Day

Details

Accommodation

1

Participants make their own way to Grafton where a pre-adventure briefing will be held. We then make our way through the World Heritage listed Gibraltar Ranges National Park to our first campsite (approx 1 hr from Grafton CBD) located on a forested plateau above the gorge country of the Nymboida and Mann Rivers. The landscape is carved by deep-cut valleys and has spectacular areas of weathered granite and balancing rock.

We set the scene for our pioneering adventure with a traditional “early settler’s” dinner and bush poetry round the campfire before retiring for the night – ready for the forthcoming challenges.

Tents/Campsite

2

Our second day commences in the footsteps of our pioneers with a 10km hike to the old convict trails where we collect our mountain bikes and cycle 60km through many old settlements.  We stop for lunch at the old convict tunnel (leaving our bikes here) before hiking another 15km to Buccurumbi where we set up camp for the night.

We relax for the evening with a campfire dinner and share the camaraderie of our day’s experiences.

This old historic tunnel was built by a contractor in c1866-68, on the Old Grafton to Glen Innes Road; the road itself was constructed using convict labour during the 1800's. It is the only one of its type in Australia more...

 Tents/Campsite

3

Today’s adventure involves a 40km team effort as we paddle in pairs along the pristine Nymboida River (considered to be one of the best canoeing rivers in eastern Australia).  This historic paddle finishes at Jackadgery where we leave our kayaks and collect our mountain bikes after a well earned lunch and short rest.

It’s a 25km bike ride from Jackadgery to the famous Copmanhurst pioneering village where we set up camp for the night and enjoy another night of revelry followed by a peaceful nights rest in the wilderness.

 Tents/Campsite

4

After a hearty breakfast we mountain bike ride 60km along the upper reaches of the Clarence River to arrive at Lawrence in time for lunch. Swapping our bikes for kayaks again, we paddle 40km down the mighty Clarence River to Yamba where we complete our pioneering adventure and celebrate your achievements.

The Clarence river is the largest river system on the State’s North Coast. It was an important artery for timber and agricultural produce from the mid-1900s. Grafton’s position on the river made it prominent in the region.

Matthew Flinders investigated the river mouth in 1799.  Flinders mistook the inlet for a coastal bay and did not imagine there was a major river nearby. Yamba was established in the 1860s, initially to serve the traffic along the river. By the 1890s it had become a small tourist resort.