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Published: November 28th 2006
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Over-view
The walk started at Sixth creek at the bottom of the hill on the left, then when up the hill (550m) and then around on the saddle (where this photo was taken) then down and back up again, on to the hill on the right, and then down and return along Sixth creek. HUGE. Introduction
This is one of the tougher walks we have done - our legs really ached the next day or two. It takes in a section of the Heysen trail that runs along Sixth creek in the Adelaide Hills, however this is done in 2 parts.
If you are interested in walking the Heysen trail yourself then it is probably wise to join a walking group such as the
Friends of the Heysen trail who provide guided walks for those who want to go end-to-end, or for those who want to just see sections. An example of an (potential) end-to-ender (and fellow blogger) is Jeremy from Prospect who is describing his progressive
walking experiences on the Heysen trail.
How to get there
To get to the Sixth creek walk from the GPO head to the the Hills and up Gorge Road past the Black Hill Conservation Park. Turn right onto Corkscrew Road and follow this until a left hand turn onto the single lane Valley Road. A km or so up this road there is a creek crossing - this is Sixth Creek. Park your car and head South along the Heysen trail. The first route map shows you in detail how to get there.
What happened
Sixth creek
Start of this walk was the Heysen trail at Sixth creek. ...
We had a rainy night on the Saturday and this made for a wet track, pleasant smells and a flowing creek. The walk was along fire tracks - I noticed when I was preparing the second route map (of the walk itself) that all bar one of these roads has a name.
We followed the Heysen trail along the creek until a ford (the Heysen trail headed up hill and to the west) where we continued heading along the creek through country that had orchards of lemon and cherry trees with sheep grazing below.
There was a second creek crossing and then a very hard steep climb commenced. As we climbed we could see across the valley to Cherryville which made a pretty setting. Across to the other side there was a large valley and granite outcrops. There wasn't much flowering until we got near the summit, but those plants that were flowering were quite different to other plants we have seen on our walks.
It was then a short walk in cleared terrain across the saddle and then we went steeply down into the next valley and then steeply up back to the top of
Muddy walking
Adelaide had 10-15 mm of rain on Saturday night (finally) and this made for the first muddy track in ages. the next hill (ouch!). We entered Montecute Conservation Park (and got back on to the Heysen trail) at the hill top and then a final steep descent to Sixth creek. We took the Creek-side track back to our starting point.
Dan says ...
Hello readers!
Boy was it a tough walk - I knew I had legs after this - I felt muscles that I had never felt before. Anyway, another reason why it was very hard to walk on this day was because it was steamy and wet.
There were some good things about this walk. There were some bamboo spears that you can pull out the growing tip and make whistles.
Here is what you need:
- bamboo spear
- fingers
- breath
What to do:
First take the growing tip of the bamboo spear out.
Then unravel the outer layer and make into a tube.
Then blow through the tube.
The result:
A noise like the blowers you get at parties comes out! Your lips tingle as well.
There was a lot of bamboo growing along the creek, as well as cherry and lemon trees. But when we went past the orchards, boy did it stink! Probably the sheep poo - there were brown spots where ever you stepped.
Anyway, if you are thinking of walking up and down steep hills here is some sticky ideas. First find a stick. Pick a strong, light stick that is tall enough for you. When you are climbing up hill you are best to use only one stick. But, when you are going down hill, it is best to use 2 sticks and walk like a giraffe with the 2 extra sticks (giraffes walk with 2 left legs moving forward at once, followed by 2 right legs going forward. Most other four legged animals walk one left and one right forward at once).
And now for 2 jokes (you lucky people) ...
Q: How do you hide an elephant in a cherry tree?
A: Paint his toenails red.
Q: What do you get if you cross Bambi with a ghost?
A: Bamboo
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Wendy Willow
non-member comment
Sixth Creek Cherryville resident
Have just come across your blog entry from last November, when you walked off the Heysen Trail up the 6th Creek fire track. I live in that valley and my land crosses and includes a few hundred metres of the creek itself, so I was interested to see your pics. What is the pink flowering plant? And where was the granite outcrop? That walk is steep, very steep. Would you do it again?