walcha the green gully track - experience the highs · your green gully track itinerary day 1:...
TRANSCRIPT
Oxley Highway
Thund
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olts W
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Pacific
Hig
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Walcha
Port Macquarie
KempseyCEDAR CREEK COTTAGE
The start of the Green Gully Track
Wauchope
Sydney0 20 4010 Kilometres
Towns
Dirt Road
Major Roads
National Parks
Visitor Guide
The Green Gully TrackOxley Wild RiversNational Park
a getaway in the gorge
Your Green Gully Track experience takes you on a unique journey deep into the Apsley-Macleay gorges, one of the largest gorge systems in Australia.
It is a challenging, self reliant, 65 kilometre journey that is best tackled over four days and five nights. Your group of up to six people will be completely surrounded by the Macleay Gorges wilderness. Uniquely, there is no need to carry a tent as restored stockmans huts, fitted with some home comforts, greet the weary walker at the end of each day.
Every day brings a different landscape to enjoy, from awe inspiring ridge top views and towering rock outcrops bouncing with endangered Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies, to fern lined gullies and crystal clear mountain streams.
Your adventure awaits...
getting there
The Green Gully Track starts and ends at Cedar Creek Cottage in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. Your car will be left behind a locked gate while you walk on the Green Gully Track. Detailed information on how to reach Cedar Creek Cottage is provided when you book.
For bookings and More inForMation
You need to book to walk on the track, and when you book your group secures a place on the track for the period you have booked. You can find booking forms, frequently asked questions and more detailed information on the national parks website, www.nswnationalparks.com.au. The National Parks office in Walcha can take phone bookings and provide more information.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Walcha Area
188w North Street Walcha NSW 2354
T: 02 6777 4700 F: 02 6777 1198
Published by the Office of Environment and Heritage.43 Bridge Street Hurstville 2220. T: 1300 36 1967. F: 02 9585 6555
www.nswnationalparks.com.au OEH 2011/0313 © NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, May 2011.
Visitor Guide
birds nest hut
View of ‘the rocks’
your green gully track itinerary
day 1: cedar creek cottage to birds nest hutDistance: 17.4 kilometres, average walking time 6.5 hours
Your first day is spent walking along the long ridge that separates the Green Gully Creek gorge from Kunderang Brook valley. There are some spectacular views through tall timber in every direction.
day 2: birds nest hut to green gully hutDistance: 15 kilometres, average walking time 8 hours
Walking up a sharp ridge from Birds Nest Hut brings you to Birds Nest Trig at 1200 metres above sea level. Further on, a spectacular rock formation known simply as ‘The Rocks’ is a great spot for lunch, before a steep descent to Green Gully Hut in the afternoon. Keep your eye out for Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies as you walk through the dramatic Brumby Pass, 500 metres from Green Gully Hut.
day 3: green gully hut to colwells hutDistance: 13.5 kilometres, average walking time 8 hours
There are dozens of creek crossings today, ranging from ankle to thigh deep. Multiple rock outcrops tumble into the pristine waters of Green Gully Creek, with a beautiful swimming hole half way - a perfect place for lunch. Colwells Hut gives you a welcome camp to dry out your shoes and socks.
day 4: colwells hut to cedar creek cottageDistance: 17.5 kilometres, average walking time 8 hours
The last day is the most challenging, with a 600 metre climb in less than three kilometres, then retracing your steps back to Cedar Creek Cottage for a well earned rest. It is best to start your fourth day in the cool of the morning, and remember to take lots of drinking water.
what to expect
Walking the Green Gully Track requires above average fitness. You will be walking into some spectacular and rarely visited parts of New South Wales, so careful planning is required. Group size on the track is limited to six people maximum as the huts are small. To make your adventure more enjoyable, each hut has the following features:
• rainwater tank• six stretcher beds and mattresses• outdoor picnic table and six camp chairs• basic cooking equipment - crockery, cutlery, twin gas burner
ring, saucepan, frying pan, billies• internal sink and solar lighting• pit toilet
You have the option of either a four or five night stay on the track. The five night stay is recommended, as your first and last nights are spent in Cedar Creek Cottage, a very comfortable three bedroom house. The four night option means that you will pack up and drive home after completing your walk.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Shane Ruming, Piers Thomas, Roger Mills (OEH).
these living in northern New South Wales.
Almost every rock outcrop that you pass on the Green Gully Track will have Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies on it, but they can be hard to spot. Their colours make them blend in very well with the rocks in Green Gully, but if you take your time and look very closely at all the little caves and overhangs you might be able to spot some.
want to watch a wallaby?
Green Gully and Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is home to one of the largest remaining populations of Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies in the world. It is estimated that there may be less than 30 000 Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies left living in the wild in Australia, with about 75% of
walking down the ridge to green gully hut
interior of colwells hut
Being surrounded by wilderness creates memories you will never forget