30 | AG Outdoor
DAY ONE: TAKE ONE
It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when
we reached Wombat Creek Campground, 10km
from where we’d parked the car and set off just
before midday. That’s 10km of mostly steep uphill
on what they call the Corker Trail for pretty good
reason.
It was the Friday afternoon of a long weekend
and we’d planned on spending the night there and
trekking the 8km to Junction Pools the following
day, and then the 18km home on day three.
It had been raining on and off during the past
few hours, but not miserably so – surrounded by
verdant temperate rainforest, giant moss-covered
tree trunks and the music of birdsong, the weather
only added to the lushness.
Dropping our packs, stretching our backs and
eagerly anticipating a hot cup of tea, I wasn’t
prepared for the look of dismay that swept over
my husband’s face as he stood over his open pack,
looking up from the tent bag in his hands.
A couple of weeks earlier, we’d camped out on
a friend’s rural property, and had brought along
two tents – and, as we were now discovering, at
some point between then and now the poles for
one (which we had with us) had ended up with
the other (which was in a cupboard, a 10km hike
and 3.5-hour drive away in Sydney).
We had to make a call – we could Bear Grylls-
it with some sticks and the tent fly and spend
a soggy, cold night there, or we could turn on
our heels and make the return hike under what
remained of daylight.
It’s impressive the mental about-turns that
are possible when necessary, and all thoughts of
“the campsite is just around the next bend” and “I
can’t wait to take off this pack and kick off these
boots” turned into an unexpected 10km return
trip, half in the dark.
DAY ONE: TAKE TWO
Having elicited a few laughs from friends at our
own expense, we were determined to give the
Corker Tail another shot based on what we’d
seen so far – gear list checked and re-checked,
and unpacked and double-re-checked this time.
Located in Barrington Tops National Park in the
NSW Hunter Region, the Corker Trail is mostly
an old fire trail, so it’s wide and easy to navigate.
The biggest challenge is that first steep section
that gives it its name, but to be honest ‘corker’
is probably a bit of an overstatement: last time,
we’d made it to the first campsite in four hours
(back in two) and the ascent flattens out at regular
enough intervals that the overall effect isn’t too
punishing.
This time around, we didn’t have a long week-
end to play with, and instead had overnighted on
Friday at a pub at the nearby town of Dungog,
ADVENTURE | THE CORKER TRAIL, BARRINGTON TOPS NP, NSW
Top Sheltering from the snow in his-
toric Carey's Hut, built in 1934.Above The snowfall contrasted with
the lush green subtropical rainforest
from the first half of the hike.and the following morning set off with serious
deja vu from the same starting point, Lagoon
Pinch Picnic Area.
It was late May and the air was icy fresh and
the skies clear, but as we’d approached Barrington
Tops we’d seen the gathering clouds – the fore-
cast was for snow.
Knowing how we’d (in the end, relatively com-
fortably) survived a return trip last time, we fig-
ured we’d make it all the way to the Junction
Pools campsite on day one this time and return
the next day.