Victoria's Secrets - Alpine Gorges and Stunning ViewsApr 30 '04 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Just another piece letting people in on some unknown and unappreciated sights. The Gorges of Alpine National Park certainly belong there. True wilderness is a difficult concept to realize when you’re exploring. You may think you’ve got an amazing vista to yourself, or complete solitude on a trail, and suddenly a strolling couple or a solitary backpacker will pop out and snap you out of your rather romantic reverie. There are very few places where you will really find untrod territory. The Amazon Basin, the frozen sweep of the polar ice caps, the vastness of the Sahara desert, or the dunes of the Simpson are some of the best examples. These are all virtually uncharted in any practical sense. However, there are still many places where you can find serenity and that peaceful wilderness experience that so many of us strive for in this reckless and busy time. Bryce’s Gorge, in the spectacular Alpine National Park, is one such place. The gorge is a compact but very rugged corner of the great and wild expanse of this great national park. You can get a very decent dose of wilderness just by getting there – it’s a long and difficult trek there from Melbourne, with the final road starting in the flyspeck town of Licola being a mostly gravelly and curvy road, full of magnificent vistas and hairy moments if you’re not very careful! And, importantly, it’s simply deserted. This remarkable place is the site of great geological upheaval, ancient in origin as with any landscape of Australia, but nonetheless very striking indeed. It has been regularly described as the most magnificent spot in the entire park, and while it’s quite possible that there are wondrous places yet to be explored (particularly in the aptly described Avon Wilderness Area), it has earned this plaudit quite justly. The rim of the canyon is formed in many places of great jutting rock formations, folded and faulted so that the rock seems to be throwing itself out into the sky. These formations overlook precipitous and sometimes extravagant views towards the Wonangatta Valley, and over the centerpieces of the gorge – two beautiful and dramatic waterfalls. There are two creeks in the gorge, and they meet up somewhere in the middle as they make their way ever down towards the low-lying valley. Conglomerate Creek is the larger and generally carries more water, but Piemans Creek is the most spectacular. We follow it from just below the rather rudimentary carpark and it’s quite easy to follow it all the way to the edge of its dramatic drop-off – which while nerve-wracking and quite spectacular, probably isn’t recommended. Above the falls is a beautiful pool – it’s perfectly safe to swim in because there is little current to carry you, and the creek pinches off in a very narrow channel blocked by shrubs and a myriad of other things which will prevent you from falling over the edge. The only imaginable downside to a dip in the pool might be the chill of the water! The main and very visible fall tumbles a good 250 to 300 feet down a quite arrestingly fractured and scoured cliff face, and if you come on a nice sunny day, there’s a good chance you’ll spy a petite rainbow at the foot of the falls, near where a small plunge pool has formed. The creek contrives to dive down two or three large falls further down the gorge, but there is no designated path down and the bushwhacking to get there is no easy feat! Photographic evidence from those with enough gumption to attempt the descent shows it to be very much worthwhile, though. Conglomerate Creek makes an even more interesting journey down to join with Piemans Creek in the crux of the gorge. As you will be able to see from numerous overlooks along the trail (or a precariously-placed tree, if you’re daring enough!), the creek falls some 50 or 60 feet straight down before cascading along an amazing natural sluiceway for quite a long distance, snaking along the bottom of the precipitous cliff walls. At the end of the sluice the creek falls another 30 feet or so into the bottom of the canyon, and falls some 300 or so feet all up. There is a rather steep and very slippery trail down to the bottom of the first fall, where you can walk along the creek as it slides down the hill – but getting to the very bottom is halted by a rather large fault criss-crossing the gorge, which also marks the location of the final fall. It’s possible to get there, but it’ll take a bit of doing. Bryce’s Gorge is just one of the stunning wilderness experiences to be found within the Alpine National Park, and while it is probably the cream of the crop, there is still much reward to be found in exploring other spots, such as the remote Moroka Gorge. Unseen by just about anyone for more than a century, this place was once again stumbled upon in the 1960’s, and it retains its aura of wildness by virtue of its location – another 30 or so kilometers along an often bumpy dirt road suitable more for a 4WD than anything else. Once you get to the starting point at Horseyard Flat campground, you still have another 6 or 7 kilometres walk until you get to the gorge itself. The first main stop along the way is at compact and beautiful First Fall. It doesn’t fall far, but the huge and deep pool at the bottom of the drop is a perfect location for a dip or a marvelous photo. The next section of the trail is difficult – often steep and sometimes slippery as it winds up and down the hills surrounding the gorge. It’s possible to follow the rivercourse, but there doesn’t seem to be a marked trail, so it’s more a case of rock-hopping than anything else! There is a campground along the river at the beginning of the “official” gorge location, and from there is a quite sporadic trail along the river. It follows the river as it tumbles over rapids and surrounded by endless stands of eucalypts, and before long it comes to a small cascade which also has a lovely pool at the bottom. This marked the end of my trail – I managed to cause my toe endless grief after I slipped and fell on a rock and made quite a mess indeed – not recommended in a remote place when you’re by yourself and 5 miles from camp! The focal point of the gorge is somewhere between the first fall and this cascade – a place where the Moroka River plunges about 20 metres, and where it is joined by a small creek coming down the hillside from quite a long way up. In spring, when the snowmelt is in action, this’d be a rather spectacular spot – I have no idea how difficult the trail is along the river, though – you’d certainly have to take care at the location of the falls, as the very few images I’ve seen of the place show it to be rather abrupt and rugged. chances are the views are worth the effort, and I wish I’d known the right way to go. These two places are probably most indicative of the spirit of the Victorian highlands. They might not be snow-capped and reaching for the heavens like many of their Alpine cousins – but the mountains here still retain much of their wildness, and there are many dazzling secrets on offer for those willing to make the effort. One day I plan to return and give proper homage – but for now, I have a new country to explore.  |
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