Hacket Gorge, Mt Richmond Forest Park

Sunday 18 December 2022

A week out from Christmas seemed like a good day to take a small group of trampers on a new walk that the club has not done before.  I did a couple of reconnaissance  trips out to Hacket Hut and back through the gorge and river bed.  There were definitely some river crossings and getting wet involved, but it would be a good and different trip for the club.

On Sunday morning seven keen walkers met up at and headed out to the Hacket car park. There had been much discussion as to if it was going to be fine or not, but given that we would get wet in the river there seemed to be no reason not to go ahead. 

The first part of the trip was a nice easy walk in past the Hacket Hut turnoff to the river entry point.  From here the fun began!!  The first section was relatively easy, but there was some scrambling over rocks and getting wet. 

There was a section in the middle of the gorge where it was narrow, and we all had to negotiate it one at a time.  Jo and Tessa headed out first. They were able to find the best route through, then the the rest of us followed. We all got wet up to waist-deep but all manged to get through.

The next section was easier but there was a lot of trying to work out the best route to take, and scrambling over and around the rocks. The river levels were low, but it still took a bit of negotiating.  We stopped on a very large rock in the middle of the river for a snack. 

At the Whispering Falls crossing Lynda and Liz exited the river and completed the trip back along the track, looking down onto those still in the riverbed.  The last section was very slippery as there was a lot of algae on the rocks.

The remainder of the group exited the river under the swing bridge, and we all headed back to the car park.  Several keen individuals then went for a quick swim before heading home. 

All together it was a good trip, and we were back at the cars about 1pm.

Attendees: Jo, Tessa, Tony, Donald, Lynda, John, Liz (Leader & Scribe).