Manning Gorge

 

Saturday 10 June 2023 – Manning Gorge

Jenny had already decided even in the early planning stages of this holiday that she would sit out the hike into Manning Gorge.  It’s a long and arduous hike there and back although you are rewarded with the fabulous waterfall and swimming hole at the end.  Having done it twice before, though, I didn’t feel the need and the chance of a lazy morning reading my book was more enticing.

I therefore waved the boys off about about 7.45am and stayed in bed a little longer before getting up and making porridge for breakfast – just for something different.  I then decided to bake the bread dough I had prepared and frozen at home but I couldn’t get the inside oven to work and the outside marine cooker did a poor job at burning the outside and not fully cooking the inside so not a success.

 Larry had asked me to keep an eye on the solar panels and keep moving them to stay in the sun and I noticed that once most people had left the area for their walks etc the crows moved in and started checking out campsites for exposed food/bins etc.  It therefore quickly became apparent that it would be necessary for me to sit outside the van in the shade with my book and intermittently get up to move panels or chase away crows from ours and other campsites.  And so the morning passed.

The boys were back before 11am looking a little hot and bothered and Shaun had managed to stub his toe again which was turning interesting shades of purple.  After a little rest it was decided to carry out chairs, drinks and snacks down to the river next to our campsite and sit in the middle of the stream to cool our feet (and Shaun’s toe).  This was such a good idea we stayed there for ages and the water was only ankle deep and there was enough shade to make it a cool and relaxing way to spend time.

We eventually climbed back up the hot and sandy hill to the vans for another little sit down in the shade and a late lunch of tinned spaghetti for me while Larry gamely forced down a couple of slices of undercooked burned break liberally slathered in butter and jam.

About 3ish we piled back in the Landcruiser and headed down to the ‘beach’ next to the day use area – the point from where the little boats are launched to ferry your stuff across at the beginning of the walk to the falls.  As it seemed very crowded at that point we walked 100m upstream to a quieter spot.  Only after entering the water we realised it was right next to a tree with a swinging rope and, not long after, so did the big group of noisy families that had spoilt the tranquillity at Galvan’s Gorge.  Nothing for it but to move back up the original spot which now seemed a lot quieter – Jenny swimming there while the boys climbed out and carried the stuff back up there. 

We then sat and blobbed in the water until we got cold and the loud, opinionated people around us started to get on our nerves.  Really, how can you state categorically what’s the best parts of the GRR when you’ve only made it halfway and have yet to see it all??  They were all denouncing Mt Hart as ‘boring’ and ‘overrated’ which we don’t agree with at all but are happy for them to surmise as hopefully it means they will deter others and it will be less busy when we get there.  L and I have had it confirmed that we really don’t like ‘people’.

Back to the vans to get another cracking fire started and, miracle of miracles, Shaun’s “FREE WIFI” sign on his door finally did the trick and a gorgeous, young, single female walked over from her camper (she’s from Byron, say no more) and introduced herself and asked for Wifi access.  We left her and Shaun chatting by the campfire while we prepared pizza dough and toppings and then once Nicola wandered off to cook up her own dinner, very yummy pizzas were consumed with enough left overs to do for lunch tomorrow.

It was then an icecream on a stick each and, as Shaun’s Starlink was still on for Nicola, we watched and listened to various Simpsons songs including the one that we keep thinking of at the moment given all the big 4WD’s on the track – Canyonero!  We also had a quick look at the AFL website to see how the Eagles had fared against Adelaide and wished we hadn’t – a 122 point loss – this team seems to reach new lows every game.