Destinations > Blue Mountains

The forest trails through this part of the Blue Mountains are by no means challenging, and we covered a fair bit of ground before we stopped to eat. We weren't the only ones using this bit of the forest that Saturday - the bush fire service was holding navigation exercises throughout the region, and we were often required to move to one side as the 4WD fire trucks trundled through on their way to the next checkpoint. Following our brief encounters with the fire service, we trooped up to the summit of a place John and Julie call Telephone Hill - the only spot for miles around that mobile telephones get any reception. With the magnificent view in the background, we took a group photo and piled back into the vehicles. After lunch we wandered through some more of the forest until we hit Dark Corner Road, one of the few sections of bitumen we were to see over the weekend. A right turn onto Daylight Creek Road and we were deep into the bush again, away from the pine plantations and into the old-growth forest, heading for the Turon River. Our route took us along the Pinnacles Fire Trail, a popular section of track that heads north through the Great Dividing Range.

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Our campsite was to be found on the banks of the Turon River, on a private property owned by local character River Ron. Ron has lived on the property for years, isolated from the rest of the world with only a bicycle for transport. The years have taken their toll on Ron, who now benefits from the goodwill of the local community, including John and Julie from Getabout 4WD Adventures, who regularly drop off supplies of books and food. The house in which he resides is a marvel of bush engineering, set way back from the river. Carpet has been carefully laid straight on to the dirt floor of the house. The original house was washed away by a massive flood several years back, but its remains can still be seen. A pleasant night around the campfire was had by all, the idle hours whiled away with word games and a fantastic dinner provided by our congenial hosts. With everyone stuffed to the gills with campfire cooked food, we retired to bed looking forward to the next days' driving.

When morning broke, the skies were again overcast and threatening heavy rain, but the light drizzle that had already fallen proved to be a boon to the trip - not enough to make the tracks impassable but just enough to keep the dust down. When everyone had packed up camp, we gathered around the remains of the campfire to decide which direction we would take for the day. After some small debate, it was decided that we would head off towards the Lost City, a favourite for many 4WDers and a spot we have featured before in the magazine, but one which I had never visited. Keeping with the spirit of the weekend, which was to allow novice 4WDers to learn the ropes when it was appropriate, the group tackled some sections of the track very slowly to let some of the other drivers hone their skills in preparation for a couple of nasty surprises that were in store along the trail. We set off along Baal Bone Road, and into the serene beauty of the Blue Mountains National Park.

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