Nov 15, 2013

MULLIGANS HUT...Gibralter National Park

Talk to most dedicated campers and they will mention the big trips, like how you need 6 weeks for the Cape or their 4 week Simpson Desert trip. Well what about the little ones where you can prepare for your trip of a life time, or those weekends away where you just want to connect with nature. This destination seems to have it all, with plenty of campsite options available for tents, camper trailer and even several walk in camp sites, fires are permitted, swimming holes for the brave ones as the water always is refreshing, world heritage walks, flushing toilets, bbq huts and even showers !, all this available in a National Park- seems to good to be true. This isn't a hard trip by all means, it could be all about fine tuning your camping skills, or it could be about a casual weekend away or just a stop over on the way through.

 Located 100 km west of Grafton on the NSW’s mid north coast, there is all this just waiting to be explored. The Gwydir Highway that links Grafton to the tablelands has only been there since the early 60’s, as before this road was put over the mountain the link was along The Old Glenn Innes road that runs below the range. At the very peak of the Great Dividing Range at 1100 metres above sea level lay 2 World Heritage National Parks on either side of the Highway. On the Northern side you will find Washpool National Park, very much rainforest based with pristine creeks, cool temperate areas that have been set aside for camping and day areas, with basic facilities. On the southern side you will find the Gibraltar National Park- with generous private camp sites, flushing toilets, several bbq huts, fires are permitted and wood is available, cold showers and even a little bit of history is thrown in. 

Leaving the coastal strip of Grafton heading west, this destination will see you wander towards The Great Dividing Range for just an hour before you hit the first section to begin your climb up the Gibraltar range. As you wander along, the Mann River appears beside the Gwydir Highway, but the funny thing here is that the river flows to the west !... sensible reasoning will have you realise that at the time of the volcanic upheaval 120 million years ago only left several sections of mountains areas where the water could flow towards the sea. The Mann river flows west here towards The Great Dividing Range before adjoin the Clarence River and as such they start their journey towards the coast. The Clarence River that flows beside Grafton is also known as The Big River, as the catchment is one of the largest in NSW.

A popular stop before the climb is the little village of Jackadgery, where fuel is sometimes available, but the river stop is always a big winner to stretch the old legs, plenty of grass with a drop toot is available here. Wandering along past the old farms and some big timber you start to look up at pretty seriously at the range in front of you. The Great Diving Range here rises from a mere 70 metres above sea level to a mind blowing 1170 metres above sea level. It is possible from down here to see rain forest pockets to dry timber sections that hug these mountains on the steep slopes. As you begin the big climb up the mountain the whole eco system changes from dirty scrubby timber to a thick lush rainforest environment. Tall tree ferns line the road as small waterfalls run downwards towards lower sections. It is a great opportunity to wind down your windows and listen out for the Whip Birds and other rainforest sounds. Heffrons Lookout half way up the mountain is another popular stop where you can take in the views down to the coast and realising just how high you have climbed. The Gwydir Highway eventually reaches its limits at around 1170 metres above sea level where tall white gums soon make an appearance. Seems strange as you wander along the top of this plateau, you can see the coast, you are over 1km above sea level, yet there is only limited phone service up here. 

At the 89 km mark on the right hand side you will see the turn to Washpool National Park, World Heritage Listed for its diverse range of flora and fauna. The campsites are just 3km into the valley, they are tucked in amongst the rainforest that can be a blessing in summer, yet in winter it can stay damp and cool all day long. Several bbq shelters are provided along with pit toilets with plenty of parking. Very popular in summer as Coombadjha Creek cuts through the centre of the Park with plenty of swimming holes and day trip areas. Washpool National Park is famous for one of the largest still standing forest of Coachwood trees still left in the world. The array of birdlife is vast from the Lyrebirds that call this park home as they mimic the sounds they have heard in the past days, cheeky magpies that are always on the hunt for food to the smallest of wrens that dart in and out of the thick rainforest- the whole forest is alive. 

An interesting fact is during 1965 a Red Cedar Cutter from Kempsey known as Bill Haydon ( the cedar king ), was on his last cedar drive through this area and was never seen again, lost deep in the valleys never to be found.

