World herritage slips under the radar.Let me assure, you the view from the top of Williams Falls, in the heart of the Barrington Tops' wilderness is spectacular.
From a wide rock platform a liquid curtain plunges seventy meters before impacting with the jumbled rocks of the valley floor. In the distance the river valley snakes away to infinity, carving through rugged hillsides and impenetrable scrub, which from this distance looks like the green cable-knit of a well loved cardigan. On the plateau above, the Middle Earth-like southern beech forests quietly watch the seasons and continents drift by.
One thing you almost certainly won't see from this viewpoint is another human being, as despite being located on the doorstep of Australia's most populus city, the Barrington Tops is virtually unknown even among keen bushwalkers.
The area, whose high altitude plains and dense old growth forests are home to over fifty rare or endangered species was world heritage listed in 1986, yet somehow eludes the attention of Sydney's outdoor community. Instead it remains a bastion of locals and a small group of Newcastle based adventurers.
This is by no means a recent phenomenon. A century or so ago, bush rangers Frederick 'Thunderbolt' Ward, Jimmy Governor and Jackie Underwood used the area's unknown quantity status to their advantage, terrorising nearby towns, then slipping back into the wilderness to escape.
Today, this status can be used just as effectively to evade pursuers, be they police, boss, spouse or household chores. Simply toss your gear in the car, and a few hours later… Slip into the unknown.
Depending on your appetite and abilities, walking in the Barrington Tops can range from a five-minute stroll from the car (with wheelchair access) to multi-day adventures that will test your technical abilities and blow the cobwebs out of even the biggest set of lungs.
For the kids, grandparents or anyone not really equipped for strenuous walking, there are numerous short, relatively flat walks along the Barrington Tops Forest Road. These take in the higher-altitude section of the park (watch for snow and fog in winter) leading through snow gums, alpine grasses and subalpine wetlands. Remember your camera, as some of the best views in the park can be found in this area. For those keen to stretch their legs a little bit more, the Williams River Picnic Area to Rocky Crossing trail is a great place to start. With a relatively gentle incline, this walk takes in 16km (return) of subtropical rainforest with emergent blue gums in areas disturbed by fire or logging. NPWS have marked side-trails leading to interesting spots along the river as well as some of the area's more peculiar botanical phenomenon, including a strangler fig whose host has long ago decayed, leaving an amazing hollow 'lattice' tree.
If you're interested in something a bit more challenging, trails like The Corker and The Mountaineer (both aptly named) lead from low altitude sections of the park to the high plateau, a vertical kilometre or so above. Once on the plateau, a network of trails and established campsites provide a great way to spend three or four days exploring some of the park's unique high altitude ecosystems.
Canyoning
If you want to really experience the pure wilderness on offer at the Barrington Tops, canyoning is definitely the way to do it. Expect to see crystal clear water cascading through rainforests where virtually everything is covered in a luxurious carpet of shag-pile moss. Black cockatoos glide effortlessly overhead, while frogs and pythons keep you company on the canyon floor.
This is one of the truly great weekend wilderness experiences. However, these are a different ballgame to 'typical' canyons in the Blue Mountains like Claustral and Butterbox, with which many readers are probably familiar. Because of the relatively low number of descents each year, trails can be hard to follow, anchors difficult to locate and the possibility of a following party getting you out of trouble is almost nonexistent.
I would strongly recommend anyone thinking of tackling these canyons to seek advice from knowledgeable locals first (the NPWS can point you in the right direction) and be extremely conservative in your decision making on the day.
The escarpments and high plateaus that form the Barrington Tops are basalt and granodorite remnants of volcanic activity 45 million years ago, resistant to the eroding forces to which much of the surrounding landscape has succumbed.
This unique topography with altitudes of over 1500m has created an ecological life raft, providing a habitat for cool climate species that have declined elsewhere since temperatures warmed around 12,000 years ago. The rapid rise in elevation, combined with close proximity to the coast creates orographic rainfall, giving rise to fire-resistant rainforests that further protect the rare species on the plateau.
One of the more famous residents of the area is the southern beech. The international distribution of which was a key piece of evidence in establishing the theory of continental drift and the existence of the prehistoric super-continent Gondwana. Also of note are the numerous sphagnum bogs. These subalpine wetlands are one of the most important parts of the areas ecosystems. These wetlands act like giant sponges, soaking up water in periods of high rainfall, and then gradually releasing it during dry periods - which stabilises and purifies the watersupply.
Most of the Barrington Tops is considered old growth and/or wilderness. This means it's an important habitat for rare tree dwelling species like powerful owls and greater gliders.
In 1993 the Barrington Tops joined a very short list of biological agent release sites in Australia when twig miner moths from Western Europe were released to control a Scotch Broom infestation that affects 10,000 hectares of the park.Although many are concerned about the prospect of another cane toad, the moth has been successfully used in numerous locations overseas, and is seen by most as an improvement on the existing control techniques of burning and spraying.
