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After that, there was no way I was going to turn around and go home, although I DID think about it for a fleeting moment! So on to the mountains I went. Next stop was going to be Katoomba to take some pictures of the Three Sisters.

I knew it would be dark, as it was now 6:30. But I thought they light up the rocky siblings during the night???? Well I was wrong, so there was no photo opportunity, just a chance to get lost in the back streets of Katomba on what was turning out to be a very dark night!

So on I went to the next point of call, which was Jenolan caves. ETA of 8:00pm was accomplished to the minute. The road had been pretty dark, very little traffic as expected, other than 5 roos and a wombat. After the first couple had bounded down the road next to me, I decided to drop the speed back to 80 in case one decided its destiny was as a hood ornament :)

I tried and failed miserably at taking some photos of Jenolan caves entrance, it appears I still need some practice with the new camera in low light conditions... But after passing through the caves complex, it was up time to wind up through the hills and hit the Kanangra Boyd NP.

8:15 and I finally got to lock in thr front hubs and hit the loose stuff. It was a little damp which was a good thing, and even some water in the puddles. I was hoping this meant that there had been some rain and the rivers were actually going to touch more than just the rubber of my tyres! Anyway, that would come tomorrow.

I hit camp at 8:45pm, and the previous campers appeared to be just as considerate as I usually am, and left a reasonable supply of both decent fire wood AND kindling. So I kicked up the fire, set up the tent, and relaxed with a few coldies. Hmmmm, three beers and I'm anyones, were are those wombats when you need them!

Temperature check: 5 degrees.

Day Two
Up to a very brisk zero degrees. It was much colder over night, and I actually felt the cold for a change! First order of the morning was to collect some fire wood and get the morning cuppa happening. That done and my fingers and toes thawed out, I went to investigate the river. The water was cold, as expected, and pretty much the same level as usual.

Breakfast was the usual bacon and eggs, can't go camping without the breakfast of champions! And once consumed, I started to pack up the camp for the days activities. First stop was to be Kanangra Walls.

It took at 30 minutes to drive out to the walls, and as usuall, I didn't have the $7 in gold coins to pay for the park fees, oops, one day I'll remember! There was quite a number of cars in the car park, but no people anywhere, so I assumed they were all out on a hike somewhere. The walls were just as I had left them last time, big and ominous. I rolled off a number of photos, as usual just in case they aren't here forever!

After the walls visit, I headed back to Morong creek to do the Morong Falls walk. Its a 4km walk of considerable undulating character! And I decided to take all the camera gear with me, including the tripod! By now it was midday and quite a hot one for winter! At least 20 degrees, and too hot for a back pack and tripod. But I eventually got to the falls, which was about a 45 minutes quick paced walk. They were nothing less than spectacular and definitely worth the blood sweat and tears to get there! I stripped off and headed for the waters edge to cool myself down. Ever so slowly I inched my toes into the waters edge! Then all of a sudden an immense pain started emminating from my feet to the shins, to the thigs, oh my goodness that water is f***ing freezing!! Ok, so at least I tried!

Took lots of photos, and hung around for an hour before heading back to the car. Next time though, I need to remember to drive the car all the way to the gate, and not park at the entry sign. I added an extra 1 1/2 km to the walk, again! Its all good for me though is what I keep telling myself! Once back at the car, I take a load off for a few minutes and then decided that as the sun was getting down to that nice warm light level, I would head back to the Walls for another look.

It was definitely worth it, the walls were all lit up, and I got another bunch of perfect photos. While I Was there, about 20 hikers also arrived back at the carpark, to take away all those cars from the car park.

And on that note, it was back to camp to get the fire going and start to cook my chilliless chilli for dinner. I really do have to start working on a camping list again, too many things are being forgotten!

Day Three
After getting an early night, I was able to get up with the sun today, and with a very full bladder. So there was no hanging about, but luckily, it was much milder this morning, and 5 degrees when I woke, which was excellent! First thing was to get the fire going as usuall, and get the breakfast on.

After that, a quick check of the vehicle revealed a little more damage from Fridays incident. The bull bar had managed to loosen itself up and was rattling around a bit. Fortunately, I always carry the tools in the back, so it was easy to tighten up. It didn't look like any additional damage had been caused.

That done, I packed up the camp and got underway for home. Leaving camp about 10:00am, and heading for the Kowmung river. As usual, there river was not flowing much at all, so the crossing was easy. After that, the track had been well graded so there were few surprises along the way. Dingo Dell was empty, but had also recently been graded, and is now a much more inviting place to stay. As long as you stay out of the long grass, you wont attract the snakes!

Very little wildlife on the road, except a few dead wombats, but I did manage to capture a single kangaroo on film, before hitting the main road and heading for Goulburn. I decided to bypass Limeburners for a change and travell along the Oberon-Goulburn road to get home.

DISTANCES:
Wollongong - Katoomba: 2 1/2 hours
Katoomba - Jenolan Caves: 1 hour
Jenolan Caves - Morong Creek: 45 minutes
Morong Creek - Kanangra Walls: 30 minutes
Morong Creek Falls Walk: 45 minutes each way
Morong Creek - Kowmung River: 20 minutes
Morong Creek - Dingo Dell: 40 minutes
Dingo Dell - Morong Falls Lookout: 20 minutes
Morong Creek - Goulburn: 3 hours 15 minutes
Goulbrun - Home: 1 1/2 hours