Diverging from start of the north east summit track I came across a rough fire break, and continued along this until it finished at a steep gully. After scrambling past the gully I turned to head towards the face of the mountain while continuing further west. All the while gaining ground, I hiked further into the scrub, following faint tracks when they appeared. Finding a small featured wall I stopped for a quick bite to eat, looking out of an amazing view of the countryside.
I continued up some more terraces until I found what I was looking for, Paparazzi Cliffs. A handful of bolted climbing routes near some great looking caves. I sat down under the crisp clear blue sky and relaxed in the sun.
Heading back I stayed close the base of the mountain, finding more interesting rock formations, took the long way down the deep gully and returned once again to the tourist track. It was getting late in the day, but I started up the main hiking trail, veering off track half way along to find 'Viewpoint Buttress'. Orientating myself for a return visit with climbing gear, I surveyed some of the trad routes in the late afternoon as the skies turned grey.
Enjoying the day and not wanting to return to Brisbane right away, I drove to Urbenville as night closed in and stopped at the only pub in town. Tired and hungry after the long day I sat down with a large hot pizza and proceeded to finish it easily.
Back on the road and I kept driving south-west, further into northern NSW until I arrived at a favourite camp site of mine. Nestled on the banks of the upper Clarence River is a small patch of flat grassy land called Paddy's Flat. I arrived well into the pitch black night as the storm clouds had covered the sky.
Getting my priorities straight I cracked a beer, got a fire going, then set up my tent. I settled into my camp chair in front of the flames, in the drizzle, drank beer and listened to music until the last of the logs collapsed into embers.
It lightly rained throughout the night, and I woke in the misty early morning to a slightly damp temp. I brewed a fresh pot of coffee, had some breakfast and packed up my car.
Wanting to continue the adventure, after driving north through the Yabbra state forest I turned off towards Killarney. With all of the overnight rain I thought it would be fun to drive along the Condamine River Road, a 18km stretch of dirt road that crosses the Condamine River fourteen times. The rocky bottomed river was no more than 30cm at its deepest sections, not a problem for the patrol. It was still a very nice drive along the border of Queensland and NSW, the river in parts flanked by the steep sides the Koreelah National Park.
From there on it was a pleasant but windy and rainy drive back home to Brisbane. A fantastic weekend in a beautiful part of the world. I'll be back for more soon.
More photos here
