Deep in the Colo

Winding down twisting gullies between steep cliffs, we slog down towards Canoe Creek. Heavy packs crammed with everything needed for two days of packrafting. Paddles, constantly in the way, held awkwardly in one hand. And then we see it—our first view of the Colo Gorge. Ancient sandstone cliffs tower 400m above the river; I’m filled with excitement … and anxiety. The exciting: two days packrafting through one of the largest gorges in the world in the heart of the Wollemi Wilderness. The worrying: numerous unknown rapids, stories of undercuts and sieves, and no easy egress routes other than our planned entry and exit points. As Lieutenant Colonel Clews—a pioneering surveyor of the region—wrote in his memoir The Bad Bit Across the River in 1934, “If you fly in a straight line in a north-westerly direction from the centre of Sydney for about 60 miles, you would find yourself in the middle of a stretch of country least known, least inhabited and with a rougher terrain than most other places in Australia.’’

MY INTEREST IN THE COLO RIVER was sparked several years ago. Researching possible kayaking trips, I became captivated by the region’s wildness, but the inaccessible terrain meant just two alternatives existed for paddling the river. Option One: a five-day kayak from Glen Davis following the river nearly its entire 86km length, descending