23/02/1973 – 25/02/1973 Mount Victoria – Grose Valley – Victoria Falls circuit
Blue Mountains National Park, NSW
Dharug country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Report, Photos), Tony Dutton, Richard Graham, Vince McCormack
Equipment: Pack (A frame TD), tent (IM), ground sheet (new $3.10), first aid kit, tent pegs, 2 pair jeans, shorts, sandshoes, costumes, towel, steelo, map, knife & fork, frying pan, 2 T shirts, 1 football jumper, underclothes, 2 pair socks, raincoat
Food: 2 packets biscuits (date, wholemeal), 5 x 1lb tins meat, 1 x 1lb tin sliced pineapple, 3 oranges, 1 pack dried apricots, 3 eggs, butter for biscuits
Day 1: Friday 23/02/1973 Mount Victoria – Victoria Falls Lookout
Tim Graham drove us to Strathfield. Got 6:11pm train to Mount Victoria ($2.50 return). Vince didn’t appear to be on the train but he turned up around Lapstone. He’d been up the front the first two hours. Arrived at Mount Victoria about 8:40pm.
Passed by police station and left our names and where we were going (only one other group went out this weekend).
This route was reconstructed from memory using Google Earth Pro and GPS Visualizer.
Max elevation: 1061 m
Total climbing: 103 m
Total descent: -203 m
Average speed: nan km/h
Darkness. Turned off at Victoria Falls sign. Darkness. Straining eyes to see anything. Fortunately no rain at this stage. Only light was from Graham’s boots and the blinding match that was lie occasionally. Walked for what seemed to be hours and hours. Very dark – no moon and complete cloud cover, could only just see the guy next to you.
Couldn’t find anywhere to camp along the road so decided to go to the lookout for the night, got there about 10:00pm. Camped in the shed on the ground (cement very hard and uncomfortable) didn’t get a good sleep.
Day 2: Saturday 24/02/1973 Victoria Falls Lookout – Grose River
This route was reconstructed from memory using Google Earth Pro and GPS Visualizer.
Max elevation: 1026 m
Total climbing: 763 m
Total descent: -971 m
Average speed: nan km/h
Had an early breakfast, woke at 6:30am. Left about 7:30am for Grose River. Walked back along track to a point about half way along it. Turned off here for the river.
Passed through trees, shrubs and rocky terrain. Had to use ropes for one section (see picture 2) eventually got to the river. Followed it the rest of the way to the camp. Walked along the river and sometimes in and through it when necessary to avoid huge rocks, boulders or vegetation whence too thick. Rested occasionally and ate. Many freshwater crayfish in the river all the way. Talk about hard.
As we got on to the more difficult part -huge boulders blocked our way right across the river. Here the water plunged over up to heights of about six feet into deep pools. Therefore we found it necessary to go around them. One such example caused great trouble and much time. The vegetation was exceptionally dense/thick with many thorned vines requiring cutting. Once around this vegetation is was necessary to lower ourselves down with ropes to get to the river level. There were only two or three such obstacles but it was extremely difficult to overcome them.
Many smaller examples of somewhat similar examples abounded. These we either jumped own from or sat down and slid the rest of the way. Sometimes we were on all fours.
Vince, Richard and Tony resting by the Upper Grose River
The river base consisted of gravel and boulders and increasing quantities of sand towards the lower reaches.
The trip took us 10 ½ hours (including ¾ hour rest time). This got us to camp about 7:15pm. Everyone was completely exhausted.
Camp was set up and tea made. I went to bed early.
Stephen, Vince and Richard in raingear
Rained only occasionally during the day but this didn’t matter too much as we were continually (at least 100 times) crossing the river, mostly at knee deep level but once up to waist level (got sleeping bag container wet).
One stone I jumped off I sank down to my knee. Soon got out of that.
Rained during the night. Vince and Tony’s tent was pitched in a sort of hole. They woke up with their tent in ¼ inch water and sleeping bags soaked. Dick’s got wet too, mine only on a small patch.
Day 3: Sunday 25/02/1973 Grose River – Mount Victoria
This route was reconstructed from memory using Google Earth Pro and GPS Visualizer.
Max elevation: 1061 m
Total climbing: 634 m
Total descent: -319 m
Average speed: nan km/h
Raining still when we got up. I had can of cold baked beans and stayed in tent until rain eased.
We packed up and left for Victoria Falls.
Well what do you know there was a track all the way. Not much at times but still a track. Made good progress. Still a little climbing and two or three times across the river.
Saw one good campsite on the other side of the river from our own camp, grassed over and flat.
Stephen, Richard and Tony at Victoria Falls on Victoria Creek
Made the bottom of the falls and rested there for a while. Vince took a picture of the falls for me.
View from Victoria Falls Lookout
View from Victoria Falls Lookout
Long way up to the top. Made the top in good time and had dinner there. Took two pictures of the valley from the lookout.
Walked back to Mount Victoria in about 1 ¾ hours. Left for Strathfield on the 4:30pm train getting home at 7:00pm. Got wet getting off the bus at the top of Dreadnought Street.
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