Other Activities
Most of the trails in the Barrington Tops make for excellent mountain biking. If you're prepared to deal with the gruelling uphill, opportunities for a vertical kilometre of solid downhill await. You'll be sharing the trails with walkers, so remember to exercise the same level of courtesy you'd like to see from motorists towards yourself.
If you like your adrenalin mixed with a little more water, the Barrington River, among many others in the area, offers kayaking opportunities that range from beginners to extreme. There are several kayak guides in the area (see facts to go) that can point out suitable stretches of river for any skill level. These rivers were stocked with trout early last century, so if you bring your fishing gear, there's a good chance you'll have dinner taken care of.
FACTS TO GOGetting there
The Barrington Tops is approximately 90km north of Newcastle. The main stepping off point for accessing the park is the town of Gloucester. However as there are very limited roads traversing the area, other parts of the park can be accessed via Dungog or Scone.
Best tmes to visit
The wide altitude range in the area creates outdoor opportunities year-round. Of course the same sharp rise in altitude can produce four seasons of weather on any given day, so be prepared for anything.
Accommodation and food
Although the surrounding towns are agriculture rather than tourism driven (that's part of their charm), there's plenty of accommodation available. Contact The Gloucester Visitor Information Centre on (02) 6558 1408 for up to date information and prices.
Barrington Guesthouse is probably the highest profile accommodation in the area. Opened in 1930, the facility is worth a visit if only for their selection of historic paintings and photos…plus they do awesome hot chocolate and scones - a lifesaver in inclement weather.
There are numerous free camping areas with road access in the surrounding State Forests and the NPWS provide many camping areas within the park, some of which attract a small fee. The local office can give you more details on (02) 6538 5300.
CMA (1:25,000): Barrington Tops, Carrabolla, Chichester, Cobark, Gloucester Tops, Moonan Brook and Pigna Barney cover the area. NSW State Forests produce "The Lower North Coast Forest Map", which details free campsites in the surrounding area, among other things. The NPWS's Barrington Tops Guidebook contains many trail maps and notes, and is well worth bringing with you on the trail.
Tours and adventures
There are numerous organisations conducting all manner of activities in the area from horse treks to skydiving. The best way to get information on any of these is via the Gloucester Visitors Information Centre.
Barrington Outdoor Adventure Centre guides a range of activities in the area including mountain biking and white water kayaking. You can get in contact with them on (02) 6558 2093 or visit their website http://www.boac.com.au/.
Canoe Barrington runs a kayak guiding business aimed at kids and beginners they are available on (02) 6558 4316 or visit their website http://www.canoebarrington.com.au/.
Further information
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services' "Barrington Tops National Park Guidebook" ($10.95, available through the NPWS and local information centres) is probably the best single source of information on the area. It details the area's ecology, history, geology etc. and has trail maps and notes that are much more up to date than the existing CMA maps.
Barry Collier's book "Walking and Touring in the Barrington Tops" ($18.65, published by Envirobook) gives an excellent selection of day-walks and drives. However finding a copy may require a bit of searching.
On the web there is information available at: - NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service- NSW State Forests - Barrington Tops Tourism
AIRCRAFT-EATING WILDERNESS
The incredibly dense and rugged wilderness of the Barrington Tops has a rather grim aviation history.
On August 9th 1981, the Cessna VH-MDX crashed in bad weather on its way to Bankstown from Coolangatta. After radioing air traffic control with a series of instrument failures, reports of wing-icing and loss of altitude the pilot transmitted one last truncated message "Five thousand…" before he and his four passengers were swallowed up by the wilderness.
Despite extensive search efforts that continue to this day, no trace of the aircraft or its occupants have ever been found. This is believed to be the only unsolved aviation mystery on the Australian mainland.
VH-MDX was not the first aircraft to go missing in the area. In fact the search for the Cessna apparently stumbled across the wreckage of a Beechcraft plane, missing since 1974.
The RAAF base at nearby Williamstown has also contributed several aircraft, including a Mirage Jet whose pilot safely ejected after an engine flameout and seizure in 1967. Despite impacting in a near-supersonic nosedive, creating a crater two meters deep and eight meters wide, the wreckage still took over a year for investigators to locate.
Aeroplane Hill, near the centre of the main plateau marks the site where in 1942, a Mosquito bomber crashed during a training flight. The reason for which is still a mystery.
Apparently if you look carefully you can still find the wreckage of the plane's engine block etc (the wooden airframe has long since decayed). One of the aircraft's machine guns can be seen at the Barrington Guesthouse.
[Reproduced from the December / January 2005 Issue of Outdoor Australia Magazine]
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