Second Creek - Torrens to Source

Save the Date ....Sunday November 3, 2013 

 

Last Sunday was my first hike for the New Year - a reconnaissance for a walk planned later this year with my friend Simon. The walk is nostalgic for him as Second Creek runs through the backyard of his childhood home. The rest of the details will be revealed if you book onto his walk.......

This walk coinicided with the first rain of the year, courtesy of a tropical jetstream generated by Cyclone Narelle. I love to walk in the rain - I call it "liquid sunshine".

We met at Tusmore Ave (adjacent to Simon's family home and the local primary school) for a car shuffle up to Hallett Road. From there,with umbrellas up, we set off on foot and discovered Michael Perry Reserve.
Burnside Council have been conducting a regeneration and biodiversity project there since 1996. Channels and resting ponds have been built into rock ramps in the creek to assist rare native fish and other aquatic species to move up and down the creek. Michael Perry Reserve was part of a vast estate established in the 1850's. There are numerous exotic plantings on both sides of the creek imported by the estate owner during late 1800's - enormous Bunya pines, elms, oaks, palms, succulents - just to name a few. This reserve is a real hidden gem.

As we followed the creek upstream, the Stonyfell Quarry prevented any further pedestrian access. We tried to find a break in the boundary fence by exploring other side streets, but commonsense prevailed as it would be trespassing on private property.

I suggested a route up Slapes Gully Road, then Thorpe Court into Greenhill Conservation Park. Simon had forgotten this track, but had used it before for Kokoda training (Read: Killer Hill training!!!).The sky was now clearing and the rain had stopped, so umbrellas were packed away. Views from the top of this climb are rewarding, looking out across the Adelaide Plains to the Gulf. The track heads towards Greenhill, then down into Slapes Gully back to the creek. There is quite a distinct foot track to follow in an easterly direction and here the thick scrub is competing with blackberry bushes. We came upon a water-drop and rake, suggesting that perhaps some eradication work was being done in the area. Not long after, we came across a substantial cairn and beyond that no obvious track. The source of Second Creek is just east of the cairn, located near Ridge Road, Greenhill/Horsnell Gully.Simon was now satisfied that he had found it, at last.

We retraced our steps and found a faint track leading across the dry creek bed, and then it got interesting. The track was very overgrown here and barely passable, more like an animal track. Of course, this only meant one thing - bush bashing! What's a walk with Simon without some serious off-trail bushbashing!

We needed to get some elevation, but the only way to achieve this was to head up-hill. Yes, a hill that was at least a 40degree angle with significant dense undergrowth. I am not one to baulk at a hill-climb challenge - the only way was UP! The climb took close to 30 mins and I invented a new hiking posture whilst scrambling up that hill - "The Turtle". I can only imagine that's what I looked like crawling up this slope on all fours with my backpack on!

At the top, with the overhead powerlines as a navigation guide, Simon reckoned we were at the top of the quarry near Gandy's Gully. We meandered down some tracks and came out near the top of one of the familiar Gandy's tracks. From there, it was downhill to the Gandy's cairn. Having not been past there for nearly 12 months, there were a couple of new additions. The first was a logbook which had been placed there by friends in memory of a mate who had accompanied them on a Kokoda trek and had used the hills of Gandy's to train. Inside the logbook was a poem, titled "The Dragon" - I won't reveal anymore, to entice you to visit the cairn and enjoy reading it yourself.

Then it was more downhill - a little treacherous because of the damp track and also because, oops, we had left our walking poles back in the car.The blackberry bushes in Gandy's, though a curse, look magnificent and their fruit should be ripening in the next few weeks. Seems like a February feast is on the cards!

The sun had now made an appearance and so had the humidity. We headed back to the car and finished the 15km circuit in just over 3 hours. Of course, no walk with Simon is complete without an icecream - his choice, chocolate gelato.

A great day's hiking. Can't wait for the extended version...

Deep Creek

“Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language” – Henry James 

I came across this quote whilst reading on a lazy afternoon.....

This year we were looking for a getaway experience for New Years Eve. I had already explored ideas of hiking and staying in a Forestry SA hut, but found out they are closed during the fire-ban season. After Xmas, Jack suggested overnight camping in Deep Creek Conservation Park – great idea! 

One of my favourite hiking spots, we had stayed at Goondooloo Cottage previously and I had also stayed at Glenburn Cottage, but had never camped. Not having enough lightweight gear or proper pannier storage for the motorbike, (we can leave that adventure until next time!), we chose car camping. The park has 5 campgrounds, 4 with vehicle access, Eagle Waterhole on the Heysen Trail being the only hike-in site.

Leaving home on New Year’s Eve with a compulsory bakery stop at Yankalilla, we arrived at the Park just after 11am. We were keen to camp at Cobbler Hill due to its accessibility to Blowhole Beach and Cobbler Hill Lookout. It was also the smallest, with only 10 sites available. The campground is surrounded by scrub, mainly pink gum eucalypts and xanthorrhoea. It has toilets and rainwater tanks. (Treat before use). It is first come, first served at the campgrounds, not being able to pre-book sites even in peak holiday periods. We were surprised to find only 3 other groups already there, so were thrilled with our good fortune. We set up camp and were sitting down to a celebratory bevvie by 1215. 

The temptation of a swim was too good to refuse, so we drove down to Cobbler Hill lookout. From there is a 3km 4WD track to Blowhole Beach. Jack decided that he and the Subaru were up to the challenge of negotiating the steep track and the car slowly crawled down the track in first gear, safely avoiding most of the bumpy hazards with just a couple of audible scrapes for the undercarriage. There were several groups of people enjoying the beach – body boarding, picnicking and rock fishing. A stiff on-shore breeze stopped us being lured in to the crystal clear cerulean water.

 

 

There are several short but hard hikes in that area of the Park – the Blowhole Beach hike and the Blowhole Beach – Cobbler Hill - Marrano Creek circuit. No hiking this time - we decided to return to camp and spent a lazy afternoon reading and relaxing. It was also a time for reflecting on the year that was and looking forward with anticipation to another year ahead...
2012 - A hiking fest!

• Peak bagging the three highest summits in NSW, ACT and Vic
• Trekking the Larapinta Trail
• Continuing my second traverse of the Heysen Trail with End-End 5
• Stealth camping and ridge top walking on the eastern rim peaks of Wilpena Pound
• Climbing the iconic Patawarta Hill
• Accompanying friends over the finish line to complete their Heysen Trail experience in the mid-north and the Flinders Ranges

2013 - A long-awaited trip to Machu Picchu!

There was a visit from the Rangers checking on fee payments and to remind campers that sparklers were banned from celebrations later that evening. After a curry dinner, we walked up to the lookout to enjoy the last sunset of 2012 and shared it with a mob of Western Grey Kangaroos foraging on the grasslands.

The campground had filled up during the afternoon mainly with Gen Y campers, who partied on through the night till the wee small hours and festively welcomed in the New Year. My final images of 2012 were of a night sky, full of stars - spying Venus, the Seven Sisters and several satellites

Our New Year’s Resolution? - overnight camp at all campgrounds in Deep Creek in 2013...
1 down – 4 to go!