Carrington Falls - Missingham Steps to Kangaroo River

So it's been a while since my last post, which if you read, you'd know I hurt my ankle. That injury ended up with me taking a week off work (unpaid, as I'm full-time casual) and it honestly didn't heal in that week either, just well enough to walk on, but I haven't been able to hike or do any exercise like jogging or even doing laps of the pool as kicking my left foot hurt too much. It's the first time in my life I haven't just bounced back from an injury. Showing my age I guess. So while I haven't been able to do all that I've been having a transition period of moving homes, really close to the beach so that's what I've been doing in my spare time, recently trying to learn to surf. However this last week my ankle had finally started feeling a bit better, and I decided to test it out on a hike on Good Friday during the Easter Long Weekend.

So I took my Dad up to Carrington Falls, just up the top of Macqaurie Pass. As you drive in you pull in to the camp site to begin the walk.

You can continue driving if you wish to drive to the actual waterfall

Inside the camp ground there is an area just for parking, for day visitors (the camp ground is now paid, due to people misusing the area, and setting the toilet block on fire). Directly across from here is a sign letting you know the different walks around.

Now Carrington Falls is a bit sentimental to me. Whilst the first time I ever came here was with some friends camping, although we didn't back a tent and instead just a pole and a tarp to cover us attempting to sleep that way, a bunch of the guys complained the whole time and we ended up driving off to a party later that night and never stayed. However the next time I came to Carrington Falls, was a camping trip with the girl who is now my Wife. It was our first time really spending time alone together and we made some great memories. We would later come back a few times and I actually proposed to her right there at the Blue Pool (she said yes, you know, seeing as she's my Wife and I posted about our Honeymoon).

Enjoying a Swim in the Blue Pool

Showing off the Engagement Ring

 But I did this Good Friday Walk with my Dad, and we decided to do each and every one of the walks listed. So we began heading down the path walking past the Blue Pool, which one Good Friday was absolutely packed with people.

Continue down the left path as the right leads to nowhere

Down the right path? Beautiful scenery

Dad crossing the stream

Cross the little stream, although this may dry up at certain times of year, and follow the path along.

Continue up the path until it opens up

You'll soon come to a divide, with clear signage telling you to take a left turn down the path.

When you follow this for a short while you'll see the turn for the Missingham Lookouts and the way to the Missingham Steps walk.

We instead continued past this, to go to the Warris Chair Lookout, and to Nellies Glen, another famous local swimming hole.

You will come to an intersection, turning left we headed to Nellies Glen coming out into a carpark we continued left past a bunch of signs informing you of the area, it's history including the big feature of this post, the Missingham Steps.

Soon we arrived into the packed swimming hole. A beautiful spot, and I'm lucky enough to have actually been here swimming while no one else was around (along with a few other places on my blog) which is a rarity these days. I tried my best to take a picture of the waterfall without getting all the happy swimmers in the shot.

We then headed back, but I could here the sound of water flowing, and just off the path we came down there was a sort of other path behind wooden bollards which I suggested to Dad might take you straight to the actual Carrington Falls.

I was right and after a short walk, we were over looking the top of the falls, there was a few girls sunbathing up here and I took off my shoes to head over for a look over the Falls,

There's a bit of a story behind the Akubra hat I'm wearing too. My Dad actually found it on a walk one day, deciding to gift it to me as it was in good condition, my Wife instantly hated it, calling it 'an old man hat'. While I disagreed saying it was an adventure hat. However, it was a fight not to be won, and the hat was banned from the house having to stay at my Dads, so this was actually my first time getting to wear it out. I almost did the second time we climbed The Castle, but I knew how windy it got up there and decided against it.

Snapping a photo with Dad in the background

Photo of Carrington Falls taken from the other side by my Wife when we camped there years ago.

We then headed back up to the car park, back up the track and took the opposite route to go towards Warris Chair.

Again the walk it rather short along a pretty well maintained track (besides maybe a branch or two), so we arrived at Warris Chair, a big rock sitting atop a lookout. Packed with groups of people trying to take photos of themselves. While I waited for them to finish so I could get a shot of the chair I enjoyed the beautiful view offered here.

However the groups just keep taking photos, so we went and stood at the stairs waiting for them, my Dad even offering to take a photo for one group.

Lizard of Warris Chair, taking in the sun

While waiting we both began to feel bites on our legs and noticed a massive swarm of ants crawling up our legs.
As soon as this group began stepping down another group arrived, and even seeing as waiting there,quickly climbed up the rock and began taking photos of themselves.
"The Rock of a million Instagram selfies" I said to Dad. Frustrated as I just wanted a picture of the rock. Now, I'm not against taking a good instragram selfie, especially if you've come to a cool location or even completed a great walk, but think about it I couldn't help that think that there was no sense of achievement in being here. These people had literally pulled into the car park, walked 600m, bam you're there. It's a further walk to hatch an egg in Pokemon Go. When they climbed in front of it I snapped a photo and off we went towards the Missingham Steps.

