Rainbows and Waterfalls....Nandroya

Hike to Mystical Nandroya Falls

On the first day of May, an intrepid crew set forth to investigate a hidden waterfall advertised in tourist mags and on National Park brochures. The promotion photos abound with beautiful waterfalls littered with pixies and elves in a golden tropical rainforest.

It was an ideal walk for some who had not hiked for a while....and even those who had not hiked at all.

Nandroya Falls was located about 20 minutes west of Innisfail in Far North Queensland. The falls themselves were located on a circuit track which were estimated at 3.5 kilometres on the eastern track and 1.7 kilometres on the Western Track.

The hiking trail itself is a fairly flat and easy negotiable track through rainforest settings with hardly any climbing involved. The Eastern track winds it's way through the rainforest, and then finds the side of the creek of which the Falls feeds into.

From the trail, the creek, of which would feed into the North Johnstone River, looks like a negotiable Grade 2 river mostly with the odd Grade 4 rapid thrown in.

Understandably, Tarzan, Timme, and Flounder were wondering if it could be paddled. However, drops of at least 10 feet waterfalls were on the cards. So if paddled, it would need to be scouted rather than a read and run.

Along the way there were a couple of waterfall crossings for the hikers, and it gave the intrepid crew a welcome break plus a great photo opportunity.

On reaching the main falls, of which the group heard before we viewed the falls, the group settled down for an early lunch.

Nandroya Falls consist of two sets of waterfalls. The higher falls which also housed the main swimming waterhole, was a 100 foot drop of majestic power. It was a sight to behold. The Lower Set of the Nandroya Falls consisted of numerous pourovers of a level set of waterfalls. Photo opportunities of both sets of falls were evidently the main drawcard of this mystical canyon.


The main waterfall emptied into a swimmable basin of freezing mountain water. However, going this far, a swim was always on the cards. The brave few could end up swimming to a few appropriate located sand bars. One of which was right next to the boil of the main waterfall.

On locating ourselves next to the main boil, we found it difficult to keep our footing on the sand with the power of the waterfall being wind and rain the strength of a category 4 cyclone.

It definately was a different experience of feeling the power of something so majestic up close.

After basking in the sun for a while , it was time to brave the lower set of falls. A motley crew of 6 ventured down through the tricky slope and out onto the unstable rocky bank of the lower falls.


This gave us the experience of a swimmable lagoon located under the waterfalls. Yes, even at this stage of the day, the water was still freezing.

Once the group had stayed for enough time to be fed, watered and relaxed, it was time to head back to the Henrietta Campground from whence we came. We completed the 1.7 kilometre track with ease enabling us to get back to the safety of our vehicles inside of 20 minutes.

All participants of the day thoroughly enjoyed themselves and found that they had been touched by the mystical qualities of the waterfall. This then trasferred into motivation to complete more hikes around the area.

Proud Supporter of Adventure Equipment Cairns.


Remember, if you plan to hike along the most wonderous trails of this great country of ours, please only leave footprints in the sand, and take away only photographs and memories our you experience.



Blue Skies

Flounder

Confront your Fears - Split Rock - Barron Gorge

Jump into the Unknown - Abseiling Split Rock - Barron Gorge

As a part of motivating friends of mine, I had organised Pete Dumson (Roper Extraordinaire) from Top Knot Climbing to facilitate a couple of abseiling sessions on a basic rock drop called Split Rock in the Barron Gorge, Cairns.

The crew consisted mainly of the regular paddlers, and a few friends from the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

So on a balmy April Sunday morning, the first crew set foot in the gorge to challenge themselves for an introduction to abseiling. Pete led us through directions of our safety gear, and to initialise us with the practice of relaxing when being suspended on a height above the ground. Split Rock is only a 15 metre granite rock base. But the speciality of this site is that it is a flat rock all the way down and does not have features of any overhangs or craggy rock pieces to overcome.

The teams were split into two groups and everyone was keen .

Pete had people practise on a small practise rope with their descender and harness before stepping up to the main abseil.

For some, this was a challenge at abseiling for the first time. A notable reaction to first time abseiling is the trust you need to place in your equipment.

Below are some of the images of the abseil day for the team.

The experience was enjoyed by all who participated and some had come away with a new-found confidence of conquering their fears.

After each session, Pete had then led the group down to another part of the rock to show a small cave which houses small micro-bats. It also accomodates rock climbers for a crevice to scale internally.



The cave is only a small worn crack in the rock and was yet another experience for the participants to overcome. So Fear of Heights and Claustrophobia were checked off in the same day.

Well done to all who had participated for the day.

Proud Supporter of Top Knot Climbing and Adventure Equipment Cairns.

Remember, when you are hiking or boating through the natural trails and watercourses of this great country of ours, please leave only footprints in the sand or a ripple in the water, and take nothing away apart from photographs and memories.

Blue Skies

Flounder