So I’ve made several rookie mistakes on my flashpacking/glamping adventure. The first was bringing an ungodly amount of white clothing on this vacay. Note to self for future outback adventures: red dirt gets EVERYWHERE! Second was to ask for my room key for my tent lol. Now I did realise my mistake as the words were leaving my mouth, but you can’t take it back once it’s out there. The third – and this is probably the biggest of them all: I didn’t prepare in any way for hiking up hill and down dale. My calves are on fire and I’m sure I’ll be in a sorry state for basketball Saturday (sorry girls).

But forget all that – because it’s all about the gorges, and as luck would have it, there’s a gorge a mere ten minutes’ walk away from where I’m staying. And so it was to Joffre Falls I headed shortly after I checked in. Checked in? I nearly checked out! For the most part the descent was fairly manageable – except for the last 150 metres or so which involved basically clambering down the rock face! But I’m kin to a mountain goat, I am, and wasn’t going to let the fear of failure or certain death stop me. Totally. Worth. It.

Joffre Falls – my introduction to a class five trail

The bone rattling drive on an unsealed road to Kanimina Gorge the next day probably wasn’t worth it, but Dales Gorge and the exquisite Fern Pool should be a must on anyone’s list. If there weren’t so many other damn gorges to see up here, I’d go back there every day… but canyoning adventures await tomorrow, and at day’s end I may have a new love. I am rather fickle that way 🙂 

Fern Pool – doesn’t get more tranquil than this…