Tag Archives: colo

Camping on the Colo – Part 5

March 18, 2016 Sandra Graham Leave a comment

By mid-morning, the mist was long gone, and the river was turning into a warm bath. The air temperature was a maximum of 37C that day! The water temperature must have then be close to 30C.

Back at the campsite, we took advantage of every little bit of shade.

Bridie Beagle panting like no tomorrow. She enjoyed the heat, even if it completely drained her.

Even after a swim, she once again insisted on sunbathing. The saying about mad dogs (and some silly people) being the only ones crazy enough to be in the midday sun, is true where she’s concerned.

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Camping on the Colo – Part 4

March 16, 2016 Sandra Graham Leave a comment

The Colo River that morning was misty and mysterious.

At Upper Colo, it’s hemmed in by sheer sandstone cliffs and dense bush.

By the water, it sustains more verdant species.

The river has its source deep in the Blue Mountains north of Lithgow in the valleys of Capertee and Wolgan. We visited the Capertee Valley a few years ago, and by road seems like a world away from Upper Colo.

The Colo eventually flows into the Hawkesbury, which drains in Broken Bay, so we’ve seen quite a few sides of this extensive river system.

In between, it flows wild through Wollemi National Park, until it emerges at Upper Colo, before meandering into the Hawkesbury at Lower Portland.

It reminds me of the novel The Secret River. Set by the Hawkesbury in the early days of New South Wales, it described the recreated the experiences of the first white settlers to the area. They saw the river and the bush as a mysterious, menacing creature that was just waiting to gobble them up. Sitting by the river that morning, I think I understood how they felt.