Lyons Creek

Thursday 24 August 2017

Photos by Philip and Karen

After turning onto Lyons Road, off the Kings Highway, we drove about three kilometres and crossed Currowan Creek at a shallow ford. Just after crossing the creek we parked the cars and our group of nine set off up Lyons Road for a short distance before turning onto an old overgrown track.

The old forest track, which generally followed the meandering course of Lyons Creek, had not been used for many years and was barely visible. It is little more than a distant memory slowly fading into the landscape. We followed the rough, but flat, route of the old track for four kilometres then made our way down to the creek.

We then followed the shallow creek upstream, over smooth rocks with their delicate layered patterns revealed by centuries of water flow. We rock-hopped from one bank to the other as we made our way past the ferns, palms, mosses and logs along the way. There were a few large pools and at one point a series of gently flowing cascades.

After walking about three kilometres up the creek we came to a rugged rock outcrop with a clear pool at the base of a steep cliff. At this point we returned downstream along the way we had come, stopping after some distance for lunch beside the creek. We then left the creek and made our way back up to the old forest track.

We continued for a short section on the old track before turning onto a very steep track and climbing straight uphill for about one kilometre to a clearing on the hilltop. From the clearing we joined Lyons Road and walked three and a half kilometres downhill to where the cars were parked.

When we reached our cars we saw that a vehicle had become bogged whilst attempting to ford Currowan Creek, and was blocking the way. Rob only had a light rope but luckily, doubled over a few times, this was good enough to pull the vehicle out so that we could return to the Kings Highway.