Bushwalk Australia

CraigVIC wrote:I wouldn't be too worried biggles, there's lots of people getting to the off track otways falls, some more than others, but the mousetrap group has that something about it and I think it will intrigue most until it really is established.
Mt Sabine is really wet just at the moment

Fresh back from a recce to Forrest and beyond, and I can report being damned lucky to get to the stop sign at the road, never mind about the track off Sunnyside Road up to Sabine!! My return route was meant to be along Turtons Track, but the light was poor and the rain downright torrential -- very slow driving back to Forrest and not much better on the highway.

"the mousetrap group has that something about it and I think it will intrigue most until it really is established."

You don't say??
One of the original founders of Mousetrap Complex made just that musing ... 20 long years ago, at the cusp of entirely shifting interest to the establishment and upkeep of the much less exciting "Four Falls Circuit". "[we'll keep tracking Mousetrap]...until it is really established", being his exact words from memory!

I've got nothing but respect for those walkers who found them.

Upper Sabine a week ago, before today's rain, suggesting all of the mousetrap will be very wet. I can also report, there were plenty of leeches about.

Most interesting Craig!
It would appear from your image that Upper Sabine Falls has made a very good return to aesthetic form after that dreadful landslip a few years ago that choked the place with fallen trees and debris. In 2012 I and my late sister and her niece walked in -- for both of them it was their first walk on the wild side, with an hilarious bum-slip down the final slope and a gin in the creek bed to the raucous sound of the falls close by.

Photo here is mine from October 2006 (an Ilfochrome Classic print from Fuji Velvia transparency, produced in Adelaide), which was my first visit to the falls with a group led by one of the founders of the Moustrap Complex route. I would struggle to remember the access point and route to Upper Sabine now!!

The third tier still has some almighty logs in it.

CraigVIC wrote:The third tier still has some almighty logs in it.

What a mess!!!

These are some of the falls that are below Green Chasm Falls. Please be aware these are NOT easy to access. From Green Chasm downstream the terrain drops away almost immediately. I used 60-70m of rope to reach the bottom, and it kept going from there too. Any mistakes would have been pretty fatal down there. I would only recommend experienced off-track hikers who are used to the rough Otways terrain attempt this area of Mousetrap.

Great stuff WillKendrick.

Haven't heard from mickyb for a long time? He gave me some great tips and seemed pretty committed to bagging every otways drop including mousetrap?

Thanks mate. Yeah doesn’t look like he’s been on here for a while. I’ll post some pics of the East section of mousetrap a bit later on.

Box Canyon Falls

CraigVIC wrote:Great stuff WillKendrick.

Haven't heard from mickyb for a long time? He gave me some great tips and seemed pretty committed to bagging every otways drop including mousetrap?

___________________________________________

Bagging every drop!?
People have desired to "bag every one" of the falls in the Great Otway National Park, but none other than Gleesson, one of the original tiger walk trailblazers of the 1990s, has ever done better. He was the one who did the initial hard yards in plotting the marked Mousetrap complex (actually, all over the Otways, not just around Sabine), convening the survey party in 2001 (the subject of 'The Age' article). One of the surveyors still has notes of this walk and shows nothing more than a question mark after Box Canyon, photographed with a 4x5 large format camera at the time (!).

His idea was to trace the route from Sabine Contour Road, down into Smythe Creek and its exit at the Great Ocean Road. Unfortunately a protracted, traumatic period of personal issues ensured for him and nothing more was done, not ever likely will be.

Biggles wrote:

CraigVIC wrote:Great stuff WillKendrick.

Haven't heard from mickyb for a long time? He gave me some great tips and seemed pretty committed to bagging every otways drop including mousetrap?

___________________________________________

Bagging every drop!?
People have desired to "bag every one" of the falls in the Great Otway National Park, but none other than Gleesson, one of the original tiger walk trailblazers of the 1990s, has ever done better. He was the one who did the initial hard yards in plotting the marked Mousetrap complex (actually, all over the Otways, not just around Sabine), convening the survey party in 2001 (the subject of 'The Age' article). One of the surveyors still has notes of this walk and shows nothing more than a question mark after Box Canyon, photographed with a 4x5 large format camera at the time (!).

His idea was to trace the route from Sabine Contour Road, down into Smythe Creek and its exit at the Great Ocean Road. Unfortunately a protracted, traumatic period of personal issues ensured for him and nothing more was done, not ever likely will be.

Would be very interesting to read through those notes, do you happen to have a copy of the photograph? Think it would be interesting to compare the falls with a 20-year difference. I've always wondered if there are any other falls along Smythe Creek- downstream from mousetrap of course. The contours look promising, but there's only one real way to find out.

I am concerned that the ORWTA is no longer active (operates out of Apollo Bay) due to a fall off in membership; IDK, I'd like to arm wrestle John to reminisce (he is based in Melbourne and it is a lot of travel for him now), even view his early pioneering photography of Mousetrap falls, among them OREN (a beautiful one somewhere), Gorgeous, Smythe Creek Gorge (falls) LaTrobe and Box Canyon. Among others (generally obscure and cross-referenced) is one that can be seen on the web, Upper Sabine Falls (http://www.oren.org.au/campaign/threatareas/sabine.htm). His image of Box Canyon Falls (only US falls by that name) was nowt but a gossamer trickle, nothing like the image you have posted on this thread showing an excellent terraced (and curiously oblique) flow. John's photographs were made with a wooden and brass Wista 4x5 field camera (about 4kg) and slow film (Velvia 50). He migrated to digital about 13 years ago, and whatever happened to the camera is a mystery (probably even to him!! ).

