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Published: June 12th 2014
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Sawn Rocks, Kaputar
These amazing 40 metre high columns were glowing in the sun. The columns that had dropped off exposed some lovely colours.
We had a slow start today but still decided to go and see the Sawn Rocks, which we’d been told were well worth the visit. They are 35 km from Narrabri with just a small section of dirt road leading to the car park. From there you walk through woodland on an easy path, with steel boardwalks along part of the track, that is rated as wheelchair friendly (although on one section you’d be hoping your passenger isn’t too heavy if you’re the pusher – it was quite steep!).
At the end is the biggest set of organ pipes I’ve ever seen. They make the ones opposite Calder Raceway near our home look minute. Organ pipes are really natural pentagonal or hexagonal (5 or 6 sided) columns of basalt that have formed when the lava from a volcano (in this case, the Kaputar Volcano, about 21 million years ago) cool slowly and evenly, allowing the crystals within the molten rock to align perfectly with each other. According to the information board, vertical shrinkage cracks then develop at right angles to the cooling surface which produces the columns.
They are spectacular, rising 40 metres above the ground (and evidently 30
Melburra Road, Mt Kaputa
This team of road-workers were grading the road and blocked our way for a short while. metre below it) and having lovely colours, especially where enormous chunks of the columns have dropped off and exposed the unweathered rock.
After all that beauty, our second stop was to be Waa Gorge (pronounced “war”), which the brochure said was “spectacular, an awesome steep-sided chasm”. This was, however, much harder to get to. It involved about 35 km of dirt road, most reasonable but some rather rough.
About half way down it we encountered a team of vehicles grading the road and completely blocking it. This involved a road grader to scrape the surface; a water truck, spraying to keep the dust down; and a roller with “hooves” to compact it, all heading straight for us. We pulled over and Barry reversed the ute into a side track next to us. The grader came just past us and then turned around in the bush (seems we had chosen his turning spot to wait in!). I got out to ask if we could pass and he said he’d back up a bit and let us through. I was amazed at how manoeuvrable such a large vehicle was.
This was turning into an eventful drive. We’d been
Mill-bullah Waterholes
The upper of the two waterholes - highly underwhelming. within a whisker of hitting a kangaroo about 10 minutes earlier. He’d jumped out in front of the ute when Barry was driving at 110kph and he just managed to brake a little and miss it.
The last part of the track went through private property and involved me jumping in and out 7 times to open and close a load of farm gates. We were driving through paddocks with cattle and in one we had to slow down as a “teenage” calf was standing in the middle of the road. He did move but stood on the side looking accusingly at us as we passed.
We finally got there and had to decide if we should do the walk as one board said the easy to medium walk was 2.5km and would take an hour while another said allow 2 ½ hours. We had time for the first before the sun set, but not the second. We decided to try it. We walked fairly quickly through the woodland on a rocky but well defined path to the Mill-bullah Waterholes. These are rather underwhelming, with barely a trickle falling from the creek and the trees so thick we could
Allambie Rd, Waa Gorge
The first floodway the ute has been through that actually has water in it! hardly see the first waterhole. We had to climb up some large rocks to see the second, which was just a deep depression in the rock that had been carved by weathering and had filled with water.
We had read that the Gorge was further along the “less-defined” track to the top of the hill and then follow the creek. It wasn’t less-defined, it was non-existent. We saw half a dozen animal tracks leading from the area but they were not clear and we had no idea which to take or where they would lead as there were no signs (not even the usual white arrows). Barry tried scrambling up the rocks next to the waterholes, which went to the top of the hill, but it was dangerous and he gave up half way and came back down (much to my great relief – I wouldn’t be able to carry him out if he hurt himself!)
By this time, the sun was beginning to get low and we decided to forget it and go back to the car. All that rough driving and all we’d seen were two stagnant pools and no spectacular chasm! It was a very
Newell Highway near Narrabri
At sunset we could see the moon, which has just risen. disappointing end to what had been a good day.
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