Day 174 Styx River Valley

The sun's up there

 NSW Day 32 (174) Sunday 14th November, 2021 34km

3586.2 / 1495.9 km

The morning came too early. It's funny how I didn't move far and had a relaxing afternoon in the tent but I didn't want to get out of bed.

The road

Eventually I forced myself and I was on the road still before 6.30am. The road travels up over Crawney Pass to the Styx River Valley. I planned to wander as far as I could and the valley was a pleasant place to walk. Not much traffic with only two cars passing me all day.

Up the pass

At the top of the pass I did get phone signal and uploaded some photos whilst having a breakfast. Yesterday I passed over the Pearly Gate Bridge, today I'm following the Styx which is the river that is the boundary between to the underworld in Greek Mythology. Now according to some the souls of the dead are transported along the Styx. The further down the river you were transported the bigger your punishment for life's sins. I will be following the river for two days. Lucky I'm not Greek.

The Styx River valley

The big station down down this way is Timor Station. Pronounced Tie-more, not tee-mor. I got corrected by a gent at a horse stud. Lovely valley though and according to a sign I passed its just been sold.

I don't understand the sign

I looked at the TSR mentioned in the book but there was no water nearby and it looked like the gate hadn't been opened in years . In the end I made it to the Timor Recreation club and Tennis courts and I set up the tent behind the water tank. There were toilets here and you just had to turn on the pressure pump to fill the cistern. Rained again with a storm moving across in the night. But the big rain seems to have gone, with the river whilst still flowing well, dropping slightly every day.

Love the tree. Redgum?

turtle

Free grapefruit and lemon. I sat down and ate
the grapefruit straight away.

afternoon

Timor Tennis Courts

Day 173 Teamsters Rest

 NSW Day 31 (173) Saturday 13th November, 2021 13.8km

3552.2 / 1545.2 km

I was ready to go early but no one opens early. So the Cafe come servo opens 8am and I rocked up for a coffee and some eggs on toast. It's rather chilly and sitting inside keeping warm seems a good idea.

I didn't want to cross this bridge

Only 12 kilometres to a camp spot and I eventually dawdle off. There is a kiosk in the street cooking doughnuts and the smell convinces me to buy 3 and I then finally push on.

The river is up

The road out is not difficult and I make short work of the walk. It does start raining about midday and continues into the night. I spent the afternoon reading and sleeping.

Ominous clouds

DAG Sheep station

The creek beside the camp spot

Not recommended but wet weather I can cook in the tent

Day 172 Nundle Stopover

Wool Press

NSW Day 30 (172) Friday 12th November 2021

Nundle Stopover

It rained heavy last night. I had to get up and move my tent and gear off the verandah as they were just getting wetter.

The Peel River runs behind the park and in the morning light it was well up and flowing fast.

Old truck

On a normal zero day I just relax and look around the town up, however, with the rain I do more relaxing than looking. I did walk across the road for milk for my cereal and later went up to the pub for a burger. But overall it was sitting packing and drying out my washing as best I could.

Peel River

The rain is set to ease tomorrow and I only plan a short stay before afternoon storms arrive again. The antique shop is full and hard to look around but he does have top dollar on everything. There's a working woollen mill but it wasn't open and some other things but not much.

Nundle

There is a memorial to a plane crash "Lutana" that happened in 1948 killing all on board. One of the passengers was Fred Coughlan, Belinda's Father's uncle. He was a jockey travelling from Townsville to Sydney to ride for a trainer there.

When they sort out the trail with the National Parks the trail won't come this way.

Memorial to Lutana plane crash

Memorial Plaque

Day 171 into Nundle

NSW Day 29 Thursday 11th November, 2021 28.6km

3538.4 / 1557.5km

Morning view

Everything is wet. The rain has stopped and I pack up in the mist. I'm hoping for a mad dash to get me into Nundle early afternoon. There are weather warnings everywhere but it's still at the moment.

I like these type of mornings. The first truck passed me before 6. The only cars I expect to see are the forestry workers harvesting the pine.