Theoretically, even after all these years, Box Canyon marks the limit of remote, navigable falls. If there is something else further on, we would have heard about it now because locals in Forrest often wander about the complex, but not going any further than Green Chasm (they've got kids). The thought occurred to me about a drone: maybe get hold of a drone to "fly-by" and trace the area below the present limit of investigation?

Biggles wrote:I am concerned that the ORWTA is no longer active (operates out of Apollo Bay) due to a fall off in membership; IDK, I'd like to arm wrestle John to reminisce (he is based in Melbourne and it is a lot of travel for him now), even view his early pioneering photography of Mousetrap falls, among them OREN (a beautiful one somewhere), Gorgeous, Smythe Creek Gorge (falls) LaTrobe and Box Canyon. Among others (generally obscure and cross-referenced) is one that can be seen on the web, Upper Sabine Falls (http://www.oren.org.au/campaign/threatareas/sabine.htm). His image of Box Canyon Falls (only US falls by that name) was nowt but a gossamer trickle, nothing like the image you have posted on this thread showing an excellent terraced (and curiously oblique) flow. John's photographs were made with a wooden and brass Wista 4x5 field camera (about 4kg) and slow film (Velvia 50). He migrated to digital about 13 years ago, and whatever happened to the camera is a mystery (probably even to him!! ).

Theoretically, even after all these years, Box Canyon marks the limit of remote, navigable falls. If there is something else further on, we would have heard about it now because locals in Forrest often wander about the complex, but not going any further than Green Chasm (they've got kids). The thought occurred to me about a drone: maybe get hold of a drone to "fly-by" and trace the area below the present limit of investigation?

I'm pretty sure ZigZag Falls is a couple hundred meters downstream from Box Canyon Falls. And of course, La Trobe Falls situated at the bottom of the West complex (far below Green Chasm Falls). I believe La Trobe Falls is not far upstream in the western confluence component of the two tributaries that make up the Mousetrap Complex. One route into La Trobe could involve scaling down Zig Zag Falls, then heading upstream at the confluence to visit La Trobe Falls from the bottom.

This pic marked the limit of our exploration in 2013 and again in 2018 — beyond here I thought it was getting a bit hairy!!
LaTrobe, ZigZag or what. A 20m rope was used on this, only to discover a pale red/pink knotted rope in-situ on the other side of our exit. That meant we were on the wrong route!

Biggles wrote:This pic marked the limit of our exploration in 2013 and again in 2018 — beyond here I thought it was getting a bit hairy!!
LaTrobe, ZigZag or what. A 20m rope was used on this, only to discover a pale red/pink knotted rope in-situ on the other side of our exit. That meant we were on the wrong route!

Unfortunately, when I was there in July 2019, this waterfall was completely covered by fallen trees and foliage. Didn't bother attempting a photograph of the mess. Saw no sign of any ropes, I'd say they'd be long gone now- unless I was blind haha.

The ORWTA are still running monthly walks on the first Sunday.

CraigVIC wrote:The ORWTA are still running monthly walks on the first Sunday.

Or last Sunday?? When, what and where??
Why haven't they made use of the website and map resources that I put together for them years ago? This also included a portal where walks and reports were listed. Instead they fell back to Blogger and made an unholy mess.
Incredibly, they are using my email address on Blogger!

They sound like issues of great personal interest but limited public interest and best directed to them. I have no association with the ORWTA.

Jumping on board here and wondering if someone could point me in the right direction of a map in to Mousetrap complex. Hoping to get down there this month which its nice and quiet

Cheers

Having participated in a few of their last walks I'm sad to report the ORWTA has been officially wound up. It is my understanding existing members and elements of the program will be folded into the Geelong Bushwalking Club. Apparently, the Geelong club is still going strong.

WillKendrick wrote:

Biggles wrote:This pic marked the limit of our exploration in 2013 and again in 2018 — beyond here I thought it was getting a bit hairy!!
LaTrobe, ZigZag or what. A 20m rope was used on this, only to discover a pale red/pink knotted rope in-situ on the other side of our exit. That meant we were on the wrong route!

Unfortunately, when I was there in July 2019, this waterfall was completely covered by fallen trees and foliage. Didn't bother attempting a photograph of the mess. Saw no sign of any ropes, I'd say they'd be long gone now- unless I was blind haha.

Having done a lot of other falls in the area - wye river falls, pennyroyal falls, hidden falls, aquila falls - im hoping someone can help me find the mousetrap complex - it would be fantastic to get a glimpse of the waterfalls in there.

Hey guys, would someone be able to send me the coordinates and info re. Green chasm falls? Or any of the earlier ones. I am trained with a compass and difficult terrain so not concerned re. Getting lost

Did you get the co-ordinates Lportell?

All co-ords are now easily available in Anthony Carr's book.

Keen to explore some of the west branch of Smythe Creek and seeking any intel others may be able to share. I’m an experienced hiker, competent in maps, remote navigation and GPS. Thanks in advance.