Coorongooba Creek

Rich and I headed into the Coorongooba area for several days of bushwalking and canyoning exploration, though being very early in the season, we weren't too keen on swimming.

• Day 1 - we headed in up a major creek and explored a number of side creeks, and looked for passes. We camped on a sand bank near the bottom of a pass.
• Day 2 - we continued exploring up the creek, again checking out side creeks and passes. Rich managed to climb out the top of one of the side creeks after reversing a couple of tricky waterfalls in a minor canyon section. Late in the day we walked up a long side creek hoping for some canyon, only to be stopped at the top by a waterfall. We camped under a small overhang back in the main creek, and it rained during the night.
• Day 3 - we worked our way up into the top section of creek, finding one pass and climbing out a pass on the other side. After lunch we crossed the tops and descended into another large creek, dropping in high up. This turned into a canyon, with a number of climb downs, a couple of abseils and a very cold swim. We were still in the canyon as it got dark and were lucky to find a sandy overhang. A thunderstorm passed over us shortly after dark, but while it rained most of the night, it was pretty light and the creek didn't rise. There was a good display of glowworms on the walls of the canyon opposite.
• Day 4 - it was still drizzling in the morning when we set off. We started with an abseil out of camp, and continued down the canyon until it opened out, carefully avoiding any more swims. Needing to travel a fair way to get back to the car, we only explored one of the side creeks on the descent. There was a short section of canyon lower down before we reached a larger creek. We had lunch on a boulder in the sun, as it somehow continued to rain on us! Some slow sections and boulder scrambles led into easier creek walking, and the going was pretty good back to the car.

Rich and Tom - packed and ready to go at the cars.

We head up a major creek.

Blocked by a waterfall in the first minor creek we explore

Back in a larger creek, large sandstone blockup

We find a pass through the bottom cliffline, but the next cliffline proves more difficult.

We head back down and make camp on a nice sand bank

The next morning, walking further up our creek...

...requires a bit of a wade...

...and then a swim? No! Rich manages to jump on to the chockstone from a ledge on the left, and then drop a rope down on the other side for me to climb up and haul up packs.

The next side creek has a couple of tricky waterfalls.

Rich manages to climb up both of them to where it opens up

The next side creek heads into an impressive canyon...

...involving a deep wade or swim before an abseil.

In the next side creek we were stopped by a small waterfall.

The final creek for the day went for some way before again coming up against a waterfall.

We made camp under a narrow overhang, which was convenient as it rained during the night

View of the gorge from our ledge

Continuing up the creek

Another side creek - this time stopped by a larger waterfall

Finally we find a pass out on to the tops! However, we drop back down and continue exploring the creek

Rich scrambling up a boulder blockage in the creek

The main creek...

... heads into a canyon ...

...which leads to a waterfall...

... so we climb up this convenient pass.

Looking back down the pass.

On the tops were numerous Native Iris (Patersonia sericea), many with these double flowers

Rich on the tops

We find this unusual stone arrangement which we initially think is aboriginal...

... but when we find quite a few more close together on the ridge, we figure it is more likely to have been the army

Lunch at the landing ground near Gospers Mountain

At the end of the first day my then 4-day old volleys have started to badly disintegrate. Some strapping tape has been holding them together to this point!

We drop into a nearby creek and do a slimy abseil, which it turns out could have been avoided by entering the creek lower down

A little further along, the creek drops into a nice section of canyon.

It starts with an abseil...

...

...and then a cold swim...

...across a pool.

It is getting quite late in the day, so it is not a good time for us ...

... to find another abseil.

Luckily on the far side of the pool are a couple of overhangs, and we decide we need to stop for the night. Unluckily it starts to rain, and we can hear thunder and see lightning flashing. Luckily, the rain is light and we have a good supply of wood.

Our little campsite

View from my sleeping mat

The next drop is only a few metres from camp, thankfully into ankle deep water

Another pool, though (only!) waist deep

Another drop and pool - we manage to climb down on the left, wade across to the right with the help of some judiciously placed logs, and scramble along ledges to avoid getting too wet.

The creek opens out, but then drops...

... into some more canyon lower down.

We do a short, very slippery, abseil, which could probably be climbed if drier

Eventually we reach a larger creek

After lunch we boulder scramble and walk...

...back to where we were early on the first day, and back to the cars. An excellent trip