Plenty of water

I manage a good pace with planned stops at certain points. I'm in the zone when a car pulls up and we have a chat. He is working on a property and has come up to get a part from a shed on another property up here. He is not going into Nundle but offers a lift a couple of kilometres to his turn off. I accept and he takes me far enough that he has saved over an hour of walking. He thinks the rain will come in after lunch and plans to be back down in Gloucester before then. He tells me they had about 60mm of rain and are expecting double that today. We part and I head off.

Mary Ashton, wife of the founder of Ashton's
ircus died at 19

9.30 am I'm hungry and have to stop. It's while I'm having breakfast a car heading out of Nundle goes past but stops up the road and turns round. The driver wanted to see if I was OK. Him and his two mates have a talk then pose for a selfie with me then go on their way. I think they are forestry blokes. Big enough to cart around tree stumps. Never felt like a small old man before standing next to these blokes. Are they called Lumberjacks? I always wanted be a Lumberjack. I'd wear high heels, suspenders and a bra. Just like my dear Mama. (Monty Python)

Town of hanging rock

Back on the road I get the feeling I'm going to make it to town before anything major comes.

At the end of the forestry road is a place called Hanging Rock. I visit the cemetery and read up a little bit. I don't bother going to the lookout. I could just post the Kroombit top lookout photo.... just cloud. But as I go down the range I get a view. I stop at 11am at a turn in for a minutes silence, Lest We Forget.

The weather is slowly building as I inch closer to town. I finally walk into Nundle and as I am looking in my pack for my wallet it starts drizzling. It didn't stop after that all night and into the following morning. So I was pretty chuffed I had made it. The lift in the middle saved me walking in the rain. The rain continued into the afternoon and got heavier as the evening progresses. I was booked into a cabin at the caravan park and I was able to spread my gear out to dry. It looks like heavier rain towards the coast and south of here.

Finally get a view

Day 170 Nundle State Forest

 NSW Day 28 (170) Wednesday 10th November, 2021

3509.8 / 1589.1KM

Heading off down there

The weather forecast was not good. There was 200mm of rain predicted over three days. BOM had a few things wrong in the past but with the country already wet it was a little concerning as to how much I could put up with.

It was 4 days to Nundle where I was planning to resupply. The other option was to divert into Walcha and sit out the bad weather. In the end I tried to go round main roads to shorten the journey to Nundle.

Turn off down to Nundle

I was watching the weather build as I got a lift to an intersection that put me about 60 kilometres out of Nundle. I set off hoping for a lift but I was on a road to Tamworth which is not exactly close to Nundle. In the end I got dressed in my wet weather gear and just hoofed it. I was lucky I seemed to weave between storm centres. Still got fairly wet but I didn't get the full brunt of about 3 thunderstorms. I did have a few bowel loosening moments when lightning and thunder were close. Cows hiding in patches of trees watched me as I plodded past.

The road and the storms

The track turns down the road to Nundle via a state forest. Trucks carting logs were about the only regular traffic I saw and they weren't picking me up. I had walked from about midday and clocked up about 25 kilometres when I started looking for a spot to camp. It needed to be well drained, protected from the wind and in an open patch away from falling tree branches.

More roads

With the rain most of the creeks were running but they were dirty water. I came across a creek running from the forest that was running across grass lined gullies thus was clear so I stopped for water there and filled up the 3litre bladder. It was while I was in the creek the only car went past. Not saying they would have given me a lift but I wasn't on the road to ask.

Someone painted on the tree. I did get
one bar so it was good to know.

So onwards until I saw a track leading off on a rise. I found a spot that met the requirements and set up my tent. I was glad to finally sit out of the showers. I could hear the wind blowing but unless the direction changed I was OK. I dried off best I could and set up. I'm the end I slept in my wet weather gear with minimal stuff out in case I had to move quickly.

There was a lot of rain and thunder but the tent did ok. I was a bit worried about it as even though it's fairly new it has had a few years worth of use on this trip when you think about it. I have gaffer tape on the ground sheet. The tent inner has been chewed by mice and has gaffer tape and fixomul patching holes. The tent fly is still OK with sealing tape still on the joins.

I slept fairly soundly in the end. I have to do over 30 kilometres into Nundle tomorrow with worse weather predicted.

Days 168 and 169 Red Hill Farm

Mooving the cows

 NSW 26 & 27 (168,169) Monday 8th to Tuesday 9th November, 2021

Looking at the BOM weather forecasts I decided to see if I could stay for 2 more nights. With 50mm dropping last night and a further 80mm predicted for today I thought it best to hold.

