This walk was organised and led by me as an irregular CBC Tuesday walk:

Tuesday 18 August: Long Point - M/M,X. I've never been to Long Point, so let's do it whilst waiting for Spring. Down the walking track and a wander around McCallums Flat. Around 10km and 500m climb. Map: Caoura. Limit of 8. Leader: John Evans – jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Transport: ~$100 per car. Further details at http://jevans.pcug.org.au.

8 of us met in various places, then congregated at the Jamison centre and settled into 2 cars. Drove past Goulburn to the Tallong turnoff from the Hume Highway, on the right just past the heavy vehicle testing station at Marulan. Then along the Highland Way, and right into Long Point Road just after crossing under the railway line. All sealed road, except for the last couple of hundred metres.

Further Information

A bit of a long drive, in from Marulan.

Thanks to Mike B, running the NPA magazine digitising project, from the NPA Bulletin Vol 13 No 4 June July August 1976, P 4 in a walk report by Reg Alder:

The track down was made during the depression days when men had to work on uncongenial tasks for their unemployment relief money. No work is spent on the track these days and it Is gradually narrowing with the ingrowth of bushes, erosion and the use of short cuts between the zigs and the zags - certainly much narrower than when the writer was in a 2 canoe party and wheeled the wood and canvas canoes down on a bogey made from pram wheels. No light weight fibre glass canoes in those days and two trips down and one up before lunch were needed to bring the canoes and all the food and gear for the 10 day trip to Nowra. A recently deserted farmhouse was on the flat then with many indications of the era in which it was occupied, with the walls papered with magazine pages and newspaper. Upstream an old fellow in his late 70's had a hut and lived on his pension and a little garden. Little remains of either today.

Walk track

With a medium ramble in the offing, our car enjoyed sharing Kaz's breakfast as we drove up. Immediate and spectacular views from the Long Point Lookout, just down from the picnic shed. A huge bend in the Shoalhaven River encases Mt Pollock and Rainbow Ridge, with Rainbow Saddle and Renns Bluff high above the upstream leg of the U-bend and the multiple spurs dropping down from the Rumsey Point escarpment taking one's eye towards Badgerys Spur along the N of the downstream leg. The track was unmistakable, with signage:

McCallums Flat Track  Upper Lookout 300m easy 20min return  Shoalhaven River 3km steep 4hrs return  McCallums Flat steep 5hrs return

setting our expectations. Mike was in training for a Bibbleman Track departure next week, so brought his overnight pack at 20kgm, the equivalent of his 8 day track load. I don't enjoy these V walks (down in the morning and up in the arvo) as much as A walks (up in the morning and down in the arvo), but the Shoalhaven River gorge demands it. The track does descend steeply! A second lookout on the left then, after a little while, views across Barbers Creek (another significant gorge like many of the others in this area) to the Marulan South Limestone Mine. A huge scar, but efforts made to revegetate - or at least hold - the gullies which plunge 400m down. The gabion wall marked on the Caoura 1:25000 map is visible. In the distance you can see a hint of the Bungonia Slot Canyon walls.

In front reared Kingpin Mountain (see pic 1) but, thankfully, the track skirts the ridge to the W. Many zig-zags in the track as it continues to take us down, first to the S, then E, then SE. Down 500m to a robust sign at the bottom of the hill. We stopped for morning tea here. I felt a little disoriented, explained at the time by my less than perfect sense of direction, eased by overhearing Philip (a living legend) say "well, we didn't actually come down the spur" and finally clarified by looking at our track after the event - the walking track has been significantly realigned from that on the map. A little trap for new players like myself.

We headed E and broke out onto McCallums Flat (see pic 2). A flat, weedy area, but not unpleasant. Turning N we eventually overlooked the sandy, casuarina-lined Shoalhaven River. A striking contrast between the two types of terrain and vegetation. The line of the river took us to the NW, ever closer to Kingpin Mountain and Long Point, our track down. The rugged spur loomed close above us as our bank of the river began to close in. A little scrambling until I called a halt - the river looked deep and wet and rock-scrambling was not the style for a ramble. Lunch (or was it brunch?) was taken at 11.50am above a quiet pool (see pic 3). An impossibly rugged climb up behind us.

Before post-luncheon breathing became too slow and heavy (it was warm, with no breeze and at a little over 100m above sea level) we set off home, this time either rock-hopping across the river stones or strolling along the sandy reaches. No goannas. A most pleasant area (see pic 4).

We eventually turned up from the river just before Barbers Creek to our morning tea spot.

Not able to escape the inevitable, we wandered up 3.3km of the track, climbing 500m, in 1hr 15mins. Mike beat me.

Always worth the drive and the effort. A balmy, blue-sky day with fine companions. Mark the Tim Tam man is welcome every time.

Thanks for your company and support Eric G, Henry H, Kaz C, Mark B, Max S, Mike B and Philip G.

Distance: 11.9km  Climb: 550m.  Time: 9.25am - 3.00pm (call it 5hrs 30mins), with 50mins of stops.
Grading: M/M,X; M(10)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Long Point