RIDE 92: THE BARRINGTON TOPS

FROM: Polblue Camping Area

TO: Barrington Tops (return)

VIA: Careys Peak, The Big Hole

LENGTH:

Day 1: Polblue Camping Area to The Big Hole via Careys Peak 35 km

Day 2: The Big Hole to Polblue Camping Area via Beean Beean Plain 18 km

Total distance is 53 km

TIME: 2 days (recommended extra day by The Big Hole) RIDE/TRACK GRADE: 3/5

WALKING: Short easy grade 200 m walk to Careys Peak summit

HEIGHT VARIATION: 155 m

TRANSPORT: Private transport needs to be taken to the Poiblue Camping Area via Scone or Gloucester. The nearest station is Gloucester, but it is 1.4 km lower than the camping ground and the best part of a day is needed to cycle there via the Scone Road.

FACILITIES: General camping facilities at Polblue, and some authorised fire places are located on the plateau itself. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Extra warm clothes

MAPS: CMA (LIC) Moonan Brook and Barrington Tops 1:25 000 topographicals. Also useful is the Barrington Tops and Gloucester Districts 1:100 000 Tourist Map.

This is the best ride in the park and one of the best in the state. It is easy as there are none of the big uphills that characterise the Barrington Tops, and it covers the most visually attractive scenery including features of interest such as spectacular look outs, the highest peak, swimming holes, good mountain bike tracks, beech trees, and sub-alpine vegetation.

The Polblue Camping Area can best be reached from Sydney via Gloucester and Newcastle and takes about four to five hours from the metropolitan area. Two ways lead from Gloucester to the national park. The short one simply goes north through flat uneventful agricultural land. The local names are equally unoriginal: the road is first called the Barrington Road which passes through the township of Barring ton, crosses the Barrington River before entering the Barrington Tops State Forest and then it becomes the Barring ton Tops Forest Road which soon leads to the Barrington Tops National Park. A better road, which gives almost total relief from the word ‘Barrington’, and incidentally passes through some lovely country side is the Gloucester Tops—Rawson Vale Road. Turn left 9 km before Gloucester on to Bucketts Way and drive along the river upstream for about 45 minutes. Turn right up on to Rawson Vale Road that climbs up to a crest where a spectacular panoramic valley lies spread before you. At the very horizon are the mountains that are your destination. Cross Kerripit River and turn left soon after. The road follows Cobark River for several kilometres before climbing continuously until it finds a ridge about 1500 m above sea level. This road is another 200—300 m higher than the tallest peaks in the Blue Mountains. The camping area is close to the road on the left hand side in the Stewarts Brook State Forest. Water, fireplaces and toilets are provided. This area is located on the western edge of the Devils Hole Wilderness area, some 2330 hectares of the rugged catchment area of the upper Moppy River, totally unblemished by human interference.

If some time is available after setting up all the camping gear from the car, the rest of the day can be spent exploring the swamp which surrounds the camping area. It is not the conventional swamp usually associated with stagnant water and rotting vegetation, but a pleasant environment where distinctive border communities grow such as sub-alpine grass lands and wildflowers.

The basic outline of the circuit is to circumnavigate the western arid southern edge of the plateau before cutting in by an alpine plain to the Big Hole. Along the way is Careys Peak, where a short track leads to the summit with impressive views over the upper Allyn River.

On the first day of cycling, go back up to the main road, turn left and take the first track on the left. This is the Polblue Trail which connects with the Barrington Trail at a t-intersection on the base of Mount Polblue (1577 m) on the edge of the

national park. Turn right and head south-east down a long slope to the Little Murray Picnic Area. The track is well graded and good progress can be made. You are now inside the national park. Turn right where the trail heads around two large mountains which mark the Mount Royal Range. Brumlow Top is the highest peak in the entire Barrington Tops area although it resembles a wooded hill. There are some pleasant stream fordings along the way, ideal for rest breaks. In summer, the yellow-leafed weed, Scotch broom, is very pre dominant in the undergrowth and actually is visually quite attractive.

On the way is a turn-off to Junction Pool which should be ignored. Keep right, following the Barrington Trail along the Mount Royal Range. A minor detour is up to the summit of Mount Barrington (1555 m) where you obtain reasonable western views. The Middle Ridge Trail which is passed is used by 4WD clubs as an entry and exit to the plateau. I was here once when an entire convoy of Range Rovers were leaving.

The trail swings to the east, always following the rim of the escarpment. It is now called the Careys Peak Trail and it is very easy and pleasant cycling to a spur just before Careys Peak. The trail deteriorates here and it is a difficult short uphill slog to the picnic ground on the right. An old hut marks a clearing right on the very southerly edge of the plateau. A walking track on the western end leads up for 200 m to the top of the lookout. A fence prevents sightseers falling down the steep slope. To the right is a stark dark green/light green line between dense moist beech rainforest and dry eucalypt bush on the plateau. The prevailing winds are from the south west, dropping most of their moisture on their way up the slopes.

Most of the Hunter Valley can be seen from this lookout. At night, even the lights of Sydney and Newcastle are visible. On a clear day, one can see as far south as Gospers Mountain in the Wollemi National Park, but usually warm days produce haze limiting views. Even worse is a white-out which often occurs, especially in the early morning. This is a perfect place for lunch. However no water is available here.

Head back out to the Careys Peak Trail and continue east to a turn-off. A gate on the right bars vehicle access to The Corker and the Wombat Creek Camping Area. A sign tells you that The Big Hole is to the left. What follows are good down- hills on a reasonable surface. On the way is Black Swamp, an open alpine plain surrounded by white eucalypt trees. Just before you cross a creek that flows out of the swamp, an infor mal picnic/camping area exists on the right hand side. After the creek, it is a bit of an uphill before more pleasant level cycling. The trail then drops into the Barrington River valley where it is downhill all the way to The Big Hole. This is one of my favourite camping areas in Australia. The cleared camping area is separated from the end of the trail, by a barrier. The hole itself is a very deep wide bend in the river, set in open pleasant woodland.

If the place is crowded, one can access another place slightly downstream from the boulders at the end of the road. This is a much smaller clearing with a rough walking track that takes you around some rapids to directly access The Big Hole. The water is chilly but well worth the effort. You are swimniing in a large pooi on top of a plateau over a kilometre higher than the rest of the Hunter Valley area. There is a rare species of native pepper (Tasmannia purpurascens) among the snow gums here which are found nowhere else in the state.

Spend one or more days here, lazing around. Exit the area via Bobs Crossing upstream and then the Watergauge Trail up to Beenan Beenan Plain joining back up to the Barrington Trail. A lot of Scotch broom and snow gums are passed through this section, and Beenan Beenan Plain itself must be one of the best sub-alpine off-road cycling environments in New South Wales due to its level gradient.

To complete the round trip head right after the large uphill to Mount Polblue, coming out on the Barrington Tops Forest Road to the east of the Polblue Camping Area. This minimises any backtracking.

This tour can also be done in reverse (clockwise) direction if you wish to have the shorter day first.