It was sunny and clear when I arrived at noon, I shouldered my backpack and followed the 'White Track' down to the Shoalhaven River. It was a steep descent, but the track was straightforward and after about 90 minutes I found myself at the confluence of the Shoalhaven River and Bungonia Creek. I searched for a nice spot to make camp, eventually finding a rocky islet that split the river.
During heavy rain there were plenty of signs that this section would be underwater, but the forecast was clear and I decided to set up my hiking hammock. I wouldn't have to worry about finding smooth ground in between the shores of river gravel, and I could fall asleep with a clear view of the skies.
Although it was still early the light rapidly faded as the sun set behind the gorge, in the fleeting daylight I drank red wine and relaxed along the calm shores only tens of meters from my camp.
There was no-one around for miles, the only sounds were the gentle burbling of the river and the occasional cry of some nearby crows who had decided to hang around my camp.
Once darkness had fully set in I had some dinner and retired to my hammock to read until sleep overcame me, which didn't take long.
It was a brilliant sunny day when I awoke, with no rush to return home I made coffee and breakfast and sat by the river to warm to the day.
Striking camp didn't take long, as I was packing things away I noticed some litter off in the distance. Getting closer I realized that what I was seeing was my plastic bags of almonds, while I wasn't looking the crows had tried to make off with my snacks! Two layers of plastic zip lock bags had been pecked through, the entire bag must have been too heavy to fly away with....
Rather than hiking back out via the 'White Track', I decided to follow the Bungonia creek back upstream towards the boulder field. Within 45 minutes I had reached the 'Red Track' exit, so I decided to push on further ahead. This took me back through the maze of massive smooth rocks which was a lot more interesting to navigate with a loaded backpack on.
Before too long I passed through that obstacle field and continued further upstream. By the time I found the 'Red Track' path back up the gully the skies had become overcast and a frigid wind had arrived. I was thankful for the cool weather for the strenuous last section of hiking, I arrived back to my car as the day turned grey.
It hadn't expected the Shoalhaven River to be so pretty, and I couldn't have asked for a more relaxing time. It was an ideal weekend getaway, definitely one I'll return to again.
More photos here
