Den of Nargun, Mitchell River National Park - August 2017

This is what I'd been hoping for this afternoon.

I'd walked the Den of Nargun Loop a few years ago and I've had the lingering memory of the red rocky bluffs in the back of my mind since then. I'd always though that the walk would be best done with the sun low at either the start of the day or the end of the day. However with the walk being two and a half hours from my front door I've never actually got around to visiting at that time of the day. Today though I found myself driving past the park in the late afternoon, so deciding to never let a chance go by I turned off the highway and made my way to the Den of Nargun car park. With us still being in winter when I did this stroll I was certainly fulfilling the late afternoon bit of the plan, it was yet to be seen whether the sunset shots would actually enhance the scenery though.

My route down to the Den of Nargun started off along this paved track.

I was already starting to suspect that I might struggle once I got down in the gorge.

While the route is still fairly easy there are a lot of steps on the last section down to Woolshed Creek.

The Mitchell River National Park is jointly managed by Parks Vic and the traditional owners the Gunaikurnai people. The Den of Nargun is the mythical home to Nargun, a fierce half human half stone beast, he (it'd have to be male:) is said to live in the cave behind the trickling waterfall. The Gunaikurnai people and parks ask people not to enter the cave but from the looks of it a lot of people seem to ignore that wish. The walk down to the Den of Nargun starts off by following a paved track before branching off to the left and steeply descending down a long section of rocky steps. It was while descending these steps that my cunning plan for some great afternoon photos started to come undone, while I could see a few red rock bluffs that were looking good in the sun, the negatives looked like they were going to out weigh the positives by the look of it.

Woolshed Creek made for slightly rougher walking.

Reaching the bottom of the steps in the gorge the negatives came to the fore. With the rainforest filled gorge well and truly in the shade it was going to be a bit hit and miss regarding photos down here. At the bottom of the descent I turned up stream along Woolshed Creek towards the Den of Nargun, the track up here was a little on the rough side as I followed the dry creek, although the rainforest filled gully had plenty to keep me interested. Up above the canopy of the creek I could see my hoped for red bluffs and down in the creek the moss covered rocks and trees draped in old mans beard gave this spot a special feel. Arriving at the Den of Nargun the issue with the light really became obvious, with the largely grey rock face of the waterfall in shade I don't think my photos really did this special spot justice.

There was plenty of moss covered rocks down here.

The Den of Nargun.

The cave is home to the mythical Nargun.

This photo probably more accurately shows how dark it was down here.

After rock hopping around the small pool of water trying to find an angle that would look ok I eventually gave up and headed back down stream. Passing my track that I'd used to access the gorge I continued on downstream following the rocky bed of the creek for large sections of the stroll. The creek bed walking finishes at a large waterfall, the inky black water of the plunge pool looking like it might be the home to it's own mythical creature, although I'm guessing they'd be more of the Eel type and not the Nargun type. After traversing a ledge on the left side of the waterfall the track enters some slightly more open dry eucalyptus forest and arrives above the Mitchell River, although not for long.

Heading back down Woolshed Creek through the rainforest.

High above the canopy the sun was lighting up the bluffs.

Woolshed Creek was more or less dry on this visit.

Reaching a track junction I turned right, the left fork being the two day Mitchell River Walking Track (a walk for another day). After a few metres I turned right again, once again following the dry bed of Woolshed Creek upstream, this time I was making the short side trip up to a spot called Deadcock Den, another culturally significant spot. Like the Den of Nargun, Deadcock Den is another waterfall that is largely dry, although Deadcock Den with it's surrounding red cliffs has more of an outback Australia feel to it. Once again though I'd out smarted myself (some would unkindly say that wouldn't  be hard) as the red cliffs in the amphitheatre like setting of Deadcock Den were all well and truly shaded. This would be a good spot for kids as there is a nice overhang to explore as well as a series of rock slabs in the bed of the creek along with some shallow pools of water.

Slightly more open country near the Mitchell River.

Deadcock Den.

With the light now rapidly darkening I didn't linger too long at Deadcock Den, retracing my steps back towards the Mitchell River I took the short side trip down to it's bank. The Mitchell River is probably the last great un-tamed river in Victoria, with no big dams or weirs blocking it's progress down from the alps. The contrast with another great river that I've visited recently couldn't have been more extreme, with the Snowy River dammed and diverted what remains is a weed choked pale imitation of its former self. Arriving at the side of the Mitchell River though I was confronted by a river lapping into the Paperbarks and flowing a banka, the rapids that make it a favourite with white water enthusiasts churning in front of me. 

Our last true wild river, the Mitchell River.

There are a few old Kurrajong Trees up here.

Returning to the main track I took the signposted track up to the car park via the Bluff Lookout. This track is another paved job so while it's a fairly solid little climb it's pretty easy going. Passing a seat that provided a bit of a view along the Mitchell River Gorge, now with the setting sun lighting up the tops of the surrounding spurs, I continued my easy climb. Arriving at the Bluff Lookout I was once again reminded that I was probably visiting at the wrong time of day, the contrast between the deeply shaded gorges and the brightly lit surrounding hills being to great for my skills. Still the lookout provided a nice spot to stop and take in the scene, being late in the day I had the place largely to myself, the only evidence of any other people around being some wisps of blue camp fire smoke wafting up from a couple of walkers camped down beside the river. Leaving the Bluff Lookout I headed back up the sealed path, after passing my outward route down to the Den of Nargun I soon arrived back at the almost deserted carpark. While I probably picked the wrong time of day to do this walk it had still been a nice little stroll.

The climb out of the Mitchell River Gorge features a couple of spots that give a bit of a view along the river.

The Bluff Lookout was bathed in sunlight but the gorge was deep in shade on this visit.

There are worse ways to spend a few hours....

The Dirt.

I walked 4.3 kilometres at an average speed of 3 kph, with 155 metres of climbing involved I'd rate this as an easy stroll. Now as I've crapped on about I not sure that the benefits of late afternoon outweigh the disadvantages when it comes to photography, the middle of the day is probably better for the rock faces in the Den of Nargun and Deadcock Den. This walk would be a good one for children as there are plenty of rocks to scramble around on, although be careful of the kiddies on the bank of the Mitchell River in case they end up in the Gippsland Lakes. The Daly's as well as Melanie Ball have both written up this walk in guide books although Melanie's book Top Walks in Victoria is the most current and has the best notes and map. As is usual Parks Vic have some good free stuff online as well.

Relevant Posts.

Silver Mine Track, Day 1, Snowy River National Park, 2017.

Mount Tassie Loop, Grand Strzelecki Track, Tarra-Bulga National Park, 2017.

Cobberas Walk, Day 1, Alpine National Park, 2016.

The last section back up to the car park had me walking through a fairly dense Tea Tree Forest.

The Den of Nargun picnic area is the start and finish point, as well as a great spot for a picnic.

Heading home after another nice walk.