Ettrema Gorge First time

[Lee27roy]

Hi All,

New to the site so please let me know if this is the wrong place to post.

I am seeking advice on entering the Ettrema Gorge in NSW.
Currently looking at entering via Myall Creek or Jingle pass.

Seeking clarity on where to approach from (north or south side of Quiera Clearing)
How hard is Jingle pass to find and descend.
If Myall creek is taken the whole way is it 6 hrs from the car to the gorge bottom.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as the a lot of the reports seem quite daunting.
This walk has been calling me for quite some time and think its time to attempt they describe as a mixture of heaven and hell.

Thanks
Lee

[Walk_fat boy_walk]

Jingles pass is easy enough to find if competent in nav, and under normal circumstances an easier way in than myall ck, but honestly I'd go via myall ck now given amount of regrowth on the slopes, Ie tryy to stay in the creeks as much as possible. Either way is best approached from south side of quiera clearing (even then you'll be bashing through regrowth but it's not for too long). Myall ck can be steep and slippery at times... recommended a handline for tricky descents. In particular there are three main waterfalls that are tricky: the first one is an exposed descent on the true right, handline useful. The two others are descended on the true left.. the latter of which is the choice of a really exposed traverse along a narrow ledge or backtrack a few metres to the previous cascade and look for a ramp on the true left and navigate around the waterfall, descending (with handline!) to join the pad coming out of the abovementioned traverse and then down to the creek below the pool at the bottom of the falls. Heaven and hell is right.... magic area but need to work for it. Thoroughly recommend a side trip up jones ck to tinga falls

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[tom_brennan]

If you are comfortable with scrambling/exposure, then Myall Creek is fairly straightforward in dry weather.

If you are not comfortable with scrambling then you will have a long and not particularly fun day!

If you are not comfortable with exposure then you have a few nervous spots as described by WFBW above.

There is a new marked entry north of the clearing - which we only found at the end of our last trip so I haven't taken it, and can't comment on whether it's any good. I've previously always gone south of the clearing, entering Myall Creek as described on https://bushwalkingnsw.com/walk.php?nid=203

If you do go south, I would probably suggest walking back down the road past Bulee Hill and contouring towards the white area, which may still be fairly open post fire. Certainly other white areas were the only "good" scrub in Feb 2023. You can see them as rock platforms on the aerial photos, and they make good walking. Most other vegetation types are slow to very slow.

[Walk_fat boy_walk]

Can anyone update on the state (or existence) of the campsite near the Myall/Ettrema junction? I couldn't even find it among the regrowth last time i was there a couple of years ago, although admittedly didn't look too hard. Might have been bashed back into shape by a few parties since then but keen to know if anyone has any recent info? Otherwise I guess it means heading downstream to Jones or upstream to the campsite a couple of k's below Bullfrog? Thanks

[tom_brennan]

I was there in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

Even in 2019 there was not much sign of the old site up on the flat, but there was a small grassy area right on the edge of the creek - we squeezed about 5 small tents in end to end. Unfortunately that seems to have been destroyed by the floods in 2020.

I had a look in both 2021 and 2023 up on the flat. You could see where it would have been, but would require a reasonable amount of work to clear. There were maybe one or two clearish spots on the ground where you could have squeezed a shelter in, but it's mostly light scrub. Bigger trees got torched so nothing stopping the undergrowth.

On one of the trips there was a couple camped across Ettrema Creek from the junction - can't remember on what. Probably pebbles, but maybe they found some sand?

[Walk_fat boy_walk]

I was there in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

Even in 2019 there was not much sign of the old site up on the flat, but there was a small grassy area right on the edge of the creek - we squeezed about 5 small tents in end to end. Unfortunately that seems to have been destroyed by the floods in 2020.

I had a look in both 2021 and 2023 up on the flat. You could see where it would have been, but would require a reasonable amount of work to clear. There were maybe one or two clearish spots on the ground where you could have squeezed a shelter in, but it's mostly light scrub. Bigger trees got torched so nothing stopping the undergrowth.

On one of the trips there was a couple camped across Ettrema Creek from the junction - can't remember on what. Probably pebbles, but maybe they found some sand?

Thanks for that. Yes I recall seeing a "campsite" fashioned from rocks (basically a flattened area ringed by a small rock wall) across from the creek junction on one of my trips. Far from ideal but an option I guess.

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[Huntsman247]

Depending on who goes and everyone's fitness and ability it could take a lot, lot longer than 6 hours.
The scrub is getting worse and worse now.
From the car until into Myall it's pretty scrubby so depending on how fast you can gorge a path through that scrub and how confident of a scrambler you are, its hard to say how long it will take you.

All the slopes are pretty choked with weeds so creeks are probs the go.
I went through last in late autumn. There was nothing appealing at the creek Junction for camp. I would suggest planning a full big day to get there and count it a bonus if you get there quicker than you plan.

We pushed on further downstream to the jones creek Junction but I saw a small flat area a little ways from Myall on the right going downstream which should be ok if it's not raining much.

I rekon doing Myall ridge and dropping into Myall creek before the ledge is probably the easiest option in that area now. Due to access from the road. But I've not done it all the way. However it will probably be my next entry into the ettrema.

[tom_brennan]

When we did it in Feb 2023, the regrowth on the rock platforms was still fairly mild, and I'd be surprised if it's too much worse. So you can make pretty good time from the Tolwong Road to upper Myall Creek, starting from just north of Daramoulin Hill by aiming for the white areas, and dropping in around 421257. Unfortunately we went around the north side of Bulee Hill, which is how I've gone in previously, and so didn't hit the rock platforms until later. We were making around 1.5km/h until the platforms, and then 4km/h on the platforms!

Once in the creek, the going was slow for the first few hundred metres, but fine after that (well slow, but just due to scrambling!)

Took our party of 8 around 6.5 hours to Jones Creek including morning tea, lunch and a leisurely afternoon tea, but several party members knew the way around the various obstacles in Myall Creek. If not, expect to spend a good deal of time scouting out routes.

Transportation Spur was reasonable going on exit. A bit slow in a couple of spots, but nothing too scary. Other slopes look a bit choked with regrowth. Once on the tops, we kept as much as possible to rock platforms on the way out.