Reflections of a Rural Social Worker: Grieving for losses: Fire along the Snake Track, Far South Coast NSW

The small towns along this journey were impacted by fire in January this year, and there is still some threat from the out of control fire that crossed the Victorian Border. This was a beautiful drive, following a lovely river, and I hope that there has not been too much loss of property or the picturesque wooden bridges.

Today we travelled south down the Princes Highway to find The Snake Track, which we initially missed, turning back at Kiah to access it by now turning left.

This track meandered through forest, loosely following the wandering Towamba River, on a gravel road that was designated unsuitable for caravans, although there were dwellings and cleared farmlands along its beginnings. It also wound around the edges of ranges where fern laden, and then more open, forests predominated, with more dwellings occasionally secreted away under the canopies.

Further along we looked across at Mt Imlay, but it was mostly hidden by forest (as was the river), and patches of rain forest clung to damp gullies. Mostly we were now above the river, but at one point we descended almost to its level as we drove across the undulating green paddocks of a farm where sheep and cattle grazed.

At the end of The Snake Track we turned onto the Towamba Road (initially gravel but a little wider and smoother, and then merging into tar), and followed it to Towamba where we crossed the river and found an impressive community complex complete with a mud brick extension to its hall (and a comfort stop).

Back at the bridge we stopped to photograph the river before continuing on to Burragate on a good gravel road that edged a section of a mountain of the South East Forests National Park, although we travelled along a cleared valley at its base.

We side-tracked for about 5 kms along the road to Wyndham, unsuccessfully seeking a lookout marked on the Cartoscope Map (which has proven to be inaccurate in the past), so we turned around and returned to the tiny settlement of Burragate (although we did view the exposed granite side of a mountain on the way, and this proved to be a significant geological feature of the area – Jingera Rock, jutting out from Burragate Peak). Then we took the Big Jack Mountain Road, which continued to follow the Towamba River, but more closely than previously. Yellow leaved Poplars still lined its banks, but its bed had become rockier (it had been very sandy further downstream).

At New Buildings (where none could be discerned) we drove over a picturesque bridge for photos before returning to continue along Big Jack Mountain Road. Smoke rose from fires in the ranges ahead of us (hopefully controlled burns).

We encountered a road crew of two at the river crossing at the entrance to the South East Forests National Park and had to wait for them to move the water truck that was parked on the causeway, before lunching just across it at Big Jack Picnic Area (whilst they did likewise). The river now sat in a rocky ravine and we left it way below us as we climbed, for 9 kms, up along the side of Big Jack Mountain, with one side falling steeply away from the edge of the track, causing an adrenalin rush for me.

We eventually met the tarred Mt Darragh Road and followed its winding course down the ranges through ferny and more open forests. Then, after passing through Wyndham, we took the Ben Boyd Forest Drive back into the ranges of the South East Forests National Park, to climb more mountain sides and look across at other ranges. Most of the way we followed a saddle along a ridge line, and eventually we joined the Towamba Road which took us down the ranges, veering onto the Nullica shortcut to complete our descent and reach the Princes Highway.