Gardens of Stone and Wolgan Valley Rim Track. Saturday 26th August 2017
On Saturday 26th August we hit the tracks to the Garden of Stone.
The convoy of 11 vehicles started with a casual drive along Wolgan Rd. We turned onto the first fire trail and aired down and then proceeded to the first hill climb. Once at the top we followed the Wolgan rim along to the first lookout. The scenery which stretched over the Wolgan Valley was spectacular. We took the opportunity to have morning tea there and to take a group shot of the vehicles. Joel took his corflue Pajero over the rocks while Will gave his r/c a thrashing over the rough terrain. We then moved on following Disco 1 until we came to a stop. Everyone decided to check out the point of interest. It was a steep rock descent which was washed out at the bottom with a drop of about one metre. This challenge was not going to stop the TRAX folk so in fine spirits everyone began to build up the road with logs, rocks and sandbags. Although the road was very slippery under foot, the team was very productive and the road was built up in no time. After a group assessment of which line to drive, Matt being the trip leader, was the first to attempt it. Inch by inch, in low range, each car successfully completed the track. By the time the last car reached the end of the rocky decline, about an hour had passed. In contrast 4 motorbike riders who approached us from the opposite direction bounced over the rocks in less than a minute. Their skilful riding made their ride up the hill look simple! We must also add here that some children, those being, Olivia and Joel, loved the thrill and were very excited to be in the Pajero as their dad went down (unlike their mother and sister Isabel who chose to get to the bottom by foot!).
Once down the bottom we came to the rocky outcrops of the Garden of Stone. We felt like dwarfs as the huge stone towers surrounded us. We cruised through the forest till we came to a shallow creek which was to be our lunch stop. It was nice to relax and have fellowship together around the campfire.
The rest of the day was a steady drive through the Garden of Stone National Park. After seeing some other scenic views, we pulled up for a quick afternoon tea and a thanksgiving prayer by Neil Flower. Thank you to all the people who joined us and Matt and family for leading the day.
Olivia, Joel and Isabel