4 days 3 nights, medium grade
Location: 500 kms
east of Melbourne, East Gippsland.
Closest town: Cann
River (about 38 kms) with a nice campground & caravan park
Best time to explore:
Dry days and low water level
River Condition:
0.6m as Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast.
Yambulla Peak Walking Track: Well-defined track
Walk registration is not applied
Walk registration is not applied
Compass: Not really
needed, mainly following the river down & upstream
GPS: Optional
Maps: Vicmap
and Online Memory-Map Topo
Guidebook: Take a
Walk in Victoria’s National Parks
Parks Victoria Park Notes: www.parkweb.vic.gov.au
Day 1: Yambulla Peak Track to Genoa River, 14.5 kms, 6 to
7 hours
The day started with the packing of food for 3
breakfasts, 3 dinners and 4 lunches.
Careful preparation was needed due to a forecast of showers and rain for
the last two days, which would be a day trip to northern gorge and the day of
walking out from the river to the starting point. We had a visit to Beehive Falls on the drive to the start of the
walk, which was about 9.5kms away and situated on the “WB Line” road with
access to this road from the Monaro Hwy
Beehive Falls
After leaving the carpark, passing a gate (at
height of 429m) and the park’s box containing survey forms, the track started
to climb. We went through two hills at
497m & 541m height, then dropped down to a forested gully. A steep climb up took us near the highest
point (683m) on the track, where we stopped for lunch with good views of the
range on the left.
Yambulla Peak Track
From here, the track was mostly down with a few ups. After lunch, we met 2 DSE staff, who were in
an all-terrain vehicle and on their way back after a check on the track and the
Genoa River conditions. We were
relieved to hear that the water level was low enough for crossing and exploring
the banks of the river. After driving
off, they had fun tackling the steep slope we had just come down. We continued over ups and downs, past some
granite boulders and had a clear view of Mt Coopracambra and the range through
the trees on the left.
Photo stop
The last section of the Yambulla Peak Track was a steep
downhill to a small creek. We crossed
the creek then followed an over-grown pad to reach the banks of the Genoa
River. It was about 6.30pm, when we
arrived at the junction and found that the water was a bit high and so decided
to search for a small piece of lawn to pitch up tent on this side. It took us
about 6 hours plus stops to get here, not the 5 hours mentioned in the
guidebook. At this stage, we were
unsure whether to move camp the next day.
We had couscous and salmon for tea.
Custard and dried fruit was the desert for my companion, while I had
cappuccino. It got dark about 8.40pm.
A little "garden" found near the junction of YPT & Genoa River
A section of the river filled with boulders
Day 2:
Exploring part of Southern Gorge with a day pack
It was a sunny morning and at the crossing spot, the river
bottom could be seen. As forecast by
BOM, the level of water was 0.6m; about knee-high. With our Crocs, we crossed the river without difficulty and our
boots were hung in front of us. After
crossing to the opposite bank, we put on our boots and built a small rock cairn
to mark the position of the Crocs for the return. A GPS waypoint of this location was also recorded. We then scouted for a possible campsite and
quickly identified one on the sandy bank. My companion was not keen on camping on sand; therefore, the thought of moving
was abandoned.
The crossing, where the YPT meets the Genoa River
The walk mainly followed the river down stream involving
rock hopping and rock scrambling. If
the river bank was too scrubby to bash through and the water level was not
high, an easy way to make progress was to wade. I enjoy wading.
Exploring down stream
If low water level, go for it!
Waterfalls
The going was slow. It took us 1 hour to complete 1km.
About 1.4 km from the crossing, we spotted an overhanging cave on the
opposite bank; so we stopped for a photo.
At this point, the water was high and the scrub was thick and so we had
a bit of hard time to get through the scrub. Then, around the bend, we waded on
a sandy river bed with knee-high water to go across and walked on a large
sandbank to reach the southern gorge.
From here, we bush bashed a bit then went across a small cascade to
reach the other bank, where we looked for a sheltered spot on a big flat
boulder for lunch. We got out the billy
to boil water for soup.
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| An overhanging cave on the opposite bank |
 |
| Approaching Genoa Southern Gorge |
Lunch with gorge view
After lunch, we continued on the right bank, which involved
some rock hopping for about 100m until we reached the mouth of the Yambulla
Creek. Then, a little later we
approached the end of the first section of the Southern Gorge. At this point, we decided to turn around and
retraced our steps back to the cairn.
Collecting the crocks, we crossed the river and headed back up to the
campsite. There was a pretty sunset
over Southern Genoa River that evening.
 | |
| The mouth of Yambulla Creek |
 |
| Turnback point |
We were hold up by this guy near the mouth of Yambulla Creek
then, it freezed and/or posed.
Rock-hopping & scrub-bashing on the way back
Not far now, so it was time for a rest. These gaiters, a New Year gift to me.
Sunset on the Southern Genoa River Gorge.
Day 3: Exploring
Northern Gorge
We were rather confident with the river crossing today after the two river crossings and lots of wading yesterday. Unlike yesterday’s downstream walk, today we followed the river upstream. It was a bit cloudy and it seemed that the river level was lower and so the going was less demanding. We did more wading along the edge of the river to avoid scrub bashing
Cherry tree? in scrub near the river bank
We were rather confident with the river crossing today after the two river crossings and lots of wading yesterday. Unlike yesterday’s downstream walk, today we followed the river upstream. It was a bit cloudy and it seemed that the river level was lower and so the going was less demanding. We did more wading along the edge of the river to avoid scrub bashing
Heading upstream from the track & river crossing point
Low water noticed on a boulder-filled section of the river
Crossing from side to side
At a large bend, on the bank of the river, my
presence woke up a black snake and while trying to move away from it, I lost
balance and had a fall onto slippery rocks.
As a result, I had bruising and swelling of my hand and fingers. Not far from that, on a dry overflow, I
spotted another creature (it was likely another snake) fleeing quickly, when it
heard us coming
We had lunch on a large rocky slab. While the stove was turned on, I had a
quick dip in the river to fresh up before continuing the exploration. Based on the
GPS UTM grid reference and the rock band of a few huge boulders across the
river, I was pretty sure that we were at the state border. And also, based on the walk guide book,
there should be a cairn located somewhere on the west bank
View back to the lunch spot
The Victoria and NSW border
After lunch, it started to shower lightly. We continued on about 100 m until we reached
a few pools and decided to turn around.
On the way back, we caught sight of a possible cairn on the other side
of the river. When close to the lunch
spot, we noticed 2 snakes coiling up about 1m away from each other near the
river bank. Back at the lunch spot, I
crossed the river with the hope that what I had recently seen was what we had
been searching for. Finally, we found a
pile of rocks, that were likely to be the cairn! From here on, we had to wear light rain gear until reaching the
campsite, where my tarp was put into good use for dinner preparation. After meal, we called it the day.
We turned back at this point in light rain jackets
Snake territory near the border
The two snakes spotted near the boulder in the middle of this photo
"The border cairn"
"Our cairn"
Wild flowers
A boulder-filled section of the Genoa River on the way back
There was a small gap between the tent and the tarp.
Wonder if any lite & reasonably-priced tarp, fitted to the Moondance 2 tent.
Genoa River Gorge Walk view with GE
Wonder if any lite & reasonably-priced tarp, fitted to the Moondance 2 tent.
Day 4: Back to the
start, 14.5 kms, 6 to 7 hours.
We started an hour earlier than the day we walked in. Having walked the well-defined Yambulla Peak
Track, I did not bother to put on the gaiters.
The day was a bit warm, coupled with the length and the many uphills and
downhills of the track, it was a rather tiring day for us. Hence, we felt great relief when the survey
box near the gate was in sight. It took
almost the same time as the walk-in.
I then had a quick dip in the Genoa River East Branch
near the Highway before continuing the drive to Cann River in order to catch up
with cold beer, pub meal and a campsite.
Luckily, the campground, which used to be a caravan park, was not very
crowded and the booking could be arranged through the pub. The fee for two people was very
reasonable and I would recommend it to those, who want to camp with basic facilities.
En route back from the Genoa Gorges Walk, POIs, we had a short visit to, will be here soon.
The drive out via the WB Line