Google sends us the most efficient way to The Gorge, a private cattle farm along the Clarence River. Except, when we approach the Lilydale Bridge it becomes clear that Google did not consult the weather forecast. With the rapidly rushing water, there is no possibility of crossing the river today. Back we go, to Rogan Bridge and try a different approach. A winding dirt road leads us eventually through lush and pretty countryside to the farmhouse, where we meet the owner and pay the day visitor fee.
Our plan is to hike to the Gorge, but that too is impacted by the river heights – the road to the Fig Tree carpark, where the walk starts, is flooded, so we start our walk from the farmhouse, heading through the long grass in the direction of a large fig tree. We follow an overgrown cattle footpad to a rocky area with a good view over the flooding gorge. Its a beautiful spot, and the river is eerily quiet as it races between the walls of the narrow gorge, a rift in the volcanic bedrock.
A thunderstorm is brewing, we are booked into a campsite up on Gibraltar Range, and our lengthy detours have made us quite late. We turn around at the gorge, before the waterfalls, and resolve to return to camp a night another time, when the river heights are at more normal levels.
Rainbow Falls are a 10m drop into the gorge, while Willow Tree falls are a 3m drop.
