Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Victoria specific bushwalking discussion.
Forum rules
Victoria specific bushwalking discussion. Please avoid publishing details of access to sensitive areas with no tracks.

Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby Jed » Sun 05 Dec, 2010 10:38 am

Hey guys.
I am planning to take some keen but inexperienced mates on the Nadgee Howe wilderness walk. None of us have walked this track before but have done a few short 1-2 night hikes together as training. There is still plenty of time for additional conditioning. I was wondering in any of you had done the walk before and what advice you would give.
There seem to be plenty of toilets an water facilities along the way. Is the water potable or would it require boiling/filtering?
Nadgee Map.png

Also, are there any particular "extra" walks that come off the main track that are worth visiting?
We plan to complete the in 5 days and begin it during the holidays around April.
Any tips are welcome :D
Jed
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun 05 Dec, 2010 9:54 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby climberman » Sun 05 Dec, 2010 2:50 pm

Jed,

Welcome to the forum. I have done all of this walk with my missus a few years ago, in early spring. I have also been into the northern section a few times from Merrica Ranger Station. We took five days, it's a very restful pace. We used these to have two rest days where I flyfished and the missus read a book. She decided that when it comes to walking, she likes walking more than lounging. Anywhooo..

There are no toilets, anywhere on the walk except at Mallacoota township and Merrica River Ranger station, which aren't really on the walk. There are no services - that's the 'wilderness' part of the walk !

Water on this walk is a thing that must be planned ahead and managed. There are not really dependable supplies other than Barracouta (pronounced Barracoot) lake which is stunning and freshwater, and worth a trip over the dunes even if you don't need the water.

Other water supplies are typically soaks and somewhat ephemeral streams. If you decide to do the walk, ask here and I and others will be able to fill you in on some sports where it can be found. The missus and I had no trouble with water but did have to manage it. Others who I know have found it very dry and a bit disconcerting. It is very dependent on recent rainfall, and also how well charged any systems are due to longer term rainfall levels. I can't quite read the print in your map copy but I reckon it'd say something about the 'W' markers like "cannot be relied upon" or something. You will have to have some 'bush nous' to think about how to find some of the water. It's not Malcome Douglas material, but there's no signs and taps.

The walking itself is, in my view, wonderful and not too taxing. Heat in summer might be different. There are no real huge hills, and route-finding is relatively straightforward. Of course, you should be able to navigate from a map and compass regardless. Keep the ocean on your right if heading north, and on your left if heading south ! Walking the long beach north from Malacoota can be taxing if you aren't used to sand walking, and if it's high tide witha reasonable swell it can be soft and slow.

If you have a penchant for the history of ecological research and science enviro warriors, 'Harry's Hut' was used by Harry Recher to undertake a lot of research. The caves and cliffs north of Newtons are great. If you like fishing take a light setup and have fun.

Practice getting light packs. It's coastal so you'll not bneed gear for extreme cold or snow - don't overpack ! Beach walking in soft sand with a full pack is an acquired taste. I've done a lot of it and am yet to acquire it ! (naaah, just jokes, but I run sand a few times most weeks as I live at the beach).

In short - prepare well, book your spot, work out the car shuffle, think about water, enjoy the magic of the Nadgee Howe wilderness.
climberman
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 656
Joined: Tue 09 Dec, 2008 7:32 pm

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby juju » Mon 06 Dec, 2010 9:41 am

I walked in Nadgee years ago. I walked naked with my boyfriend who became my husband (we must've liked what we saw) from Bunyip Hole south and over the border.
We didn't do the whole walk but camped at Bunyip Hole with huge kangaroos (careful of them in the head high grasses - one nearly knocked me over when I took it by surprise getting water) and swam and caught pippies for dinner. Our water was boiled from the boggy water hole near our camp, tea coloured already. We had the place to ourselves. It was heaven.
We'll get fit on the way.
User avatar
juju
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 415
Joined: Mon 09 Nov, 2009 12:47 pm
Location: Bellingen
Region: New South Wales
Gender: Female

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby Jed » Thu 09 Dec, 2010 8:46 am

Awesome. Thanks for the tips guys! :D
Jed
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun 05 Dec, 2010 9:54 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby Gippsmick » Sun 12 Dec, 2010 3:36 pm

Rain has been excellent out this way in the last couple of months. Water holes, creeks and soaks are the best they have been for early summer in a long time. Still, treat any water you collect.
User avatar
Gippsmick
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Wed 08 Oct, 2008 12:02 pm
Location: East Gippsland - Victoria

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby SteveJ » Mon 03 Jan, 2011 11:26 pm

I have done Nadgee 3 times in the last 12 months, last down there 3 weeks ago. Water is good this summer (but do as detailed above with steri tabs etc). April is a great time to do it. The hill up from Newtons is a good climb but pretty easy. Keep an eye out for ticks (take some fine tweezers) and there will be snakes sunbaking on the tracks at that time of year too. It is a magic place. I will be down there again in march so will give you a few more details after that trip if I can remeber. Try to do your beach walking at low tide.

