Portal(s), Falls, Gorge, Junction and the Peaks of Barney~

[ahmondjai]

Hello fellow walkers,

I'm planning a visit to the famous Barney NP in the next few weeks, and trying to get as much information about it as possible before we head out.
What are the conditions like in Barney, what to expect and what to be cautious for~
From what I've read, the southern ridges and routes are quiet steep and difficult to overcome with our o/n packs.
Since most of the group are not so experienced walkers, the planned route will most likely stay around the bottom of the NP in the northern part of the region.
so far, we've planned to leave the lower portal car park and visit Lower Portal, Barney Fall, Barney Gorge Junction. But if conditions allowed and the rest of the group are up for it, we might visit the peaks at the top as well.

here are some of the questions I can think of at this moment:
1. How long does it take to get to lower portal from the LP carpark?
2. Are there tracks to follow to the sites of interested?
3. From Lower portal to Barney Fall and the Gorge Junction, what is the usual route people take?
4. Anyone has the gps mark and waypoints for the above sites?

Thanks in advance~

Cheers,
Ed~

[isoma]

Hi Ed,

1. about an hour
2. sort of
3. from lower portals heading further upstream you need to bypass the portals/creek onto the ridge immediately above - there's a pad which is pretty easy to find maybe a hundred metres from the waters edge. This pad follows the ridge all the way to upper portals and can be used to drop back down to the creek and any of the access points you're looking for
4. sorry Ed - I'm more of a map and compass man myself (though I do carry a GPS). Barney Falls is marked on the map (Mount Lindesay 1:25 000) at 697735 , Barney Gorge junction/campsite would be at 690740

[tomh]

Have a look at other Barney threads to get an idea of conditions. If it's wet and cloudy stay down the bottom.
For a climb to the top with not so experienced walkers, make sure they are fit. However everyone's definition of 'fit' varies so be careful. Best they do 2 or 3 climbs such as Mt Greville in the 2 or 3 weeks previous.
To get to the top only South ridge is suitable for inexperienced walkers with o/n packs ; also it's the only 'official' track.
Some GPS Routes from LowerPortals carpark and around Barney Creek can be found here
http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=221551
However the top ridge route from lower portals to barney creek campsite (the way to go for those in the know) does not appear to be there. Probably best if you went up the creek after first climbing up and around lower portals ; pleasant but slow.
The graded track to lower portals is about 1 and a quarter hrs from memory, all the rest are tracks made through usage only - gps or previous knowledge required.
For south ridge (called here 'Peasants Trail')
http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=989536

Tom

[ahmondjai]

Deeply sorry for such a late reply, guys~ due to those annoying exams from Uni.

Again, thank you for those advises~
looks like we will stick with the plan, visiting the lower and easier part of the park before heading up to the summit in our next trip~
does anyone know how long it usually take from lower portal to Barney Fall?

[isoma]

Hello again ahmondjai,
Have you been yet ?
I was in this area today as a backup plan with the bad weather. Ended up doing Lower to Upper Portals return via the ridge system.
Despite being on these ridges a number of times from the upper and lower ends to access various points on Barney Creek I'd never actuallly done it in its entirety.
The photo below shows the view (in lousy weather) once you gain the ridge from the Lower Portals bypass. To get to this point with a group could take up to 2 hours. You can also see where Barney Falls are in the lower part of the photo. To drop down to the creek and rock hop to the falls would add another hour or so. I didn't get a photo of the Lower Portals as it was raining, but it had cleared by the time I got to the Upper Portals for lunch.

DSC01877.JPG (184.87 KiB) Viewed 8282 times

DSC01882.JPG (248.29 KiB) Viewed 8282 times

[ahmondjai]

Hi, Isoma,

We did went over to Lower Portal, the weather was a bit overcast that day, and it hold until later that night, then, it didn't stop raining until just before we pack camp.
When we first got there, the creek crossing wasn't even knee deep, but after the rain, it was chest deep with a strong current.
Overall, it was a pleasant experience, and I'm planning to go back there and visit the falls and gorge which we didn't last time when the weather turns~