Disappearance of Old Familiar Trails
Posted: Wed 10 Nov, 2021 2:20 pmWhile there has been a warning on the NPWS website for some time, the deterioration of what were well used tracks in some of the National Parks is definitely a thing to be careful of. I think the note referred particularly to the Kanangra to Katoomba walk over Mt Cloudmaker but, after doing a walk into the middle Kowmung area last week, it seems that this is much more widespread.
I had been told that some well-known sections of the Uni Rover Trail were now indistinct, specifically the section from Kanangra to Lost Rock. I started at the other end, near Colong Caves and found the same situation there.
My understanding is that this is a combination of fires, closure of camp areas (like Batsh Camp), floods, regrowth and a lack of walkers due to covid restrictions. I stood before a big sign proclaiming the start of the Uni Rover Trail at Batsh Camp and all that was around it was solid bush, no hint of a trail. We made our way to Acetylene Spur by way of compass and guess work and found some sections totally overgrown with new young trees, very closely parked next to each other. The 'track' down the spur was no longer discernable and we sidled down to the creek ending up some 500 metres downstream from where it is supposed to end.
The point to this note is that, following the events I mentioned above, do not assume that a dotted line on a topo map is actually visible in the wild. Not that anyone ever really does!
I had been told that some well-known sections of the Uni Rover Trail were now indistinct, specifically the section from Kanangra to Lost Rock. I started at the other end, near Colong Caves and found the same situation there.
My understanding is that this is a combination of fires, closure of camp areas (like Batsh Camp), floods, regrowth and a lack of walkers due to covid restrictions. I stood before a big sign proclaiming the start of the Uni Rover Trail at Batsh Camp and all that was around it was solid bush, no hint of a trail. We made our way to Acetylene Spur by way of compass and guess work and found some sections totally overgrown with new young trees, very closely parked next to each other. The 'track' down the spur was no longer discernable and we sidled down to the creek ending up some 500 metres downstream from where it is supposed to end.
The point to this note is that, following the events I mentioned above, do not assume that a dotted line on a topo map is actually visible in the wild. Not that anyone ever really does!