Buckenbowra Valley, Deua National Park Trip Report.
6th September – 9th September 2004

I met up with Richard just past Goulburn and drove together to Braidwood.

After coffee and fuel stop we drove to the northern side of Buckenbowra valley. Here we met up with Bruce and Bob who had traveled down the coast road to meet us.

There had been light rain the day before which was great as it kept the dust down and had brought out the rich colours of the bush. The recent winds had also brought down a lot of trees which where cleared each time with the bow saws.
A few climbs, decents and river crossings we arrived on the Buckenbowra River for lunch. A beautiful river with tall timbers would make a great camp site.

That afternoon, continuing south, we negotiated multiple river crossings most with only a little water due to the prolonged drought. Then up one long steep climb which had three hairpin bends. The Defender 130 needed three point turns at each bend, the others managed the turns without having to reverse. Turning circle of the 130 wheelbase can be a problem.

As we approached the end of the valley we had a choice of two tracks. We decided on the steep one only to find at the top of the climb a huge tree had come down. It would have taken hours to clear even with the chain saws and winch. No way round we turned the vehicles around on the top flat and headed back down.

Before driving down we loaded the roof rack of Richards Defender with dry well seasoned hardwood from the fallen tree. Hardwood from the tops always burns better than wood collected around the river flats. The alternative track zig-zagged down in the valley amongst the many Burrawang palms. That night we camped on the Deua River which desperately needs a good rainfall to get the river flowing again.

Tuesday morning we drove into Bendethera via Merrcumbene Fire Trail.
Over the radio we hear that Bruce has a noise coming from under his car and had stopped to investigate. Unable to find the problem he drives down the track to meet us on a flat area to see what the problem was. Very quickly it was found – a bolt was missing from the rear torsion bar. Not finding a suitable spare bolt in the toolboxes Richard scavenges a suitable bolt from the rear seat in his Defender. Bruce isn’t going to get away without a ribbing that his Toyota is being held together with Land Rover bolts.

The Merricumbene Trail is an enjoyable trail, Bendethera Valley is something else. It is a huge area of river flats. Mobs of Kangaroos and Wallabies thick on the ground due to the good grass and plenty water in the river. We drove past the homestead and made camp. It rained at times heavily that evening but with all the canvas out we sat and drank and talked the evening away.

Wednesday we got the latest weather update which predicted rain and thunderstorms for the day. Looking up at the sky it looked like the complete opposite, the sun was coming through.

We decided to walk around and explore the valley instead of doing the drive to Donald Creek. From memory a lot of these tracks where through black soils and with last nights rain and possible more rain today it may have damaged the tracks. After exploring the homestead, the boys grave and the ovens we walked up some of the way to the caves. The day was warm, full of sun – no sign of rain as forecast. Wood was plentiful and after the cooking fire we sat around a good fire.

Thursday it was decided to drive out via Bendethera Fire Trail and onto Moruya. Bruce was concerned re his suspension setup. He had just put in a suspension lift and new shocks – now held together by a Land Rover bolt. He didn’t want to go out via the Dampier Fire Trail until the other bolts had been checked. We had coffee later that morning in Moruya and left our separate ways back to Sydney.

A very relaxing and enjoyable few days. The advantage of doing this midweek – we had the whole of Bendethera Valley to ourselves. In fact we did not see anyone on the tracks for the four days.

Dave Williams.