Exploring Barrington Tops
Submitted by:
Sandy Peacock
31 May 2009
Location: Barrington tops - 320km north of Sydney
Monday. Day 3.
We’ve kicked off our 4WD trip with a day on a storm-swept beach. So what can the elements throw at us now?
Quite a lot, it turns out. By Monday morning the storm is hammering the whole NSW coast and the forecast is rain followed by more rain.
The plan had been another day on the beach, but that’s out. So we’re heading inland to our next destination, the Barrington Tops. People rave about this beautiful, World Heritage-listed area only 320km from Sydney, but we’ve never been there.
We let the satnav take over today. It’s easy once you’re used to the touch screen, and helpful when you’re choosing between direct routes and scenic routes or looking for places of interest. We turn off the Pacific Highway and 80km later we’re at Gloucester, the gateway to the Tops.
The area is a wilderness sitting in long extinct volcanoes. It rises to 1500 metres above sea level. There’s everything from subtropical rainforest and prehistoric beech forests to grasslands and swamps. It’s criss-crossed by rivers and streams, there are walking tracks, and spectacular lookouts in the high country.
Most of the roads are unpaved and some trails are 4WD only. The best known is the Barrington Trail, in the north-west section. We’re going there tomorrow.
Today we’re going fishing. But as we drive out of Gloucester after lunch, the rain sets in for the afternoon. I’m still up for it, but I detect a lack of commitment. We take a vote.
Hmm. So we spend the afternoon exploring the eastern section of the Tops. It’s not a bad place to be on a cold, wet day - driving through exquisite mountain scenery in a warm, dry car.
It’s also our first drive on slippery, muddy roads – sealed and unsealed. We’re driving cautiously, especially going down the hills, but you can feel the traction control at work.
We go back to Gloucester for the night. At the pub Jillian gets talking to a few locals about fishing. Plenty of bass around here, they say. Do you know where? Yes. Can you tell us? No. (As if they would.)
Tuesday. Day 4.
We have some bass lures we bought before the trip. But we know the odds. As well as knowing the best spots, you need infinite skill for freshwater fishing. We’re salties in a foreign land here. But we want to give it a go.
We spend most of the morning trying different spots along the Barrington River, which is running fast after several days of rain. No luck, but it’s good just being here, casting into the river. Even Dylan, who doesn’t stand still often, loves the serenity of it. Until he catches a tree.
We’d also like to try the kayak. (It’s an all-purpose one that’s pretty basic, but tough.) The river has a couple of great sections upstream of Barrington Reserve. But we meet some paddlers on river kayaks there, who tell us the river is too high and fast for ours. We can see the rapids boiling as we drive along a muddy track next to it.
So we get on the Barrington Tops Forest Road and head west. It will take us across the Tops and through to Scone, with some renowned scenery on the way.
If we can see it, that is. As the road becomes dirt and climbs to the high country, we drive into mist and a different climate.
First stop is Devils Hole Lookout. We get out of the car into wind, rain and 10 degrees. We get back in. We get out again with parkas on and walk to the lookout platform. On a clear day they say it’s a stunning panorama, but all we can see is mist sweeping up the mountainside in huge updrafts. Trees and ridges appear for a moment, then they’re gone. Jillian hangs on to the railing for dear life.
Back on the road, the satnav is showing most of the bush trails. After a while we come to the signpost for the Barrington Trail. We stop and let the tyres down a bit, and choose the 4WD High Range option. It’s 8 degrees now.
The trail, which is closed in winter, is partly stony and partly mud. It takes us through beautiful, eerie countryside. Brooks flow in long grasses and moss seems to grow on everything. (You wouldn’t want to stand still too long.) In some places the trees are ghostly and the only sound is the wind. It’s like something out of Tolkein.
We see again why the 4WD bug bites people. It’s sublime. This isn’t a difficult 4WD trail but it’s rough and very wet in parts. The car makes it fun, and it feels so easy you wonder who’s in control. Basically the car is, and you’re steering. In a couple of steep, muddy spots we switch from High Range to Low Range for extra control.
We stop and explore the wetlands around Polblue Swamp – the walking trail is about 2km long and wanders through swamps that feed the mountain streams. Back in the car, we drive under a tree that’s fallen across the trail. We take a branch of the trail to Junction Pools and stop where the trail is closed. We walk again for a while, but the rain gets heavier. In the fading afternoon light we drive back to the Forest Road.
Coming down the western side of the Barrington Tops, the mist clears and we’re looking out over the Upper Hunter Valley. It’s a great view. Grey kangaroos flash past a few times and two of them keep pace with us for a minute. It’s the first time Dylan has seen kangaroos in the wild, and the first time they’ve seen Dylan.
It’s evening when we get to the bottom. There’s a clear sky and a dry road – it’s like another country. Instead of pushing on to Scone we stay at a lovely old country pub at the village of Moonan Flat. We wander down to the river and the boys do some fishing as the sun goes down, but they don’t meet any trout.
Jillian meets some wildlife though. “Look, a hedgehog.”
Three faces turn to her.
“What?” she says.
“It’s an echidna, mum.”
“Yes, well, it’s spiky.”
At dinner we discover the pub has its own wine label and the cab sav is pretty good.
And the trip so far? It has pretty much rained the whole time, but we’re having a great holiday. With a 12 year old who doesn’t want to go home, and a 17 year old who wants to do more of this kind of stuff together.
Tomorrow we head for Hill End.
