We set off for an afternoon of walking and swimming at Finch Hatton Gorge. A pleasant drive with a few water crossings.
Finch Hatton Gorge lies within the Eungella National Park and is home to waterfalls, gorges and pristine wilderness. It is about one hour inland from Mackay. The hike itself is fairly easy for most but was going to be a challenge for Trish.
There are two waterfall swimming areas on the track. You can hike to both in about 3 to 4 hours. We planned to only go to the first one called Arulean Cascades and only try for the Wheel of Fire cascades if Trish was up to it as both are very similar water holes.
The 1.6 km track to the Araluen Cascades is well marked and maintained with some interesting rock formations and lots of granite boulders.
The Araluen Cascades are great for a swim and has a deep dark pool. Steven went for a dip in the cooler than expected water.
Trish was feeling OK so we decided to try for the Wheel of Fire Cascades. We made it to Callistemon Crossing however boulder hopping to cross the river was going to be tricky.
We spent some time there trying to find a way but the only way for Trish to get across was to use slippery boulders or get wet. Five people have slipped and died in this area so caution prevailed and we reluctantly turned back. Probably just as well as we later found out the rest of the track has a lots of stairs which would have stopped Trish anyway.
On the way back we stopped at the Criterion Hotel in Finch Hatton for one of their amazing home made pies