As it turned out the rain moved away by about 1pm with only a couple of millimetres falling here. To rub salt in the following day was fine but another storm front was coming. But I had committed to two more nights and Louise and Bill had agreed.

Looking down on the farm

To pay my way I made myself as useful as I could. First chore was to drive some cattle into the next paddock. The farm was registered as organic and the system of grazing they use is rotational. Four paddocks are set up around a central water point and cattle are pushed from one to the other on a 3-5 day rotation. Every so often the paddocks are mowed and mulched to promote growth and control weeds.

Clearing the fence line

I had the easy job of sitting as a passenger and opening gates. After this we headed out to the forested paddocks where trees had burnt in the last bushfire and dropped on the fences. Bill drove the tractor I drove the farm car and he pushed some timber off the fence line with the tractor whilst I freed up the wires that had been buried in the rubble. A lot more work to be done here.

Strap

An afternoon nap on the back verandah didn't endear me to the workers but I did wake up with enough energy to help carry a ladder. Bill did enjoy someone opening and closing gates for him. He is in his 70's and being an old Bronco bull rider with knee replacements and old horse injuries like fractured pelvis getting off and on a tractor can get to be a chore after the third or fourth time. We both managed to pick up leeches out in the scrub.

Aspley Falls

The following day we went to town to pick up a fridge for the farmstead cottage. It's an hour drive to Walcha and we stopped by Aspley Falls which was in full roar after the rain. Bill also took me to see a reporter for the local community paper, The Advocate. She had a chat with me. Don't know if I said anything interesting so will wait and see what they made of my ramblings.

There are some good cafes in Walcha. One had some home made goods but I can't remember the name. I did find Pepsi Max in the Goodman. Back at the farm I restrung the whipper snippers and did a bit of that. I don't think Bill is a fan of whipper snippers and might not have appreciated the effort I made as now Louise might expect more. I did as much around the homestead as I could.

Walcha

They were both getting ready for overnight away and I did some vacuuming before leaving. Louise and Bill are warm and welcoming people that fed and looked after me. I couldn't do enough in return.

Walcha

Walcha

Day 167 Red Hill

 NSW Day 25 (167) Sunday 7th November, 2021 27.7km (12.5 walking)

3269.2 / 1829.7km

Kundering Brook last breakfast

A little bit of rain and some animals scratching around last night. The plan was to get up on the range and as far down the road as I could. There is some big rain predicted over the next three days and Mushgang gave me the number of Louise at Red Hill Organics. Belinda has made contact and they are willing to put me up.

I'm a bit of an introvert and I am always nervous with meeting people. But first I have to get to the top of the range.

Coming out of the valley

I had about 9 kilometres to go to the Youdales Campsite, or the turn off at least and I plants have breakfast.

Some of the steepest climbs out of the creek seem to be in this section. I get to the intersection and have my breakfast, I will be sad to leave the brook.

I then start the climb out and for some reason this climb buggers me. I had to take a few breaks to make it the top.

Another view

The weather is predicted to turn and today storms are expected and 50mm of rain is predicted. I make contact with Louise as I go past Cedar Creek and she offers to come pick me up. The next 3 days are predicted to have over 130mm of rain. Now it's mainly road but it is still uncomfortable with that amount of rain.

Me just before the top

I keep walking until Louise and Bill roll up. We have a chat and then it's a quick drive back. Not really, Bill is driving, he does not drive fast. Louise reminds me of Belinda who loves to drive her car. She only likes manuals so she can get the feel of driving. Also she's fast.

Louise and Bill have about 1300 acres of lease and freehold they run cattle on. They also have two station stay places. Ones an old house that can sleep up to 10 and the other is the old shearer quarters. Both are charged at $50 per person. Beautiful countryside about an hour from Walcha.

Red Hill farm

I'm given a room in their house and they cook me a lovely dinner. Hot showers are underrated. That night the farm had 50mm of rain and Walcha had up to 70mm.

The sound of torrential rain in the comfort of a warm bed is one of the best sounds you can fall asleep to. As I drift off I'm thinking about how long to prop here given the weather reports.