- Mac map 1.jpg (242.9 KiB) Viewed 1592 times
- Mac map 1.jpg (242.9 KiB) Viewed 1592 times
Then I followed the river upstream on its Eastern bank. Only a day reconnaissance so I didn’t get that far. The flat land alongside the river varied from open grassy woodland to scrubby bush. There were also steep scrubby hillsides between river flats that were difficult to traverse. I didn’t make it all the way to my objective Skeleton Flat I was aided by the frequent occurrence of deer and cattle tracks. I put a few strategically placed lengths of pink tape to help my return journey. I did notice a few old pieces of baling twine and blazes on trees. Someone had been along here before me
I convinced my long term mate Terry to accompany me on an all out attempt to complete the circuit.
So over the long weekend in March 2022 we started at Breakfast Creek, went over the ridge and down to Macalister's River, then along beside the river to Skeleton Flat. Next day up the spur to Long Hill campsite for a long rest. On the third day it was back to Breakfast creek via The Crinoline.
The maps below I plagiarised from Terry’s report.
It was a bit difficult at times to get through the scrub alongside the river, the deer tracks helped. We took to the pebble beaches and the immediate river bank between Rocky Creek and Skeleton Flat. The middle third of the Spur up to Long Hill was very scrubby. Overall though it was a good walk. Worth the effort.
In January 2023 I went back with two young fellows to investigate the next spur rising from Skeleton Flat. It joins the first spur near the top. I was hoping it would be less scrubby. I t was worse. Quite a lot of bushy shrubs to push through.
Much to my surprise the walk along the Macalister valley up to Skeleton Flat had signs of being recently walked by someone else. I had found on my initial reconnaissance an occasional bit of hay band and blazed trees. Now somebody has placed some very helpful red triangles, bits of rope, blue hay band and pink tape. There weren’t many markers, but I was very appreciative of these as they helped connect up the deer tracks through the dense scrubby sections. The markers finished at the Rocky Gully Creek where the best route is via the shingle beds and river bank.
Overall an interesting walk, if you like the navigational challenge of the route adjacent to the river and don’t mind pushing through the dense scrub of the spurs up to Long Hill. The challenge of the river section is connecting the open grassy sections without having to push through dense scrubby sections. The occasional markers certainly were helpful on my second walk.
Gordon
