Clarence River Reserve.

We got a reasonably early start on Thursday morning after finishing loading the ute.  I did mention to Jocelyn that I usually fit all my gear into my pack.  Looking at what we had stacked into the ute I'm sure glad I don't have to carry all that array of gear and food  anywhere.

After getting through the locked gate we started our climb up to the tops and into the clouds.  Initially it's just climbing up through relatively steep farmland then you get to some seriously steep terrain.
The higher you go the more impressive the scenery becomes until you realise you are actually driving through truly impressive mountains.  The views are awe inspiring and the deep gorges and gullies you are looking down on leave a strange hollow feeling in your tummy.

I stop occasionally to get the binos out and have a look at some places that might hold a deer or a chamois but no luck  .Although I do spot a group of goats high up on a face. The terrain is quite daunting and I think it may take younger legs than mine to retrieve an animal even if I did get a chance to shoot one.

We eventually come through a saddle high up on the range and a DOC sign says it is 1967ft above sea level.  We start winding our way down the other side and the lower we go we notice the vegetation starts to change so that the country looks quite barren, almost desert like.  The briar rose has got a real hold on this country as wherever you look briar is spread through the landscape.  When we get lower down we come across the first of the heritage sites in the Tentpole Hut.  This land has quite a history and some of the old huts and barns are listed as heritage sites dating back to before the 1920s.  There seems to be quite a bit of information around this time but not a lot is known from before this era.

We eventually find our way to the Seymour hut which is going to be our accommodation for the next three days.  There were a couple of sleeping bags inside so we know we will be sharing the hut with others tonight.  The Seymour is one of 3 DOC huts in there.  They are relatively new and sited in lovely spots.

We unloaded all the gear and decided we would go for a walk and a look around.  Unfortunately the southerly had got up and the temperature had gone down.  I chucked a jacket on and Joc put about 5 layers on plus my old swazi pants and 2 beanies and a bloody great scarf around her neck.  Any more she would have looked like a sumo wrestler.

The Clarence had a bit of colour to it after the rain up in the hills.  Looking up the valley from the hut the  scenery was stunning.  We headed back to the hut for lunch then we decided we would do a bit more 4 wheel driving and go and check out the Palmer hut which was about 24 kms from the Seymour.  To get anywhere in here you are driving up river beds or over the hills.  And it is fun although it gets a bit bumpy at times.

We got to the Palmer hut and found a group of 4 hunters there.  They had just arrived 3\4 of an hour before us and said they had seen 2 deer on the way in but the deer were a bit quick for them.  They had also had a bomb up  on a group of goats over the river but it seems the shooting was a bit suspect as nothing had fallen over.  They were an amicable bunch and we enjoyed a cuppa and a piece of fruit cake.  Jocelyn was a bit quiet as all the talk was about hunting.  They had pig dogs with them and it seems a lot who hunt the area are hunting pigs and deer as wherever I went dog sign was prevalent.

I went for a fish when we got back.  I'm keen to catch trout on a nymph again but I think I need more practice.  Over the three days I fished I caught nothing on nymphs or spinners.The only method that worked was softbaits.  I caught five trout and had a number of others that had a go but I didn't hook them properly.

The owners of the extra sleeping bags showed up and turned out to be a couple of DOC workers.  They were in there monitoring changes to exclusion zones that had been set up in there.
I never really got serious about the hunting in there although i never stopped looking.  I must have spent hours with my binos glued to my face looking at those distant hills willing a deer or a pig to poke it's nose out of a briar bush somewhere.  But I did enjoy watching the families of goats interacting.  There were big billies down to little kids but iv'e never enjoyed hunting goats as they seem far too domesticated for me.  I would find it similar to shooting a sheep.  The DOC workers tried to encourage me to get out and shoot a few as they of course just see another pest.

We went for another drive along to Quail flat and had a look at the historical buildings there and it certainly does give you a feel for the history of the place.  Also the people of those times of what they endured in the harsh winters where snow would lock them in but they would still be out doing stock work  and living in these buildings with no insulation and  gaps in the walls.

Wherever we went in there we found signs about 1080 that had been dropped about 4 months ago.  The rabbit sign was everywhere but it was strange as there seemed relatively low numbers of rabbits.  I did find quite a few carcases though so I guess that was the 1080.

There is not a lot of trees around but I found a lot of opossum sign They must live in the briar.  I suppose with such a recent drop of 1080 it would have had a marked effect on deer and pig numbers as well.

On the saturday I did a bit of fishing and Joc got into a good book.  Did quite well on the trout and released them all.  After lunch I put my boots on and headed up the river for a look.  Crossed the river a few times and found a few areas that would be good for a hunt at a later date.  On the way back I stripped off and dived into the river and had a good wash.  It was rather exhilarating but very refreshing.  As a bonus I probably smelt a lot better.  The Clarence river itself is stunning.It runs from fast flowing rapids into deep turquoise coloured pools and it winds itself round big rocky headlands on its way down to the sea.

After a bit of a relax we packed up and headed out . The drive out was great being a beautiful day the scenery was spectacular .Jocelyn seems to suffer a bit from vertigo as in some places she was getting a bit tense especially when I would pull over to have a look through the binos she seemed to think we were going to go over the side.  But she was as amazed by the scenery as I was and we both had a wonderful trip into the Clarence River Reserve.