612 | The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond

6.33 Devils Throat and the cliffs of EastCreek

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MAPS ETC.Department of Lands topographic mapCullen Bullen, 8931–3N, 1:25000, secondedition. GPS setting WGS 84.

WALK DESCRIPTION ANDROUTEPark cars at spot height 1072,GR 413 058 and follow an old fire trailnorth east, then a motor bike track, toapproximately GR 422 072. Drop downa ridge and to the left of a gully intoEast Creek. Head east into Camp Creek

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Checking out the inside of the Devils Throat. Photo: Emanuel Conomos

Don’t slip. Photo: Yuri Bolotin

614 | The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond

gorge and visit the amazing DevilsThroat. Return to East Creek; follow itnorth to the junction with Carne Creek.Take the motor bike track at GR 418 074to return to the cars. About 10km.

GEAR ISSUESGPS, PLB, appropriate head andfootwear, electrolytes, maps, compass, 2litres of water. The leader will carry atape. Have clothes to change into in thecar for afterwards.

COMMENTSExploratory. Wet feet and most likelymore. Scrambling and exposureguaranteed, as is stunning scenery.About 9-12k. This will be a long, hardand spectacular day.

Date walked 15th April 2013.

THE WEATHERIt was a very warm dry day with variablecloud cover, some smoke haze;temperature range 17 to 22 degrees C.

Above the eastern side of East Creek. Photo: Brian Fox

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Where is Brian Fox going with the camera? Photo: Yuri Bolotin

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BACKGROUND NOTESThe Devils Throat is a challenge todescribe. It is part canyon at the top;however, near the cliff edge, a verydeep sinkhole has been cut through therock by Camp Creek into a verticalcylinder to a depth of about 15m. At thebase, the force of the falling andswirling water has found a zone ofweakness in some horizontal strata andremoved this, creating a ‘mouth’ fromwhich water flows out onto a slopingapron. The force of water has also overdeepened the sinkhole below themouth, creating a pool estimated atmore than 3m deep. Up close, the noiseof the falling water is an assault to theears. The feature has an aura, making ita world class example of its kind. Like somuch of the Carne Creek catchment, itis not protected and urgently requirestransferring to the Gardens of StoneNational Park. The Devils Throat is afeature of international significance. TheDevils Throat is also known as AlcatrazCanyon to the canyoning fraternity.

TRACK NOTESAt 0849, the vehicles were parked at GR414 058, gear requirements werereviewed, and some packs werelightened. We set off along a motorbike track that provides an easy butconvoluted route towards Carne Creek,crossing it at approximately GR 417 074.This track was followed for severalkilometres to a high point, at GR 420067. We stopped here to admire theviews both north west and north east.The north west views include

spectacular cliffs on Carne Creek andthe Glory Box. To the north east,sections of two fire trails on either sideof Camp Creek could be seen. Ourdestination, the Devils Throat, is locatedin a deep gorge, where Camp Creekplunges over the cliff edge. Afterphotos, we continued on our way north.

A high point at GR 422 072 on the biketrack defines the spot where we headeddue east. It was now 0933. Each stepeast revealed increasing views of thecliffs of East Creek, so by the time wereached the cliff edge at 0945, GR 424071, the view was stupendous, as thecomplex cliff lines of the Devils Throatannex created a composite image ofsequential pagodas and amazing rocksculpture. The topographic map isannotated with advice that the cliffshere are 51m high. We stopped and justsavoured the view. About 30m furtherto the south, there is another viewingplatform, where more than a kilometreof East Creek imagery is a wonder.

Next, how to descend? Hidden awaybetween the soaring pagodas, there is away down. It does have a few small slideand jump sections but is otherwise easy.In less than half an hour, we werecrossing East Creek and fighting ourway through flood flattened ferns,heading north to where Camp Creekand East Creek join.

The Camp Creek – East Creek junctionarea is relatively large, and there wasplenty of room for the party to spreadout and enjoy morning tea. I spentsome time gazing up at the cliffs to theimmediate north, as they looked

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Inside the Devils Throat. Photo: Brian Fox

Come on, who’s first to cross? Photo: Emanuel Conomos

618 | The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond

scalable. They certainly appeared nomore intimidating than the cliffs wedescended to reach East Creek. After aleisurely 11 minute break, we startedwalking up Camp Creek.

Camp Creek in the lower reachesmeanders from one side of the valleyfloor to the other, making multiplecrossings necessary. The Devils Throatfeature is nearly 500m from the junctionin a direct line and considerably more inactual distance, because you negotiatethe multiple creek bends as it wends itsway. A taste of the good things to comeis small complex of waterfalls at GR 429071, where we spent quite a few

minutes clambering up adjoiningboulders to get the very best pictures.Getting around this feature involved achoice of either a sloping tunnel crawlor a tight chimney squeeze. We shedour packs here so that we had greaterease of movement. Most of the partyopted for the tunnel crawl. The tunnelcame in for some ribald anatomicalnames, none of which can be recorded!

In the final section of the narrowinggorge, immediately before the enlargedamphitheatre terminus, there is a largecavern, tens of metres across, togetherwith several smaller ones. It is an area ofunrivalled magnificence. In the lower

Near the junction of East Creek and Camp Creek. Photo: Yuri Bolotin

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You can sense the roar! Photo: Emanuel Conomos

Grace Armstrong emerging from CampCreek’s side passage. Photo: Brian Fox

Michael Keats on the way back out anddown the creek. Photo: Brian Fox

620 | The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond

sections of the floor of the large cavern,is a carpet of Hornworts, Phaeoceros sp.These amazing organisms are rarelyseen in such profusion.

It was just on 1130 as we rounded thelast bend when the shimmering, inflatedapron of the outflow from the DevilsThroat came into view. Everything aboutthis site is special. The foot of the apronhas a series of very large negotiableboulders. These provide stepping(hopping) stones across the apron tothe western side of the amphitheatreand the negotiable route to the base ofthe throat. The way up is over slipperyrocks, some with flowing water. Allaround is sculptured sandstone. Thereare scooped pools that are like baths;shallow basins that in mid summerwould invite a swim; there aretreacherous sections, where a falsemove would see you tobogganuncontrollably down the water slide.Then, there is the noise of watercrashing down as it discharges from thecontorted canyon at the top into thecylindrical tube of the Devils Throat.Coming up closer, one notices thisamazing horizontal slit, where the fallingwater can be seen as a perpetualcurtain before it races down the slopeand over the apron. The slot is perhaps4m long and half a metre tall. It is veryhard to photograph and capture thetotality of the experience.

Stepping carefully around to the easternside of the first pool below the mouth, itwas possible to take pictures lookingdown the apron like water slide. It wasalso possible to photograph the

towering cliffs above. Through thecamera lens, I spied Brian, who hadclimbed up to the lip of the formersinkhole to take pictures of the wildwater inside. We would all go up withsome assistance, so that we could lookinside this rock and water wonder. Theslope up was so slippery that even goodgripping shoes were not enough tohold you in place. Successively, Brianand Yuri assisted most of the party tohave the ultimate experience.

With Brian and Yuri supporting me frombelow, and grasping the rock lip of theformer sinkhole with one arm, I fishedthe camera out of my pocket and tooka series of pictures. The top section,where Camp Creek briefly becomes acanyon, is wild with white water swirlingand churning, before it plunges 15m orso as an almost solid sheet into thecylindrical well section. This is what wehad come to see, a unique naturalwonder. I am looking forward toadmiring the images captured on thebig cameras.

Leaving was hard, because this placehas a compelling fascination of its own.But we did have to move along, so afternearly half an hour of total enjoyment,we reluctantly started the walk out. Thetunnel crawl was reversed and packswere retrieved. It was now after middayand time to walk to the confluence ofEast Creek and Carne Creek about600m downstream. Recent floods haveleft a lot of debris to be negotiated, andthere were plenty of places where amisplaced foot suddenly discovered adeep hole. While walking this section, a

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Yuri Bolotin graces a flowing Camp Creek. Photo: Emanuel Conomos

Returning after a very satisfying day out. Photo: Emanuel Conomos

622 | The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond

TABLE OF TIMES, LOCATIONSAND GRID REFERENCES

Time Location Grid Ref

0849 Park vehicles 414 058

0914 Viewing point onmotor bike track 420 067

0933Leave motor bike trackand head east to cliffedge

422 072

0945At cliff edge + viewtowards the DevilsThroat

424 071

0950Second lookout + viewup East Creek+descent

424 071

1016 At East Creek 425 070

1023 Morning tea on CampCreek, 11 minutes 425 071

1047 In Camp Creek canyon 427 071

1130 Waterfall and tunnel 429 071

1142 At the Devils Throat(about 30 minutes) 430 072

1205 Waterfall and tunnel 429 071

1257Downstream on EastCreek + lunch, 22minutes

424 075

1333 Junction of CarneCreek and East Creek 422 077

1405 Base of climb out 419 075

1418 Top of climb + break 419 074

1429 Intersect with motorbike track 419 073

1456View spot and drinkbreak on motor biketrack

420 067

1518 At vehicles 414 058

beautiful pale lilac coloured fungus wasfound and photographed. It isHygrocybe lewellinae.

Lunch was taken on a rare open andrelatively clear space at 1257, GR 424075. Twenty two minutes later, refuelledand ready, we resumed our waydownstream. The junction of East Creekand Carne Creek was reached at 1333.Rather than walk in the creek, weheaded up to the base of the cliffs,where there was less debris and, mostof the time, an animal pad to follow. Itwas also considerably warmer and drier.A juvenile Red Bellied Black Snake,Pseudechis porphyriacus was spottedsunning itself. After about five minuteswalking, we were able to pick up thetrack we created when exploring thisarea for a slot exit after visiting the GloryBox on 2nd April 2013.

An exit that does work well is located atGR 419 075. It is a good, quick climband, once achieved, is less than 100mfrom the bike track. A Blue TongueLizard, Tiliqua scincoides was disturbednear the top of the climb. It was now1418. After a short rehydration stop andsome chatter, it was time to cover somedistance to the bike track, which wasintersected at 1429, GR 419 073. Wewere now walking in full sun, so afurther welcome drink stop was made atthe viewing point, GR 420 067. It wasnow 1456, and a number of the partywere feeling just a little fatigued. Thevehicles were reached at 1518.

Total distance walked 9.73km, totalascents 454m.

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Yuri Bolotin within the access rock tunnel on the way to the Devils Throat. Photo: Brian Fox