Steve
SteveJ
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 341
Joined: Mon 10 Nov, 2008 1:09 pm

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby Jed » Fri 07 Jan, 2011 5:25 pm

Thanks for the tips.
Jed
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun 05 Dec, 2010 9:54 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby ninjapuppet » Tue 15 Mar, 2011 12:11 am

sounds like a great place!
User avatar
ninjapuppet
Athrotaxis selaginoides
Athrotaxis selaginoides
 
Posts: 1277
Joined: Mon 09 Nov, 2009 11:33 pm
Region: New Zealand
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby SteveJ » Thu 02 Jun, 2011 6:53 pm

Just returned form doing this walk yet again, it is really quite a special part of the world. We took the packrafts to explore the waterways which adds another dimension to travel in these parts. Plenty of good water around at the moment and lots of stuff flowering, did not see any one else in 4 days. Walked Merrica Ranger station to Nadgee in a day, stayed a few days then did Nadgee river to Mallacoota in a day (albiet a long one). Weather was perfect, walking pleasant without the usual warm season snakes, track is in good order although a little overgrown in places. About 25 km's of this 60km walk is on the beaches, time the tides and it is fairly easy going. A few snaps :-) Next walk in a few weeks will be Wingham inlet to Bemm River, looking forward to it.
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Steve
SteveJ
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 341
Joined: Mon 10 Nov, 2008 1:09 pm

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby walkietalkie » Fri 04 Jan, 2013 12:04 pm

Hi
Just wondering if anyone has done this walk recently and what the water situation is like? Am planning on doing the walk in a few days with a group of friends.
Cheers
walkietalkie
Nothofagus cunninghamii
Nothofagus cunninghamii
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri 04 Jan, 2013 12:01 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Female

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby juz » Sat 12 Jan, 2013 10:25 pm

Hi All,
This is more of a bump than anything, I too am hoping to do this walk very soon, perhaps starting in a couple of days.
Any current information or speculation on water availability would be tremendously useful. If there are particularly hard to find, yet good spots, grid refs would be very handy.
Thanks in advance,
Justin.
juz
Atherosperma moschatum
Atherosperma moschatum
 
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue 10 Jan, 2012 8:04 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby JamesMc » Tue 15 Jan, 2013 9:17 pm

Did this walk in October about 5 years ago. Sitting around camp on a cliff top one night we noticed an occasional "pish" noise. It was a passing whale coming up for air! Never seen a live one before.

James Mc
JamesMc
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 262
Joined: Wed 09 Dec, 2009 5:24 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby miktherocker » Sat 07 Dec, 2013 8:30 am

My wife and I are about to do this walk, from North to South, with plans to reach Mallacoota on Christmas day (escaping the family this year). Should be nice and quiet. We're taking a couple of cheapo packrafts, for exploring the estuaries and lakes, and hopefully, as a means of crossing mallacoota inlet at the end of the walk. Not sure about this last bit, as no one has mentioned having done it - is packrafting the inlet ok, or is boat pickup a more sensible thing to do? We don't have much experience with the rafts, but have decent paddles and keen to have a crack at it.
miktherocker
Nothofagus cunninghamii
Nothofagus cunninghamii
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue 05 Nov, 2013 12:38 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby climberman » Sun 08 Dec, 2013 2:15 pm

Mik, SteveJ will be able to help if you give the thread a bump on about Tuesday. I think he's away from the 'puter for a few days.
climberman
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 656
Joined: Tue 09 Dec, 2008 7:32 pm

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby JulianS » Thu 19 Dec, 2013 9:46 pm

Hi all,

Planning to do this walk for the first time at the end of this month. Im looking to confirm information on campsite locations, potential places to get water, etc, but there doesn't seem to be a lot out there (apart from the odd snippet from forums/blogs, etc). I've been particularly looking for the source pdf of the screenshot that appears at the top of this thread. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Cheers
Julian
JulianS
Atherosperma moschatum
Atherosperma moschatum
 
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue 13 Aug, 2013 9:15 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby climberman » Fri 20 Dec, 2013 6:16 am

Julian, I think it is a Parks Victoria map. I would ring the Parks Vic or NPWS on teh number on the application form: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resou ... onForm.pdf

cam locations are discussed: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/Natio ... x?id=N0458
climberman
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 656
Joined: Tue 09 Dec, 2008 7:32 pm

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby Sasha » Fri 20 Dec, 2013 4:45 pm

You could buy 'walking the wilderness coast' Peter Cook and Chris Dowd....a full guide to the walk south and north of Mallacoota
Sasha
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 16
Joined: Sat 04 Aug, 2012 9:18 pm
Region: New South Wales
Gender: Female

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby JulianS » Sat 21 Dec, 2013 9:30 am

Thanks for the replies. NSW parks people appear to assume more responsibility for this than Parks Vic, but will contact both. The lack of downloadable / printable park notes is just surprising, particularly considering they're readily available for nearby walks (eg Light to Light in Ben Boyd).