Our destination for this trip was Gibraltar National Park which is just another 3km along on the southern side of the Gwydir Highway.  Being well sign posted and marked the turn off is not hard to miss. The entrance to the park will see you gather some information off the info boards in which gives you a quick run down on the drive in, flora and fauna and the importance of this park. From the info boards to Mulligan's hut camping area is a mere 10km of dirt road, maintained occasionally you still need to take care as it twists and winds its way along. As soon as you leave here to head to the camping area you will notice the amazing rock formations that are scattered throughout the park, as this is Granite rock country. The rock formations or Tors are a result of volcanic activity millions of years ago. 
The suggested speed along here is 40 k per hour. The road does get narrow but there is so much to see for the next 10 km, from the rock formations, large heath plains, rainforest pockets and tall timber also line the route. 
Entering Mulligan's Hut camping area will direct you towards another info board where you will need to pay your designated fees for your stay. At a reasonable $7 per car and $10 per adult- these fees are not too bad for what you get. There are plenty of areas where you can set up your camper, tents and for the more adventurous there are several walk in sites. 

National parks have gone to great lengths to satisfy the most fussiest camper that intends to stay here.  Fire places are provided along with a water tap at nearly every campsite- but the water needs to be boiled before drinking.  Something that is unusual here are the flushing toilets and the cold showers- def worth paying for if staying here in summer.  The great thing about this area are the activities that are at hand. You can explore the crazy rock formations, maybe take on a walk or two, wander down to Dundahra Creek for some water based activities such as swimming or Cray bobbing. 

For the history buffs you can explore Mulligan's Hut and his plans to build a hydro electricity scheme just a 5 minute walk from the camp ground.  Born in 1862 William Mulligan was a local farmer and mining engineer, he was well respected and devoted his time to local developmental projects. It was here at Dundahra Creek he built 2 bark huts with timber slab walls. Unfortunately a fire swept through here in 1960 and destroyed both huts, National Parks have rebuilt the larger one of the two. It was here that William Mulligan along with his partners planned to dam both the north and south arm of Dundahra Creek, then sending the water over the escarpment some 600 metres below to a hydro electric plant. They needed to measure the flow of the water so 2 concrete weirs were built to measure the water flow. One of the weirs can be found directly near the hut while the other can be found further down stream.  It was a huge risk for William Mulligan, so in 1942 he approached the Minister for Mining for a loan to help fund his proposal- but was rejected. Unfortunately when his partner’s leases ran out in 1952 the scheme was abandoned.

Being World Heritage listed, National parks are looking at the big picture here allowing access in the form of formed walks that range from 400 metres through to a huge 100km heritage listed walk that takes around 5 days. Rock formations definitely make their mark here standing out like sore thumbs - with such names as The Pinnacles,  Anvil rock and the Needles. Being around the 1000 metre above sea level you need to be prepared for the season in which you visit. Winters can get bitterly cold with temperatures down to well below zero, yet summers get stifling hot- just as well there are cold showers and swimming holes. 

By just sitting around the camp we were amazed at the vast arrange of wildlife that started to appear when they feel more comfy having some new visitor’s around. From king parrots, magpies, cheeky kookaburras, honey eaters looking for a sweet nectar through to rock wallabies' that hide amongst the gums, it sure feels nice. A word of warning here, it is advisable not to feed the wildlife as this will upset their feeding habits and according to a small plaque, one of the kookaburras has been destroyed after taking out a young girls eye. 
For those who need to explore further, it is possible to jump in the 4wd and check out Raspberry Lookout which is located back along the main road. The views from here are amazing as you are nearly 1200 metres above sea level. Looking south west you take in the gorge country where on a clear day you can see for at least 100 km. It is hard to imagine that below you there are several tin, gold and copper mines, where the old road ran that linked the coast to the tablelands and areas where European settles explore in the 1840’s. Raspberry lookout is a great spot to understand and to see just how volcanic activity some 240 million years ago created this area.

These National parks are well worth a visit. Great for those with a soft roader or those looking for a simple getaway in preparation for larger trips. You need to be pretty well setup with supplies and fuel as traffic in here can be hit or miss. Just remember there is very limited phone service here and the nearest towns are Glen Innes to the west 65 km away or Grafton 100km to the east if help is needed.


We all talk about what's more important, ‘The journey or the destination’, well with this getaway its all about the destination.













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