful valley path, all the way to a punga fence with open gateway. I wander in - the buildings are set up like a little camp - a few cabins, one that looks like a lounge space. It's all very quiet, but there is washing out at one cabin. I'm a bit shy and walk straight through, not sure if I'll be welcome or not.
After cooling my feet in the lake, I turn around to retrace my steps....... and walk straight into a big NO TRESPASSERS sign. I guess they don't bother to sign the bush entrance, probably no one has ever come through there before. As a result, I nervously bush bash around the camp, now worried about irate landowners and vicious dogs.
