Sunday 8th Dec - All participants met in Licola at lunchtime for food and coffee before we started on our journey into Bryces Gorge campground. Bill Pearce was on his motorbike trailing behind us at a distance to keep away from our dust. This trip is approx an hour and half along mostly gravel road (which was in pretty good condition). Upon arriving to the campground area we set up our camping equipment and made ourselves at home - the campfire was lit and chairs set up. We took a short drive back to the Dimmick Lookout turnoff, left the cars there and walked in the approx 2kms to the lookout site. What a view - you have to see it to understand the grand scale of beauty and remoteness.
Monday 9th Dec - up early with the daylight and the birds. After a relaxed breakfast and getting organised we set off at 9am for our walk along the Bryces Gorge Circuit track. The Pieman Falls was our first stop and these were in spectacular form with plenty of water flowing over them. Lots of native wildflowers were on display along our walk. The ridge and cliff face near Conglomerate Falls was our morning tea stop before we started to walk along the bottom flood plains where Elizabeth in the front stopped us in our tracks twice for snakes basking along the pathway.
We arrived at Guys Hut for lunch, then it was just a short couple of kms back to the campground to complete our walk. This is such a great walk with so much to see and variation in terrain and walking conditions. After a short rest back at camp, some of us drove along a 4WD track past Bryces Gorge to a communication tower and lookout that once again proved to be just stunning. This area is simply beautiful and we are so lucky to have access to it.
Tuesday 10th Dec - after breakfast and packing up, most of us headed back down the hill to Licola before finding our own way home. Graham and Frithjof were moving upward to the Macalister Springs campground for another couple of days of camping and walking.
We were very fortunate to have perfect weather for this activity - cool at night but great days.
Many thanks to Graham and Frithjof for coordinating and planning this event.
By Robyn
