Lamington National Park experience

[Pteropus]

Wow! Great photos (again!) tas-man! Apparently the cave is one of the most prominent Aboriginal sites in the SEQ/Northern NSW region. If I recall correctly, the cave has been omitted from the latest map series.

[Flinders]

A friend and I are setting out for Black Canyon in 3 weeks time. Plan is to leave the Albert River track and descend down past Silver Falls. Any recent information or updates on how difficult this scamble is and picking the best line down. I have a rock climbing background in the past and am usually a competant rock scrambler.

[Pteropus]

Hi Flinders, welcome. It's been almost 2 years since I was down there, but the scramble is not too difficult from memory. The hardest part will be keeping your footing on the steep slippery mud. There are also LOTS of loose boulders that could easily be dislodged, so beware of that, especially when there is someone below you. There are one or two points where you will need to climb up small rock faces, but there are plenty of tree roots to hold onto. Several metres of climbing rope will be handy too. This will come in handy where there is a rocky outcrop, next to a deep pool in the river, that needs to be climbed when heading up to the falls at the head of the canyon.

[Flinders]

Thanks Pteropus,
Trying to avoid a rope. Is there any reason we couldn't swim through the deep pool within the Canyon?
We are trying to travel as light as possible. My companion on the day is an Ultra Runner having recently completed a 100 km trail run. He has had me training so the plan is to head out from Binna Burra in a trail running approach, travelling lighter and faster. Black Canyon is the destination but the plan will be to add a few extra trails to total 50-60 km within the day.
It's a big undertaking but at the very least will be an adventure and epic day out.

[Pteropus]

You could possibly swim through the pool. It will be cold. I don't know what the exit up the end of the pool is like. You might not need a rope to get up over the outcrop. It's not really that high. Just muddy from memory. When we went, one of my mates went up to secure the rope so it shouldn't be too much of a drama really.

[Flinders]

Thanks for the info Pteropus. Completed the trip on Friday. Set out from Binna Burra along the Border Trail, down Toolona Creek Circuit anti-clockwise and back along the Border Trail to Albert River Circuit and the descent into Black Canyon. We were way behind or estimated schedule after enjoying all the magnificent water falls already.
The scramble down was very slippery and loose in places. Wouldn't recommend for anyone but experienced fit bush walkers.
At the deep pool and rocky outcrop. I was confident to climb this but my mate without a rock climbing background said no way for him. So after some debate but racing the clock to be back on the trails before dark we did the swim through. It was cold. The exit up canyon was quite easy.
As we hit our planned turn around time we saw the wall of faces. Then Thunder and Lightning Falls took our breath away. A very special place! We could only spend 10 minutes and had to leave. Strange thing happened then. I partially slipped almost smashing my camera on the rocks and swore. The whole mood of the Canyon changed. A slight breeze started and pebbles started falling from the southern wall into the water near us. We looked up and couldn't see any real source for the small stones. This wasn't like a small rock fall but like a child throwing a handful of gravel sprayed out towards us. My mate said its definitely time to leave and there was more small stones that came down following us (as if targeting us) out of the canyon.
Back to Binna Burra largely by head lamp. On the way home my mate looked at one of the photos he took on his phone and can make out multiple shapes in the rock wall, foliage and waterfall itself that have the shapes of faces.

[Flinders]

Hi,

Below is a video link from my recent trip in Lamington National Park. Taking in the Border Trail, Toolona Creek Circuit and Black Canyon.

Hope you enjoy it.

https://vimeo.com/76940807

Cheers

Flinders

[Pteropus]

Looks like an epic trip you had Flinders! Lamington looks really dry. A LOT drier than when I was there at the start of the year. Nice vid. Strange that the canyon threw rocks at you though! Sounds like a story to tell late at night around a camp fire one day.

[dis]

Hello Flinders,

I am looking to walk into the black canyon after Christmas with my brother who is flying in from South Africa for a holiday. Can you give us an idea of were you left the "Albert Track" for the offtrack section? Any knowledge you can provide from your recent trip would be greatly appreciated.

[Flinders]

Hi Dis

PM sent.

Cheers

Flinders

[dis]

We ended up walking to Fountain Falls from Binna Burra via the Darlington Range - rather than visiting the Black Canyon. We left Binna Burra at 8am and arrived at Fountain Falls at approximately 11am. It was a tough hike (the climb up the Darlington Range is long and steep) but the rewards were definitely worth the effort. We saw one snake and my brother got stung by a stinging tree near the falls.

Gwongoorool Pool

Python on the climb up the Darlington Range from the pool.

Noowongbill Lookout

Looking up at Joonbeelba (Curtain) falls

Fountain falls

[ofuros]

I've only just finished mowing the yard...
and those tumbling waters & pools sure look inviting right now !
Looks like a great trip, dis.

.....via tapatalk.

[Flinders]

Dis, thanks for the photo's looks like a great day and the swim a fitting reward for your efforts.

[phan_TOM]

Thanks to all the great posts here I was inspired to head back up the mountains on the weekend for another dose of Lamington goodness.
I did some walking on the main tracks, the skywalk which I missed last time and also the scramble down to Black Canyon on Saturday. I imagine it would be a challenging enough walk in dry weather as it was pretty epic in the rain. There was strong wind both nights and with the weight of the rain there was a lot of dead/wind fall to negotiate along the way, as well as the usual cuplrits of vines and wait-a-while etc. I did't see any tape from the Albert River Cct down to the top of the cliff and I didn't see the cairn either but once I started down I spotted my first bit of ornage flagging tape which was a nice surprise. The cliff was nice and slippery with lots of loose rocks and soft mud but I found the going okay as there are plenty of decent handholds. As has already been said I wouldn't recommend the walk to anyone but experienced walkers with a decent level of fitness. I would recommend it for those who are keen though, it was heaps of fun and really stunning. The rock hop up the creek was the trickiest part because everything was super slick and I couldn't easily jump from rock to rock. It was simply a case of aiming / wedging my boots between two or more rocks and taking it slowly. I couldn't find a safe or easy way around the one deep pool toward the end of the canyon either so took the refreshing option of swimming across with all my gear on my head and, mostly, out of the water... My camera still worked thankfully. The water felt surprisingly warm but probably because I was colder than it was!