Instagram selfie here? Link to it in the comments!

The path opens up and you follow it along side a farm paddock, which I can't express why, but I found serenely beautiful.

This path dips down and up again, bending around, you simply follow the farm fence.

Finally you'll see a sign pointing left back into the bush. Just as we turned in here there was a family walking out. To which my Dad asked if they had walked to the steps. "Oh no," said the guy "there's all signs there telling you not to. But you're welcome to."
"Yeah, we'll do it" I told him.
So we reached the sign directing to both the East Lookout, West Lookout and to the Steps.
We went to check out both lookouts and admire the view.

View from East Lookout

A nice looking Fungi

Someone made their own chair at the West Lookout

View from West Lookout

One of the 'warning signs'

So we began out decent down into the gully. The initial path down is pretty steep and you really need good footing and some climbing ability to get down, though it isn't a long descent.
Once down the temperature drops and you're completely in shade. You can tell it's an area not many people come down into and the view was beautiful.

Surrounded by the cliff behind you, a cliff in front of you and a cliff to your right with a small stream of flowing water down it it was clear you followed the gully left to head to Kangaroo River. There is no clear path, and the walk involved some rock scrambling almost the entire way. If you're not level footed and decently fit I'd give this one a miss. We continued onwards, unsure of where the Missingham Steps were until the Gully started to dip downwards and we began to spot them more and more often.

Don't expect to be able to just walk down the steps, these were made around 100 years ago and since there have obviously been rock falls, erosion, and general weathering. At many places you'll need to find ways to climb and jump down to lower areas. It was cool to walk through a place that has such distinctive untouched local history.
When you reach the bottom of the steps there is meant to be no clear sign-age however someone has went through ticking can lids to trees, spray painting, and tying pink bands to, I assume help guide people in the right direction. Even with this however it can be easy to get lost, a simple way to head the right way is to just follow the path made by water during the rain.

Panorama of the forest

Around this point the ground levels out and there's no clear indicator of which direction to take, we sat and had some food and scouted around a little before deciding to continue downward in the direction we were already heading in, the top soil here was very loose, so I slipped and fell landing flat on my ass before bouncing back up.
You can easily lose your direction because after this bit the spray paint, ties and can lids nailed to trees disappeared as we took a few different routes trying to find a path downwards.

There's a couple of places where we tried to use logs as footing and I don't recommend this at it was so soft we found a feet falling straight through as I managed to catch happening to Dad.

On a path we took (one that we decided was wrong) we noticed a bunch of blueberries. Assuming someone walking ahead of us had spilled some. As we kept walking we found more and more. Too many in fact that we began to question how there could be so many blueberries scattered all over the ground.

Elaeocarpus reticulatus

We also began to question how they could look so fresh. I began to question that they were blueberries, opening one up to see small little seeds inside. "They must just be a native fruit that looks like a blueberry." I said to Dad laughing. I believe it is the fruit of The Blueberry Ash, and native Australian tree.

We soon could hear the sound of running water and after climbing up a ledge we made or way over to Kangaroo River.

The view was amazing, and really reminded me of the sere beauty of Jump Rock, but more untouched. More wild.

While I was sitting by the edge of the water, Dad decided to continue upstream for a bit of exploration. Looking at the cool clear water I was desperate to go for a swim, but didn't want to walk back soaking wet. However figuring as I had the place completely to myself I quickly stripped down into my undies and ploughed into the icy water. It was freezing but super refreshing as well. Being a very self concious person I never usually get the opportunity to relax and just be alone and in nature and not have to be in my head worrying. The experience was fantastic and I left me feeling mentally as well as physically refreshed.

After a while I figured I had better go find Dad, so I hoped out, bathing shirtless under the warm sun to dry myself a little before I too, headed upstream.

Having stayed and explored around we headed back downstream to head home feeling good having accomplished another great adventure. Both agreeing we would like to come back and follow the stream all the way up to Carrington Falls and explore downstream a bit more.

And still noticing and admiring Fungi in the undergrowth on our way back

The walk back up was a bit harder, just both being out of shape compared to 2017, however breathing heavily and dripping with sweat we walked and climbed our way back up to where we had first descended into the gully and climbed our way out.

Overall is was a great walk, especially as a lover of both nature and history. Hopefully as my ankle gets better and better I can begin to fill 2018 with many more adventures. However they may have to wait as my upcoming month is pretty full on and at the end of it my Wife and I are going on a cruise to Vanuatu and New Caledonia so I'll definitely be back to write about that.

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Thanks for reading! - Steven




Extra tidbits! - So I mentioned in my last post that my wife had bought me a ticket to go Hang-gliding. So I thought I'd share a video and pictures of my time doing that, which was excellent by the way!