I think its too late to get a hold of the Cook / Dowd book before leaving, but we did already get some useful information from the related website: http://www.wildcoast.net.au/cgi-bin/content.pl
Will definitely order this book at some point though since the Cape Conran to Mallacoota section of Croajingolong is also high on the list!
JulianS
Atherosperma moschatum
Atherosperma moschatum
 
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue 13 Aug, 2013 9:15 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby TerraMer » Sat 21 Dec, 2013 10:03 am

When I walked it solo a few years ago as part of a longer walk from Tathra to Bairnsdale I found the track notes booklet in the Merimbula NPSW office where i also registered and paid for camping. There is a sign in book at the rangers office at Womboyn too.
I boiled all my water. Now i would just use my Lifestraw.
There is a hut a comfortable distance in to stop for the first night if the weather is rough but no toilet when I went through in 2009. It is a slight detour or side track but takes you through some lovely wetlands and through a refreshing creek.
It was during the peak of summer and I met some brown and tiger snakes on the track.
Mallacoota Inlet was too strong to swim across so I had to back track to the Howe Flat Track boardwalk and walk out to the highway. I hope there is a water taxi service running from the school camp now, it would have been handy back then :)
Have a great walk and take your time to enjoy the beautiful and amazing landscapes, wildlife and aboriginal sites. The dingos are not so shy either :)
thehappywalkblog.wordpress.com
Solo unaccompanied walk around Australia
Sponsored by The Australian Geographic Society
User avatar
TerraMer
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 377
Joined: Thu 19 Apr, 2012 4:18 pm
Location: Australia
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: The Happy Walk
Region: Australia

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby dplanet » Sat 21 Dec, 2013 11:14 am

Walked solo from Mallacoota to Merrica River few years ago and from memory booking was not required and it was free camping on the Victorian coast. There was a water taxi service at Mallacoota.
User avatar
dplanet
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
 
Posts: 580
Joined: Thu 04 Oct, 2007 8:21 pm
Location: Ormond-Caulfield, Melbourne
Region: Victoria
Gender: Female

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby JulianS » Sat 21 Dec, 2013 12:57 pm

Thanks dplanet. Just to avoid creating confusion for others, the situation has evidently changed since you did the walk. Booking/permit application is required for hiking/camping between Mallacoota and Wonboyn ($10 pp per night). To get across Mallacoota inlet, Simon Buckley is the person to contact (contact details here: http://www.wildcoast.net.au/cgi-bin/content.pl?Updates).
JulianS
Atherosperma moschatum
Atherosperma moschatum
 
Posts: 50
Joined: Tue 13 Aug, 2013 9:15 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby MartyGwynne » Sun 22 Dec, 2013 3:54 pm

If you want I can email you some info maps etc and relevant parts of the book to cover you till you purchase the book. Or I would say you could call the Mallacoota newsagent and see if they have a copy of the book or even the Parks office in Mallacoota may have one for sale.
Marty
User avatar
MartyGwynne
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 355
Joined: Sun 30 Jan, 2011 4:31 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby miktherocker » Sun 29 Dec, 2013 3:58 pm

To answer my own question, yes, you can raft the lake at Mallacoota. Just stay clear of strong currents at the entrance and watch the weather.
Water is good at the moment, for those going in early January. Worth scouting around the campsites, as there is often more than one good spot. Facilities at Harry's Hut are excellent if you need a rest up or break from bad weather. Cape Howe is amazing.

A few snaps from our recent trip at Christmas.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151792610197077.1073741831.603692076&type=1&l=f51598d067

And a bit of video:
http://youtu.be/JjDQnyl8_64
miktherocker
Nothofagus cunninghamii
Nothofagus cunninghamii
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue 05 Nov, 2013 12:38 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby neilmny » Sun 29 Dec, 2013 6:07 pm

Enjoyed the photos and video MIke. Thanks for posting.
User avatar
neilmny
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2604
Joined: Fri 03 Aug, 2012 11:19 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby sim1oz » Sun 29 Dec, 2013 6:54 pm

Mike, thanks for posting. The photos and video have me inspired... I'm adding this one to our bucket list. Wishing you and Karen a Happy New Year!
Carpe diem!
User avatar
sim1oz
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 479
Joined: Mon 17 Jan, 2011 10:15 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Female

Re: Nagdee Howe Wilderness Walk

Postby jensnell » Tue 03 Jan, 2017 10:39 am

JulianS wrote:
I've been particularly looking for the source pdf of the screenshot that appears at the top of this thread. Can anyone point me in the right direction?



I've found this online as a PDF if anyone's after it. It's at https://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/asset ... -Coast.pdf
jensnell
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue 13 Sep, 2016 3:28 pm
Region: New South Wales
Gender: Female


Return to Victoria

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests