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BURRILL LAKE...south coast NSW

Ever heard of Burrill Lake south of Ulladulla ??….. well I hadn’t until just the other day when I called into see some old friends. This little village has to be one of the most peaceful yet beautiful spots I have stopped at along the east coast so far. Just a 10 min drive south of Ulladulla ( or about 3 hours from down town Sydney ) its all about nature. 

Take a step back in time when Cook sailed past in 1770 - he named a mountain behind it Pigeon House mountain as he sailed passed the entrance to the lake. The name Burrill comes from the local aboriginal meaning of Wallaby. According to records the oldest Aboriginal known rock shelter on the east coast was found nearby - and with the abundance of food on the land, fresh water and seafood I would have lived here too. The place was settled around 1880 with the usual timber mills, a school, shop built nearby. Back in the day - shell grit was gathered and sold for lime as another early industry. 

Today there’s about 1500 residence around the stunning lake but during the holidays this number triples with tourists who flock to the area. The lake itself is open to the ocean and in most parts it's only up to 6 feet deep and absolutely crystal clear, combine that with stunning white clear sand and the water has a beautiful turquoise blue to it. It’s a massive lake system and is teaming with a variety of fish and rays, birds and so much more. Smithy’s point is a parkland right beside the lake where you can enjoy picnics on the grass with a stack of shelters and bbqs. Oh and if you want some of the best fish and chips around - the little seafood shop at the lake has been awarded the best fish and chips in NSW !!.

Now while there’s a few big caravan parks around the lake who like to sting you with holiday rates - head south for 3 km to the Lagoon Point Conference Centre. Here they have bush camping set on a stack of acres all within a cooee of the stunning Wairo Beach that stretches for miles to the south. Surrounded by NP’s you can be assured of visiting wild life all in peaceful surroundings. Plenty of facilities, massive informal shady sites, great for groups or you can just tuck away in a corner plus heading to the beach is only a 3 min walk. Down here you can fish till dark or just wander for miles exploring the area or the honeycomb rock at the headland. 

This is one place that Ill def be coming back too and considering the fires came to within the shore of the lake - the place is open and looking fantastic. 

TOWNSVILLE

When we arrived in Townsville in far Nth Queensland we weren’t really weren’t too sure what to expect but soon found out that it’s the gateway to a host of different areas. A huge regional city that is regarded as the unofficial capital of Queensland by the locals Townsville is sprawled over a huge area with nearly 180 000 residents. 

Funnily enough Captain Cook sailed straight past back in 1770 but did note and name Magnetic island ( a few miles just off Townsville ) as he headed north. It wasn’t until 1819 when the first white man explored the area landing in the now named Cleveland Bay, in the years leading up to 1864 the hinterland and coastline was opened up, established and a suitable site was found for Townsville. The years rolled and the town grew with a port, various plantations, huge pastoral stations and the extending town grew to nearly 2000. During the late 1880’s Townsville flourished with a rail system, government offices, a council was formed, roads and the first lots of land were offered by auction. 

Roll onto today and Townsville is a bustling city that relies not only on some of the largest industries in Australia but some of the best tourism features in the world. Surprising the Port of Townsville is the 3rd largest in all of Australia moving nearly 60 000 containers each year, can cater for massive international cruise ships, and is the leading port for an array of minerals found in the area including the worlds largest zinc refinery.

Surrounded by National Parks, Townsville is the perfect place to be based to explore the outer reaches of this stunning area and is known as the gateway to many places by local tourism operators. One of there best viewing points to get your head around this place is Castle Hill which is smack bang in the middle of town which rises up nearly 290 meters high where it certainly dominates the landscape. If you have time there are many walking trails up and around Castle Hill for different levels of fitness, but be warned some of them are super crazy steep to the top with 1300 steps but if you haven’t got the time of fitness there is a sealed road to the top. Spending time up here is awesome where there are more walking trails around the top of this giant piece of Granite which surprisingly is heritage listed. The views are to die for across the port to Magnetic Island, west towards the mountain ranges across the city or up the coast line where you can also see outer islands and long stretches of beaches. 

