#4: [22-Feb-16]

#3: [06-Feb-07]

#2: [11-May-03]

#1: [20-Nov-01] (incomplete)

13-Oct-2023 -- Goonoo Forest NSW 2830

This confluence has been visited successfully a few times in the past since it is a relatively not difficult point. However, the last time Ross Finlayson visited, was nearly 8 years ago so I decided to give this one a go as a practice exercise to test my newly-bought-but-inexpensive Garmin eTrex 22x and start my first step down the slippery slope of confluence hunting addiction. This can be considered my debut confluence.

I was in Narromine for work and went to this confluence located in Goonoo State Conservation Area, formerly known as Goonoo State Forest. It is 50 km northwest of Dubbo. I follow Mendooran Road for 46 km from Dubbo, then turn right into a reasonable gravel road called Garlings Trail. After 6.5 km and many emus, I turned left on Mount Carl Trail and parked the car about 160m from the confluence. All trail was signposted with NSW National Parks plank sign and road sign so the car navigation can take you directly to the point in 50 min from Dubbo.

Only 160m to the west but the ground was covered with bushes, not dense, but fairly thick since I have no other choice than to step on plants and most of them are higher than my hip. The hike is slightly uphill and about 30 m in and I cannot see my ute anymore. The plants around are mainly gumtrees, not very big ones, some got burnt bark and many fallen on the ground. This is the result of the 2019–20 Australian bushfire (or Black Summer, Jan 2020) when the whole country was burning with smoke covered from Sydney to… South America. There is not much grass on the fairly rocky ground but many small, young trees which I suspected are Black she-oak (Allocasuarina littoralis) and Apple box (Eucalyptus bridgesiana). The (probably) Apple box juvenile trees with their young leaves are sessile, egg-shaped or almost round arranged in opposite pairs initially make me confused with other types of (ornamental) gumtrees. There was also this plant that has crescent shape leaves and a hard, short prick at each tip which forced me to deviate from the straight direction many times.

It is amazing how the Australian bush (or in this case, ‘forest’) grows back fire after fire. After the photo session, a few more scratches on the legs (under long work pants) and a few doubtful moments in front of thick bushes, I managed to get back out to the trail again, only 100m south from my ute! The trails in this forest are laid out in a grid plan so I took Withers Road to go back to bitumen instead of the one I went in. This Withers trail is much rougher than the other ones.

I was very happy with this first successful trip and pretty convinced that I’m really hooked after reading about Degree Confluence Project for the first time more than a year ago.