#4: [22-Mar-16]

#2: [13-Nov-01]

22-Nov-2012 -- The story starts at 43°S 147°E and continues from 31°S 153°E.

The point had been visited once in 2001 where the visitors reported a 3.2 km hike (2.5 hours) to the confluence point and a 1.5 hour return. A glimpse on Google Earth revealed that there is a track within 200 m to the confluence. Moreover, the previous report mentioned that "It took us 1 1/2 hours to walk out again, the time difference reflecting walking down hill instead of up!". But the altitude of the confluence is approximately 125 m and the lowest point in the valley is 85 m above sea-level. So the height difference between the start of a hike and the confluence could not be more than 40 m.

However, I wanted to do a quicker approach by taking the track up to a distance of 200 m instead of hiking through the Sherwood Nature Reserve. It was 12:40 PM when I reached the village of Glenreagh with a distance of 6.5 km from the confluence. I took the Sherwood Creek Road along the eastern side of Orara River. The first two kilometers were on asphalt, another 2 km on a dirt track until I reached this Gate at a distance of 2.46 km. A sign made it very clear that visitors without permission are not welcome.

Right at the gate, I had a flat tire and had to patch it. After the repair, I wasn't in the mood to investigate further, because I had an invitation for staying overnight in Grafton. In order to reach Grafton before nightfall I abandoned this confluence hunt.

CP Visit Details:

• Distance to an asphalt road: 1.7 km (Oara Way, probably not a good starting point)
• Distance to a track: 200 m (seen by Google Earth)
• Distance of bicycle parking: 2.5 km (the gate)
• Time at turn around: 4:00 PM (I spend time with lunch, cruising around and fixing the bike)
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 2460 m
• Topography: hilly
• Weather: sunny, 32° C (felt temperature)
• Given Name: The Keep Out Confluence

More pictures of the trip can found at mautz.net.

The story continues at confluence 29°S 153°E.

In the Sherwood Nature Reserve.