Back down in town the place to go is the vibrant Strand walkway which has been built along the esplanade where restaurant’s, coffee shops and hip market stalls line the way. But don’t be fooled by all the glitz and glamour along the way there are plenty of parks and shady trees to hide from the blazing tropical sun. This year is the 20th anniversary for the strand which has become one of the towns most popular destinations. The mix of buildings around Townsville is nothing short of stunning where new funky style meets heritage listed buildings that have been restored to their former glory. Some years ago the local council took the initiative to create street art on a stack of ugly walls, up narrow laneways and around the inner city. 

Townsville is the closest port to the Great Barrier Reef so there are boats leaving for different locations and activities every couple of hours. One of the most popular tours offshore is out to Magnetic Island where for a few dollars and a quick 45 min cruise you can explore this 50km square piece of paradise. The island is what dreams made of - stunning beaches, wildlife, walking trails, secluded coves and with a little WW11 history thrown in which is surrounded by the Coral Sea and Mount Cook as the highest peak. Magnetic Island is the home to over 500 Koala’s in which over 50% of the island is now declared National park. Other close islands include the stunning Hinchenbrook which is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area or out to Orpheus which is surrounded by tropical reefs and lays claim to fame having 1100 Tropical fish out of the 1300 that live in the GBR. If fishing is your thing Townsville has it covered wether it be big game fish like Tuna or Black Marlin, bottom bouncing or throwing big poppers around for feisty pelagic’s. 

Around the town itself there are plenty of other areas to discover, like one of the 4 Botanical gardens that surround the town, there’s a plethora of galleries, shopping centres, museums and Townsville’s town common area. Located just 6km away from town hugging the coastline this area has been set aside for the locals and tourist to enjoy its pure nature and serenity. There are many walking and bike trails, wetlands and headlands to explore, its a haven for tropical birds and animals and the best part it is free to explore. Down south of Townsville is the award winning Billabong Sanctuary where if by any chance you didn’t see any wildlife while around town, you can be guaranteed to see an array of animals, birds and crocodiles within the park where you can interact with the animals. 

Theres a stack of caravan parks in Townsville but we discovered the Bush Oasis Caravan park 17km south of town. Now this may seem a little far out of the way but the park is set in a beautiful bush landscape where the facilities are perfect yet it’s only a 15 minute drive back into Townsville but away from the hustle and bustle. The park has been beautifully transformed after the devastating floods with new facilities, plenty of huge grassy sites, a stunning pool and spa area and the camp kitchen is one of the best we have ever used including a state of the art coffee machine. Every afternoon dozens of Wallabies converge to the park to graze on the grass throughout the 14 acres. Martin and Fiona go to great lengths to make anyone feel at home here where around happy hour the fire is lit and stories are told. They are developing a smaller and greener footprint where they generate and clean it’s own water for the park as well as tapping into the tropical sun for reusable energy. 

The art and culture, stunning wildlife, huge shopping centres, pristine beaches and the atmosphere surrounding Townsville is nothing short of amazing where industry mixes so well with tourism. It’s a city where you can set up camp for a month and be pleasantly surprised day in and day out. 

DID YOU KNOW ???

It was back in the early 90’s when a mate introduced me to 4wding with a camping trip up the back of Coffs harbour - from then I was hooked and it was like a whole new world off the bitumen. Every spare chance I got it was to head bush with the old paper maps hoping to find new tracks, fishing holes and secluded camping spots around the coast and boy did we have some great adventures, competed in a few competitions around the state through to epic trips into the heart of Australia. It was about this time when I started my journey into photography but with the old 35mm rolls of film, just hopping for that 1 great shot and over the years my photography has just grown from there with the advancement of gear. Taking pics is a bit easier these days with the amount of gear available but there still is a thought process about the capture - I love getting up at the crack of dawn to wait for that magic hour of colour, trying to get that perfect landscape shot after hiking up a mountain or capturing those stunning desert colours that everybody talks about. 

Before long mates wanted to come along after hearing about my exploring so I formed Woolgoolgaoffroad which was like an informal 4wd group for anyone that wanted to join us on a day out. Kicking around the NSW north coast has been my backyard for all these years where the bush and ocean meet so I have had no shortage of places to go. Roll the clock to now and I’ve had some bloody good water under my bridge which has covered 3 4wd’s, camper trailers, Ive been support vehicle for bike riders across Desert areas, hosting many camps, working with a national camping chain plus a few years with an offroad store in Coffs Harbour and with all this experience it wasn’t long before I saw the potential to write a 4wd book on tracks around the Coffs Coast area. With this new project I was taking more and more time off work to seek out new destinations and explore so last year I made the decision to semi ‘retire’ and do the grey hair big lap nomad thing. But it seems like I am busier than ever collaborating with great Australian companies with advertising, destination write-ups, product reviews through to setting up customer appreciation camps and weekend drives plus supplying magazine content.

With 12 months of planning, buying a hybrid off-road trailer, rebuilding the 80 series Cruiser and downsizing into a storage shed it came to a fruition this year. Making a decision to re-build the cruiser was an easy one as it is easy to maintain, fantastic offroad truck set up for touring and I know all the speaks and rattles in the old girl ( built in Sept 1991 ) and non of this bloody electronic garbage to stuff up on the road. Spending time in the 4wd industry I’ve seen the introduction of the ‘lower standard’ accessories which I’ve stuck away from and will only use the Aussie ones due to reliability on the cruiser. The camper is extremely comfy, capable on and offroad plus if the weather turns crappy I can wack on the radio or get stuck into some emails that seem to be never ending.

Over the years with my outback trips I’ve seen areas covered in flood and drought and it never seems to amaze me that people ( that have never ventured out back ) say there is nothing to see - but waking up in the morning seeing tiny footprints in the sand, typical ocean birds in outback waterways or the history that this country holds is nothing short of spectacular to me. I love the remoteness of hard to get places, the dirt and dust that you travel through for days it’s all part of it and it makes you appreciate life in a different way. Seeing wildflowers as high as my knees or hiking out into dry lake beds where early explorers blazed trees and left relics is what my life is all about now. 

U tube channel

Have you checked out my ever growing Utube channel ?🤔... it’s slowly but surely growing.

❣️❣️❣️❣️Link below ❣️❣️❣️❣️

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTQ_Qsb6X5roaube-A0KtRw

LINKS TO READ

https://www.whichcar.com.au/opinion/old-4x4s-are-better-at-going-off-road

https://www.whichcar.com.au/explore/nsw/lightning-ridge-nsw-4x4-travel-guide

https://www.whichcar.com.au/explore/nsw/wollemi-national-park-4x4-trip-guide

https://www.whichcar.com.au/explore/qld/eurimbula-national-park-queensland-4x4-travel-guide

OXLEY WILD NP...NSW

The New England plateau was created millions of years ago when there was a massive upheaval along the coast by mega volcanoes including the nearby Ebor Volcano thus creating fertile farmlands, steep ruggered valleys and seperate micro systems along the way. One area of particular interest is the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park that covers just over 145,000 hectares of some of most beautiful and in other parts some of the most inaccessible areas in the state. Situated 500 km north of Sydney its a great place to explore its history and natural beauty and get back to basics with simple camp options wether in a 4wd or 2wd. Today is a very protected National Park that was heritage listed back in 2007 due to its significance with its dry rainforest areas, rich bio-diversity and part of the Gondwana Rainforest area of Australia that links it to other parts of the world. 

Jump back to 1818 when explorer John Oxley passed through the area looking for pastoral land ( and hence the name was dedicated to him ) while he was trying to descend towards the coast but was constantly being stopped by huge deep gorges until he finally found a way down with his party. Due to the ruggedness its’ there’s a few different ways in with different special features for both 4wders and those just with a soft roader. For those with a AWD skirting around the outskirts of the park there’s a few waterfalls and easier camping areas to explore. Places like Apsley Falls, Wollomombi, Dangars Falls all are pretty easy to access to view the massive waterfall drops and the chance to set off on foot on one of the many walking trails, but if you like to explore the inner heart of the wild Oxley there’s a few days of exploring that can be had. In 1976 it was declared a true wilderness area due to the natural environment that hasn’t been touched by man through any means what so ever and this works in the favour of having a 4wd so we can explore the inner parts. While it’s one of the largest National parks in NSW there are no roads through the guts of the wild Oxley, only loop roads to camp sites and into the gorge areas. 

From the southern end near Walcha head out along Moona Plains road and Buds Mare trail where if you can access a campground down on the mighty Apsley River via a locked gate where the key is available through the NPWS office at Walcha, but if you can’t get the key a free camp has been set up at the top of Buds mare just before the steep track down to the river. The camp at the top is a pretty good setup with all fresh facilities, views down into the craggy valley below and walking trails to a viewing deck and another 8 km return walk to the river below.  Down beside the river NPWS have setup the camp area with fire pits, eco-toilets, shelters and even a free gas bbq. 

Around on the western side of the park towards the town of Armidale, easy access to Dangars Gorge for those with a AWD and keen to tackle one of the many hikes in the area to the bottom of the valley and river areas. Some of the hikes are for experienced only and go for days popping out elsewhere in the park or just do the loop back. An advantage here is that you can setup base camp in the Dangars Waterfall camping area and then do the return loop. 

Getting down into the remote areas and away from the wandering crowds you’ll need to head 40 east of Armidale towards the historical town of Hillgrove. Before heading into the bush, check out the now rundown old area of Hillgrove with a drive around the town. Once a rich gold mining town it was established in 1884 when gold was discovered in nearby creeks. Over the years it produced a massive 15,000 kg of gold, 14,000 tons of Antimony and 2,000 tones of Scheelite ( ore like material ). The mining has all but stopped these days but lookout points around the area at Bakers and Metz Gorge lookouts give you views down to the old mine sites where old brick chimneys, buildings and mine entrance structures can still be seen. Tramways were built to haul the rock from the mines deep below up to the towns level for processing using steam driven engines back in the mid to late 1800’s and in 1895 it was the very first town in Australia creating its own power from a hydro plant in the nearby Gara gorge. Around town plaques and signs give you an invite what used to be there and even tho it makes the mind wander it's pretty disappointing that none of there buildings are there anymore.

Heading out along the Long point road to the end there is other remote camping and more walking tracks on the outer fringes of the park into the Chandler Valley but midway along swing down into the Styx river area for more remote and 4wd accessible areas. Down here there’s a maze of roads so you’ll need a good GPS to show you the low range range tracks in the area with some of the best free camping areas that you can enjoy and the water down here in the rivers can nearly be guaranteed due to the huge catchment areas in the park. Other spectacular areas to explore where you’ll need a key for access is down into the Halls Peak camping area which is low range territory with steep drop offs and sheer cliffs but the camping area at the bottom has plenty of space with tables, toilets, bbq’s and supplied milled wood. For a more civilised camping area head into West Kunderang Station where there’s a choice of sites or rustic cabins on the property which is a working cattle station. NPWS run East Kunderang Station where you can book online to camp in a stockman like hut.

When the cattlemen rode for days in this area they built what we know today as stockman huts. Throughout the Oxley NP there are huts in remote locations that NPWS have control over and manage their upkeep. The most popular being Youdales but others nearby along the Green Gully walking track where you camp beside these heritage listed restored huts. 

For the history buffs 12km southwest of Ebor, the Yooroonah Tank Trap Barrier is of significant importance. Strategically placed here back in 1942 in case the Japanese were to invade Australia, the barrier would have slowed progress to the tablelands. There was a reported 75 posts barrier ( we saw about 50 odd - others had been burnt, attacked by white ants or been knocked over. There are 8 triangle tetrahedra ( triangle blocks ) placed on the higher ground to force the tanks into the marsh areas ), we found several rock lookout platforms, funk holes ( where our troops would of laid if there was an attack ). But an amazing find was the tunnel under the old road that would have been loaded up with 1.5 ton of explosives in steel boxes and ignited if the enemy was on the road.

The digging of the tunnel initially involved two shifts of two men each (working 15 hours work per day, 6 days per week). It’s about 60 feet long with two arms branching off the end, reports say it was 10 feet high ( now about 5 ) and it seems to be about 4 feet wide. This enemy deterrent was one of many along the east coast and in fact the steepness of terrain from tableland to coast, combined with the prevalence of deep gorges, the absence of navigable rivers and the heavily-forested nature of the surrounding countryside, meant that the few easterly roads extant in 1942 were of critical strategic importance. Now it's listed by the National Trust. Lots of history and very cool. There are several walking tracks around these points of interest - easy for the kids to walk too. 

The cycle of the wild Oxley changes the landscape with every weather event with weathering winds wearing away at the sandstone outcrops, the torrential rain causing landslips into the valleys below making new pools or destroying thousand year old micro-systems or raging floods that create havoc along the banks where severe erosion takes place either at the base of some of the highest waterfalls in NSW or along the many creeks along the way. The wild Oxley is one area that can’t be explored in just visit. 

