covanova Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 What a trip! I went with Andrew and Craig. We picked a spot a fair way up the river, and drove in on Andrew’s 4wd. We knew the descent was roughly 450m and that we had about 4km or so to walk. It turns out that just about all of this descent is in the last 500m, and in places it was very steep and involved climbing. This was particularly tough with 30kg of supplies on our back. When we were almost at the bottom, we had a great view of the sandy river and canyon above and below. This is a real gorge, with massive steep walls on both sides. They were 500m high in places (the height of 125 storey building) which we had just come down. We explored the area that afternoon, and didn’t go far as it was raining and quite misty. The river is a sequence of pretty sandy pools broken by boulders and rapids. The water was shallow at most places, but was running quite fast. We spent the next day looking for Bass. We went upstream and collected a fair number. They were not trophy fish by any stretch of the imagination (few over 30cm) but they fought well and were a real challenge as they darted between boulders, using the current and local knowledge to their advantage. This was almost virgin territory and it is certain that they had never seen a lure before. Andrew and his Rebel Crickhopper lure was the champion, accounting for some 7 fish. Walking across the boulders and rapids was a challenge – there were no paths and we had to make our own way upstream. As with the trip down, any slip could have been harmful, and there is no easy way out. Downstream from our camp had a number of deeper pools with steep edges, and we found ourselves swimming through the water, rods in our mouth, to progress. The scenery was amazing, nothing like I had ever seen. Try as I might, the camera could not adequately capture the scale of the cliff walls that surrounded us. They were truly massive. It was also great not to see evidence of human rubbish along the river, truly pristine. That night Craig caught a couple of eels at the bank which we brought home (he’s heard it is good shark bait). The walk (or should I say climb) was very tough, and carrying our provisions made it even tougher. The good part is that we did get the steep section out of the way first. Craig and Andrew’s fitness showed as they were ahead of me all of the way. It was physically very demanding, we were using our hands and legs to propel up a slope that almost seemed vertical at times, and seemed to go on forever. Eventually we were out, and ready for a new adventure! It is great to know that a place like this exists, very wild, without dams or tourism to ruin it. Hope you like the pictures. More pics.... Not sure what I did wrong or if it comes out too wide on everyone elses... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Great report there mate ,I am so glad you and your mates go onto a few of those lovely bronzed beauties and the scenery and pics are fantastic .Well done lads Cheers Swordfisherman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest madsmc Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Great report covanova. Looks like some fantastic territory you guys explored, and you got fish as well. How did you go setting up a camp overnight? It looks a bit rocky to be setting up tents, or was there some flat ground away from the river? I know I probably won't be the only one asking this, but where is the colo? Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covanova Posted January 16, 2006 Author Share Posted January 16, 2006 There was a level area that had been camped on in the past at the base of the track. We set up our tents there and went up and downstream. The Colo is a tributary of the haweksbury, it comes in at Portland. We were fishing about 30km north of Windsor. Great fun, but you need to be quite fit and nimble to get in and out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lbgking Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Top report and a champion effort Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooky. Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Yep, definately a great way to spend a few days off. Great pics and report cova, top stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombat Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Top report Cova and as everyone agrees great pictures. What a fantastic walk. Wombat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacobra Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Good effort Covanova - the pics brought back memories. I have fished quite a bit of it. Canoe Creek was where they recovered the body of a hermit a few years ago. You might be surprised just how often the upper Colo is fished - there are several well known access points and several less well known ones. The upper Colo servo can give you the goss on weekend fishing parties! A warning to anyone thinking of fishing the area - don't venture there in times of heavy rain or floods. The river can rise FAST. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dart Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 nice picts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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