Led by John Kennett, our group of bushwalkers heads down the wide firetrail as we leave the Bob Turners Track carpark, before soon entering the scrub. The first part of our Colo River loop bushwalk follows the undulating ridge south-west as make our way towards towards Mount Townsend.
There are occasional views over the Wollemi to the east, and despite a few patches of thick scrub it’s fairly easy walking.
Our route along the ridge route traverse two small hills, before we descend to a small saddle below Mount Townsend.
From the saddle there is a great view out to the east: below us is the spur which we’ll be taking down to the Colo River, and behind it (and out of sight from here) is the river.
Soon after the saddle there’s a short but steep-ish climb up to the top of Mount Townsend; both the Colo Heights and Mountain Lagoon topographic maps have 20m contour lines, so the ascents (and descents) involve a bit more elevation than you’d expect from a glance at the map.
The scrubby Mount Townsend summit (465m above sea level) has no view… or trig point… or any redeeming feature! However, at the western end of the scrubby summit areas, a number of rock platforms offer some spectacular views. The peak is named after railway engineer George Townsend, who surveyed a proposed railway route through the Colo Valley in the late 19th century which would have followed the Colo River to cross the Blue Mountains. His enthusiasm to forge a route from Kurrajong via Wheeny Creek and the Colo and Capertee valleys was tempered by the Engineer-in-Chief (Mr Whitton) who believed it was an impractical route as the Colo country “…is amongst the most rugged and impassable to be found in the colony…” with a risk of frequent landslides and floods.
The expansive views to the west over the Colo River include many Wollemi peaks, including Mount Bell, Mount Tootie, Mount D’Arcy and Parr South. Just above the river is a fresh landslide, evidence of the dynamic environment of the Colo Gorge.
Retracing our steps a short distance, we folow the spur which provides a (relatively) easy descent to the Colo, which is about a 400m descent.
Other than one minor cliff-line to negotiate, it’s a gradual descent through mostly light scrub.
The last 20m is the hardest bit, with a wall of thick vines forming a barrier to the river.
It’s hard not to love the Colo River, which flows for 50km from the junction of the Wolgan and Capertee Rivers through wild and untouched country. The river has carved the 30km Colo River gorge, making it about the tenth longest gorge in the world. After avoiding the development of a railway line in the 1880s, the Colo River gorge was nearly dammed in the early 1920s in a privately funded hydroelectric project designed to provide power to Richmond and Windsor. The Colo wilderness was again saved in the 1960s when plans were drafted to dam the river for water storage and in the 1970s from a proposal to construct a major dam to supply water to a power station on the Newnes Plateau.
We’re only going about 500m down the river before our exit route, with one of the many sandbars along the shallow river providing a spot for a lunch break (a small creek running into the Colo provides fresh drinking water).
Our 300m ascent from the river starts from just before the Colo Meroo campground.
As with the descent to the Colo, the ascent starts with a scrubby section and a short climb through dense undergrowth before the scrub thins out.
Just below the ridge is a cliff line, with a number of enormous overhangs.
From the top of of the cliffs there is a nice vantage point over the Colo Gorge and a final glimpse of the Colo River below through the trees.
From here it’s not far to to the top of the ridge, and back to the firetrail to complete our Colo River loop.
Despite a farly large group we’re back at the cars by about 3pm, having completed the loop in about six hours.
Getting to the Colo River via Mount Townsend
While this entire bushwalk is off-track, the trailhead is very easy to get to… follow the signs from Putty Road to the Bob Turners Walking Track, and continue walking from the end of firetrail along the ridge. It’s 2.7km along the unsealed road (suitable for all cars) to the Bob Turners Walking Track, where there is ample parking.
More information
- Anthony Dunk – Townsend’s Colo Valley Railway Scheme
- Sydney Morning Herald – Generating Electricity. Colo River Scheme Land Board’s Refusal (14 May 1909, p.8)
- Sydney Morning Herald – The Colo River Scheme (21 Sep 1922, p.12)
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