The forecast for this weekend has taken a turn for the worst. There will be continuous rain or snow falling from Thursday to Sunday night. Sadly, I have decided to cancel the trip. In my experience road access will be limited and dangerous, and crossing creeks all day will be miserable.
Registrations will close on Sunday the 1st of September. I will send an email on Monday the 2nd notifying you if you will be coming on the trip or not.
Blue Waterholes is one of the most striking geological features in the whole high country. During the trip we will see caves and gorges, snow, beautiful turquoise pools of water, waterfalls and rustic huts. As the gates in to this part of the park are closed for winter we will likely have the whole place to ourselves, a rare occurrence at Blue Waterholes.
The walk?
Day 1 - 22km : Park at the locked gate at the entrance of Long Plain Road. Turn on to the Port Phillip fire trail and then on to the Mosquito Creek firetrail. Ending the day with a warm fire and a beautiful view at Bill Jones hut.
Day 2 – 10km : We will head off track across Cooleman Plain and down into Nichols Gorge. We will arrive at Blue Waterholes where we will follow a faint foot pad through Clarkes Gorge, eventually reaching the stunning Cooleman falls. We then climb above Clarke Gorge and head back toward the campsite for night 2.
Day 3 – 25km : Day 3 will be long but easy following Long Plain road back to the car. We will stop in to Coolamine homestead and Cooinbil hut on our return.
The Route?
http://maps.ozultimate.com/?lat=-35.6792610110657&lng=148.61669540405273&zoom=13&id=1566251393371
The requirements?
Distances on day 1 and 3 are both over 20km albeit on relatively easy roads. Please consider your fitness levels when signing up and make sure you are capable of walking this distance. For those of you who have not walked with me before, please give me a brief outline of your bushwalking experience and fitness level when signing up.
The weather / conditions?
Overnight temps below 0 expected. Daytimes temps should be mild and enjoyable.
There may be some snow around but it shouldn’t cause us any problems.
On Day 2 will cross the cold but shallow Cave Creek about 10 times in quick succession. I suggest wearing runners for this walk or bringing sandals (or similar) for the water crossings.
Pre trip and transport:
We will have a pre trip meeting the Tuesday before the walk so we can go over the plan, meet each other and organise gear. I will send around a list of things to pack for the walk prior to the pre trip.
As per description