THE NEW WOOPI LOOP

I think we just found the new Woopi loop in the plethora of offroad trails in the hills behind Woolgoolga. Thanks to the host of great people who make this happen

HELL HOLE GORGE.....remote western qld

Located near the centre of Queensland I thought I was up for the challenge to head into this very remote area nearly 1200km west of Brisbane. Hell Hole Gorge has only one road in and one out via Adavale where you need to register at the local pub and then de-register on your way out, for emergency reasons and your own safety. Just recently Queensland Parks opened the park to campers but you need to be totally self - sufficient with all food, water, communication and carry a comprehensive first aid kit and the last stop for any luxuries before heading offroad is Quilpie where limited supplies can be found about 120km away.The roads out here are generally that stunning red dirt type with Mulga, Red gums and Gidyea trees lining the road with low salt bush intermixing around the base. 

It’s pretty amazing the history out here in the remote regions and Adavale was no different. Dating back to early 1800 it’s hard to believe that Adavale was once a thriving town during a gold rush days that had an unbelievable 8 pubs in the area, a police station, doctors, school, shops and it was on the mail route out to Windorah. Originally the rail line was to come out to Adavale but a last minute decision had the line sent out to Quilpie, this hurt the town and it slowly died. But later on in 1963 huge floods swept through the area, and it was reported that the water was 10 miles wide at Adavale cutting the town off for weeks, washing away buildings and subsequently more locals left the area in dispear. Adavale was named after a bride when her veil flew off into a local creek and when somebody yelled out  “there goes Ada’s veil”, the name stuck. 

These days there are around 20 permanent residence living in this remote town but I found that it was a good little place to have a look as there is an outdoor museum, the old police cell has been restored and is jammed packed full of memorabilia including hand written letters and the local hall has been restored where if you walk around the verandahs there is a plethora of old photos, reports, old cattle and mine leases plus relics from the past. At the local pub your advised to register ( and then de-register ) when you come out of Hell Hole just for your safety as there is no phone signal anywhere in the park.

Heading out of Adavale towards the park you’ll pass through several large stations where cattle wander freely so just keep this in mind. The road out is not generally maintained so by dropping a stack of air out of your tyres is the right thing to do for comfort and it also protects the roads by not tearing it up. With only a 70 km drive to the park don’t expect hot to take any less than 2 hours due to the roads and quite often there are photo opportunities along the way. It’s a stunning drive with long stretches of sand, narrow single lane tracks and there are sections where the road will wind down and cross huge ancient dry creek beds. 

As you enter Hell Hole Gorge there’s a info board highlighting important information, flora and fauna features and general park information, you’ll also need to self register before heading here through Queensland parks online. The park has only been open to campers for a short time and after a long drive in you’ll find that the designated camping area is across the other side of the Powell river gorge. Parks QLD have placed blue markers across and then up 200 along the rocks to follow safely where there are plenty of informal camping options around through the trees and rocky outcrops. Hell Hole Gorge doesn’t have 4wd tracks, it’s a quiet place where bird watchers, hikers and those seeking a little solitude can spend time what they love. Camping is only 200 metres to the water holes where at any time of the day you’ll spot an array of different birds, fish, the rare Krefft river turtles and maybe spot the Yellow foot Wallaby. When the sun sets out here there is an eerie quietness across the area but it’s a typical outback sunset where stunning colours light up the sky and at night the stars seem to be brighter. 

Seasons are extreme out here with summer temperatures reaching the high 40’s yet the winters can get bitterly cold, so be prepared for what ever season you choose. 

The park was declared only 20 years ago to protect the Mulga eco-system out in western Queensland so by following the regulations that are in place it will be kept open for years to come. There are no facilities out here so all rubbish needs to be carried out, toilet waste needs to be dug into the ground and burn the paper if it is safe at the time. There are also no formal walking tracks in the park so take care where you venture, as I found out if you don’t keep a track where you are it could be easy to get a little orientated. The Gorge has been formed over millions of years with water running high and fast through Powell Creek and with the erosion process that takes place over sedimentary rocks it had formed what we have today including some areas where there are 40 metre high cliffs. 

Hell Hole Gorge needs to be respected to enter and to spend time here as if anything goes wrong with your preparation or an accident occurs - help is a long time coming. It may be a long drive in to explore but it’s well worth the time for an outback remote adventure.