Welcome my friend, come on in & we’ll enjoy a cuppa together while we reflect upon taking a much needed break where unexpected adventures with twists & turns were had. But before we do let’s grab our cuppa’s, a treat & get comfy.

I’m enjoying a large mug of Russian Caravan Tea & a slice of gf home baked Date loaf today. We’re sitting under our front Pergola as it’s a lovely Spring day here on the east coast of Australia, as we look out on our awakening garden where Spring is evident with Rhododendrons blooming & our daisies smiling at all who pass by.

Now we’re comfy let’s begin…

A long time coming

Since our honeymoon over two decades ago hubby & I have talked about getting back to the Mountain retreat where we spent our first days as a married couple. But alas there were always other priorities that needed attending to & it fell further & further down the list.

And we have been planning for a long time to go & explore our beautiful natural waterfalls once again in our many National Parks that we have in our country, having visited some in the early years of our marriage both having been avid walkers.

Why waterfalls? Well I’ll share a little secret with you I love waterfalls, big & small, I think they’re absolutely amazing with so many wonders of Creation coming together in one event. The following scripture always comes to mind when I think about or see waterfalls;

“Deep calls to deep at the [thundering] sound of Your waterfalls…” Psalm 42: 7 AMP

So we decided to take a leaf out of our friend’s Pam & Butch’s book when they took time out recently to have their Mountain Retreat shared HERE. I thought well it’s high time for us to do the same!

Unfortunately the Retreat where we spent our honeymoon has changed considerably over the last few decades & isn’t available. So we looked further afield & found a wonderful place where we could enjoy a Mountain experience while on retreat.

So we travelled to a Country Lodge which was located at the foot of the Mountains known as Barrington Tops which sits at an elevation of about 1,202 metres (3,944 feet) above sea level & is part of the Great Dividing Range that runs the full length of the East Coast of Australia. This area is under the National parks & Wildlife preservation area. Unfortunately, accommodation isn’t available within the National Park other then BYO camping at allotted camp grounds.

The photo below is the view of the Buckett’s Range (a part of the Barringtons) across farm land from the lodge;

Which wasn’t a problem as we did day trips up to the Mountain Tops, which weren’t visible from our accommodation. To the lookouts & trails that were accessible to the public. We had taken my husband’s four wheel drive for this trip as the roads into & through the National Park are dirt which can be a little rough at times.

An easy walk along the river, they stated…

We decided to go on an easy walk up in Gloucester Tops to see the Waterfall there which is a tiered waterfall of three or four tiers before it drops 400m in a thunderous roar to the Valley floor from the mountain top.

Well we arrived at the Carpark at the beginning of the trail to the Waterfall & it’s lookout. The website said it was an easy walk…as we walked along the terrain became a little more challenging but keeping the word “easy & ambling pathway” by the National Parks & Wildlife in mind we continued on.

Lessons learned when clinging to the side of a Mountain!

Their ‘easy pathway’ was a single file stock trail that clung to the mountain with a sheer 10-12 metre drop off down to the fast running river for each tier of the waterfalls on one side & the steep mountainside on the other!

I got to one point that I thought I would not be able to go forward nor go back the way we had come! So I stood silently praying for the Lord to make my feet like Hind’s feet, as my husband has always been sure footed with all those decades building houses & walking on beams. But with osteoarthritis in my feet I’m no longer as sure footed as I once was.

Hubby said to hold onto to his hands, so he walked ahead with his hands behind him guiding & supporting me as we traversed this ‘easy’ trail with me praying silently all the way.

We finally came across two Park Ranger’s clearing fallen branches on the trails & they pointed to the waterfall lookout just a few metres ahead. They went on their way as we made our way to the lookout which was a constructed platform.

However the last step down to the platform was a natual rock that was at least 500mm in height, my husband went down before me on this nature ‘step’ (he’s a lot tallet than I) & I held onto his arm putting one leg down, well then that knee completely gave out on me with the other leg bent ready to go I was already over too far & down I was going, my husband felt me go & praise God caught me in his arms & lowered me gently to the ground in a sitting position as both of my legs by this stage were in the air!

I sat at the lookout for quite a while getting my breath enjoying the thunderous sound of the falls & it’s beauty, praising God for my husband.

And getting ready for the track ahead, thinking it would surely be easier than we had come as it was a loop trail so the ‘easy’ must be on the next part of the loop.

I was wrong!

The trail just got steeper & steeper with rocks, tree roots in the way & no hand rails to hang onto as we made our way up the incline. Once again my husband was a great support until we reached the lookout below which is called the Andrew Laurie lookout in honour of the man who originally explored & opened this area for the public to enjoy.

From this vantage point it looks out across to the coast in the far distance. The trail from this point did indeed get ‘easier’ for an amble back to the carpark & picnic area completing the loop, where we enjoyed a well earned picnic lunch & of course a lovely mug of tea before driving down the mountain again.

After returning to the Lodge I looked up their description again of the trail & noticed that they had a grading system at the bottom of the page for the walking trails, that one was Graded 3 out of 5!

So from now on we will be sticking the Grade 1 or 2 trails!

Until next time,

Jennifer

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