Easter Porcupine Gorge 2021

Leader: Keith
Dates: 2-5 April 2021

Easter delivered one of the Club's great remote adventures - a 4-day, point-to-point through-walk of Porcupine Gorge. At about 32 km, this was no casual stroll. There were no formed tracks, no easy shortcuts, and no comfort of walking back the way we came. This was true bushwalking - downstream through the gorge from The Pyramid to Eagle Hawk Gorge, with many creek crossings, spectacular campsites, coloured sandstone cliffs, and that wonderful feeling of heading into country rarely visited by anyone else.

For years, the club had explored Porcupine Gorge as an out-and-back trip, but this time, Keith changed the script. The plan was to go all the way through. That meant a new country beyond White Wall, a proper car-shuttle puzzle, and a few fit volunteers ready to help retrieve vehicles at the end. It also meant wet footwear from the outset. One of the key rules for the trip was that we would not waste time stopping to take off our shoes at every crossing. There were simply too many of them. Shoes on, through we go, and keep moving.

The group met over the Easter long weekend for the drive out to Hughenden country, with the walk starting from The Pyramid day-use area on Good Friday. It is always a striking contrast arriving there - flat, dry open country above, then suddenly a deep, dramatic gorge cut into the earth below. Packs were hoisted, final checks made, and everyone began the descent track into the gorge. Once down at creek level, the real walk began.

The first afternoon was a cracking introduction to the country. The creek crossings came early, and the group quickly settled into the rhythm that would define the next four days - sand, rock hopping, creek-bank walking, splashing straight through the water, weaving around obstacles, and marvelling at the gorge walls as they gradually closed in. The sandstone scenery in Porcupine is always special, but it becomes even better the further downstream you go. By late afternoon, the party reached the Amphitheatre, one of the best campsites anywhere in Queensland bushwalking. High sheer walls curve around a sandy camp area, creating a spectacular natural arena and an unforgettable place to spend the night. Tents went up on the sand, gear was spread out to dry, and the group settled in for the first evening of the trip. If the Easter Bunny had been looking for us, this would have been an easy place to find.

Day two took the group from the Amphitheatre down to White Wall, and this is the day that always reminds people why Porcupine Gorge is such a standout trip. The walking was not especially fast, but that was never the point. This section of the gorge rewards wandering eyes and a willingness to stop and take it all in. There were more crossings, more coloured rock shelves, more sandy bends, and plenty of time spent picking the best line through the terrain. At one point, the gorge below the lookout narrowed into a smaller inner gorge - a remarkable feature, with smooth rock, deeper water, and a real sense of being tucked inside the larger landscape. There was also plenty of fun to be had wherever the creek widened into pools and rapids. A lilo or packraft would be perfect in this country for a bit of extra amusement.

By afternoon, the group reached White Wall, another superb campsite and one of the highlights of the entire walk. The pale cliff face rises above the creek, glowing against the surrounding countryside, and the nearby rapids and beach make it an ideal place to pause, swim, and enjoy the evening. It is one of those campsites that makes people say, only half-jokingly, that you could search a long time and not find anywhere better to camp. After a solid day in the gorge, camp life was relaxed and contented. Wet shoes were lined up, water was filtered and treated, dinner was prepared, and the evening drifted into the usual bushwalking conversation - route talk, gear talk, laughter, and a fair bit of satisfaction at being deep in such a beautiful place.

Day three was the big one. Leaving White Wall meant leaving familiar ground. Beyond that point, the group was heading into a country that none of us had explored before. Keith, of course, described it as "virgin territory", and the usual comments followed. The walking remained classic Porcupine Gorge - a mix of creek-bed travel, sand and gravel bars, rocky shelves, low scrub, and crossing after crossing. Some sections opened out and allowed easy progress, while others forced slower route finding around bends, rock barriers, or deeper pools. The scenery kept changing as the gorge evolved downstream. Cliffs shifted in colour and shape, the creek disappeared into stretches of pools and reappeared as flowing runs, and the feeling of remoteness grew stronger as the day wore on.

This was the longest day of the trip, and it demanded steady effort. There was no rushing through it. Instead, the group simply kept working downstream, one crossing and one bend at a time, knowing that somewhere ahead would be the next camp. Eventually, a suitable campsite was found in the gorge with access to water and enough room to settle in for the night. By then, everyone had earned a good rest. It was a proper wilderness camp - no facilities, no signs of anyone else, and just that quiet sense of being out on your own terms in a remarkable landscape. These are the camps that stay in the memory.

Since we arrived early at camp, Jodie and Luen had finished their last bottle of wine, and the games we were playing came to an end, they decided to walk out to Eagle Hawk Gorge, get on the bikes and do the car shuttle for everyone. A 21 km ride back to The Pyramid to retrieve cars, while the rest enjoyed the campsite.

Day four brought the final push to Eagle Hawk Gorge. After three days of living in the creek and moving through the gorge, the group had well and truly found its rhythm. The last section continued to deliver good scenery and more true bushwalking before the route finally turned toward the exit. Of course, getting out of Porcupine is never just a matter of strolling up a neat little path. The final climb out to Eagle Hawk meant dealing with rough country, grass, and those notorious spear grass seeds that have a talent for ruining socks, getting into laces, and making themselves unwelcome in every possible way. Still, after four days in the gorge, nobody was expecting a glamorous finish.

Once out at Eagle Hawk, the cars were magically there, and the trip came to an end. This Porcupine Gorge through-walk had all the ingredients of a memorable Easter trip - remote country, real route commitment, fantastic camps, good company, and scenery that just kept delivering. From the Amphitheatre to White Wall and beyond into lesser-visited parts of the gorge, it was the sort of walk that reminds you why the club keeps coming back to places like this.

- Luen

Photos by Jodie Rummer, Luen Warneke, Keith D