Summiting Split Rock Peak

Without a fire to keep us warm and content, we all were in bed by 9pm last night. After a long walk, a long sleep was what everyone needed. Waking up refreshed for once thanks to our new thick and comfy sleeping mats, we were greeted by a chill in the air. A warm drink and hot porridge were quickly prepared and enjoyed.

Our first adventure was to summit the peak to explore the splits of Split Rock. The journey was 1km with a ~250m climb straight through the bush, no trail to be seen. It was open for the first 100m as we crossed the marshy area adjacent to our campsite. The remaining 900m was scrambling through dense head height regrowth interspersed with granite boulders.

It was tough going especially for those with the smaller legs. A lolly stop was required to keep spirits high about halfway up. Eventually the sky could be seen between the trees as we neared the top. Excitement levels peaked as we surged to and found the entrance to Split Rock. The climb had taken us 58mins!

Split rock actually has many splits as seen by this sketch drawn in 1971 by Erwin Feeken.  However if you approach the rock on the north east side, you are able to walk the entire way through thanks to an S shaped split. The walls of the rock are impressive and extremely tall something that you can't appreciate from a photo. We wandered through Split rock emerging on the western side. A short break was had as the kids were very eager to explore!

To the south of Split Rock, we found the perfect place to relax a little longer in the sunshine with views of the impressive split of Split Rock as well as our campsite far below!

With intentions of moving camp, we left Split Rock in the warm sunshine and began to tackle the descent which surely would be much faster and easier than the way up. We manage to do a negative split but as the energy disappeared the tears flowed! A lesson on resilience ensured and thankfully the tents were spotted through the trees and all was good once again!

Back at our campsite, we refuelled on wraps for lunch. The girls played in the 'creek' (swampy area) while we packed and sorted. We had decided to wander back down to Orroral Valley for our last night of camping. Loading up, our packs were a tad lighter and we headed off back down the steep slope leading to Sawpit Creek. The group splintered into smaller parties along this section and we regrouped at the junction of the AAWT and Cotter Hut Road for more sustenance.

A baby snake was spotted on Cotter Hut Road by Katy. As the trees thinned, we veered off this fire trail and on to the the grasslands of Orroral Valley in search of the ideal campsite. Criteria included flat protected site with water and large boulder close by. Our search led us to crossing Orroral Creek which required shoes to be taken off. Stepping into the chilly water was refreshing for our sore and tired feet and we vowed to return for a dip.

A few hundred metres later an awesome site was spotted. A quick tent set up meant we could plunge into the icy creek. And boy was it icy...I think I hyperventilated as I dipped my body under meanwhile the girls 'swam' for a lot longer! Back at camp, we ate dinner on our rock as the sunset bathed the valley in beautiful soft colours. We were all tired after another 10km hike with packs and as the sun disappeared, the stars came out, the temperature dropped we retired to the warmth of our tents and sleeping bags....well almost everyone did......