Some pics

a Wonga Pigeon

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walking through the mist

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Gondwana rainforest

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Leaving the Albert River Circuit

Giant worm

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[phan_TOM]

more pics

Black Canyon

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Thunder & Lightning Falls

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Looking down river

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back through the walking stick palms

on the track

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[phan_TOM]

a few more

Birds Nest Fern

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Looking down from the skywalk

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Pademelons

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The obligatory shot of Elebana Falls

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Looking west from the Sarabah Range on the way home

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[Flinders]

Thanks for the photos. Looks so different to when we did it in the dry. Good memories and a great place.

[phan_TOM]

Yeah it's stunning. I'm sure it's a lot easier in the dry too (but still has it's moments, I certainly had a few)

[cams]

Great photos. How long did the Black Canyon walk take you?

[tas-man]

Thanks phan_TOM for posting your photos and trip report. It was good to see the rock I sunbaked on 45 years ago is still there

[phan_TOM]

Great photos. How long did the Black Canyon walk take you?

Thanks cams, I wanted to take more but the rain put a bit of a stop to it. Everything was soaked including my lens cloth by the time I was half way there so in the end I was just smearing water around the lens. It was frustrating standing there looking at massive antarctic beech rising up through the mist and not being able to take a photo because of the rain. It had me wondering whether a small umbrella would be worth taking along but that could be tricky in itself.
It took me 9 hours from the Green Mountains campsite but that was with minimal stops, maybe 15 minutes at the end of he canyon while I had a snack and a few quick stops on the way to drink or take some snaps. I didn't bother stopping to remove leeches or it would have taken twice as long, they were just as bad as on my last visit, teeming...

Thanks phan_TOM for posting your photos and trip report. It was good to see the rock I sunbaked on 45 years ago is still there

45 years... that gives it a bit of perspective, I was minus 10 years old! The angle is a bit different between the two photos but it probably hasn't changed much at all. It's not the biggest catchment feeding into the upper section of the Albert River but I bet it's experienced some wild water in it's time judging from some of the large trunks sitting up on boulders along the creek. It looks like the same tree behind the rock you were sitting on is still there too so it's done well.

[dis]

So I hiked to Stairway Falls over the weekend via Bull Ant Spur. GPS marked the final length at 13.1km. Beautiful remote spot. The track from Yerralahla Pool to Stairway Falls is difficult to follow and is overgrown with stinging nettle.

I also had trouble locating the entrance to Bull Ant Spur from the road on descent, but I managed to find the track after about 10 minutes of bush bashing. FYI, The Bull Ant Spur route is completely taped and was very easy to follow on ascent.

Video - https://vimeo.com/108075498

[tas-man]

Lovely to see your photo of Stairway Falls, and your video clip, as I have not been there for over 30 years! A favourite place in Lamington NP.

My first trip there was with BBW in January 1970 when we did the circuit from O'Reillys, down to Canungra Creek West Branch following the ridge to the south of Darraboolah Creek, then following the track to Stairway Falls where it then officially ended. However there was still much of the track back then that could be followed to the junction of the East and West branch. The abandoned track back up the East Branch was useable in places but the landslip damage was considerable, but we got to Fountain Falls to camp below the glowworm inhabited cliffs that night. The next day we returned to O'Reillys over the Central Traverse and up Bull Ant Spur. I took my parents Kodak Instamatic camera on the trip and here's a few photos from over 40 years ago. I did several trips into Stairway falls after that, but a "first time experience" can only be experienced once. We enjoyed jumping into the pool back then as well

[phan_TOM]

... including my favourite picturesque waterfall in Lamington NP, Chalahn Falls.

I had another visit to Lamington on the weekend and I agree with you tas-man, it's a beautiful waterfall. I did the border track and included the toolona creek circuit on the way to green mountain and then the coomera circuit on the return trip so I saw a lot of falls to compare it to!

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Second choice would be the Coomera Falls, which is especially awesome after coming out of the dark and confined rainforest and stepping up onto the vertigo inducing viewing platform. I had to wait a second for the wave of dizziness to pass before I could go to the railing and look down into the gorge

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and I now have a new favourite lookout here's a picture perfect day from Merino Lookout

[ofuros]

Very perrrty, phan_Tom....looks like I will have to make some time to explore this area too.

[phan_TOM]

yep, add it on to the ever growing list My advice would be to do it on a misty day as it it changes from very nice walk to a magical one, try and include at least one of the creek circuits (toolona creek or the coomera cct) and make the short detour to the merino lookout. It's only about 200m off the main border track and not only is it a great vantage point but the track is amazing, lots of epiphytes, usnea (old mans whiskers), antarctic beech and orchids.

[cams]

That one of Chalahn Falls is gorgeous.

[phan_TOM]

thanks cam. That one almost cost me a camera when I bumped the tripod while perched precariously on a boulder in the middle of the creek. I managed to grab the tripod leg just in time (and have some heart palpitations in the process).

[phan_TOM]

The stinking hot weather has me reminiscing about the cool misty weekend I spent at Lamington recently so I thought I'd share some more photos of the Border Track on what was a perfect weekend.

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[phan_TOM]

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