4X4 ONLY track Agnes to Deepwater NP

[Red_Nut]

Team,
has anyone been along the track from Agnes to Wreck Rock camp ground recently?

The Nat Parks website details it as 4x4 only, and warns people about getting bogged in soft sand. How soft is this track? I am looking at doing a solo trip in a couple of weeks in my Troopy, but would like some information about the track.

Can anyone compare it to something that I have driven a few times - the track from Byfield Nat Park through to Nine Mile Beach? This one has some sections of well compacted sand, and other parts that are deep and boggy.

I was also thinking of taking my 4.2 Quinny Dory, but I am now rethinking that in light of the track warnings???????

Any observations are appreciated as I have not driven this track before.

Cheers.

Ed.

[Lucky_Phill]

ED,

I have taken that track many times, towing a 4.1 Stessl. No problems at all. And I have done this recently. There is some soft sand but I have managed that track in 2WD just about everytime.

You may.......MAY have to engage 4wd to get into wreck Rock camp ground, but I doubt it.

Were you thinking of taking the track all the way down to Baffle Creek/ Rules Beach ?

Any other questions, just fire away >>>>>>

Phill

[Red_Nut]

G'day Phil - thanks for the quick reply.

All these comments are coming from the angle of having never driven south along the coast from Agnes.

At this stage I am not sure how far south I will come. I was originally planning on heading to 1770, but I think there will be too many people around for my liking. Apparently the caravan park is shockers for the first week in April, and it's not even school holidays.

I would like to bring the tinny, and Baffle Ck would be good for that. Basically I am looking for a beachfront camping spot somewhere between Agnes and Baffle, without too many people (wrong time of the year I know:) ) and I can have a fish. Preferably not in a caravan park (paying $27/night site fees for one person is something to avoid).

I will be travelling on my own at this stage as my usual buddies are working and my wife is too pregnant for camping and fishing.

Do you have any thoughts on this? Is there something else around Baffle Ck / Rules Beach to look out for?

I also don't mind doing some exploring during the day and deciding where I'll camp around 3-4pm. The troopy is self-sufficient so no need for anything else really :) I can camp wherever I park :)

Cheers.

Ed.

[Lucky_Phill]

ED,

there are many options down that way.

You can head north of 1770 and camp at Eurimbula Creek or Middle Creek, via the Eurimbula National Park, which turn off is 15k's before Agnes on the bitumen road. These are great spots for launching boat, land based, crabbing and fishing, and camping. eurimblua is a No Take Mud Crab area though.

Boat launching will be an issue for you. basically you'll have to launch at 1770 or Baffle or maybe Rules beach. There are good land based areas where you have suggested. Red Rock, Flat Rock ( great whiting spot ), Middle Rock and Wreck Rock. you can camp at Middle rock with no facilities but Wreck Rock has water, tables and toilets. Wreck Rock is only 20k's from baffle Creek.

The camp ground at 1770 is good, but as you suggest, it does get crowded. The other camp ground closed down due to development.

If you wanted to continue further sth to Baffle creek there are at least 2 places to stay that have good facilities and boat ramps at the back door. Baffle Bobs is one and Baffle Creek campstay ?/// is the other. You'll find them by ' googling ". under baffle creek accom.

The beaches up that way are not 4WD friendly, the sand consists of a fine gravel rather than sand and can be decieving. I would steer clear of them unless you are experienced. The beach from Rules beach , north to the Broadwater Creek entrance is OK, but a low tide situation. Again, very soft under foot. You can tow a tinnie up there and launch into the estuary. The acces road is over a sandhill 20 -40 mtrs before the estuary. The estuary itself is shallow and would require a high tide to successfully go long distances, but would be worth a shot.

Have you got any maps ?

The Miriam Vale Shire Council puts out a map ( District Road map ) for about $7. Well worth getting this one. Shows most tracks .

Anything else....... fire away .........>>>>>>>>>>>>

phill

[Red_Nut]

After some more research and a couple of chats with the Parks team in Bundy (the ladies there were very happy to help answer all my questions) I have settled on Eurimbula for a couple of days. Depending on how the fishing goes I can always head over to 1770 channel for a bit of a change, or a beer at the "tree".

If anyone else is there between 3-5 April my camp is the one with the old tan coloured Troopy.

Cheers.

Ed.

[Hooked_On]

After some more research and a couple of chats with the Parks team in Bundy (the ladies there were very happy to help answer all my questions) I have settled on Eurimbula for a couple of days. Depending on how the fishing goes I can always head over to 1770 channel for a bit of a change, or a beer at the "tree".

If anyone else is there between 3-5 April my camp is the one with the old tan coloured Troopy.

Cheers.

Ed.

Make sure you prepare for the sandflies early morning and at sundown, the ramp at the mouth of Eurimbula Creek is high and dry at low tide as all the sand has filled in the deep hole at the mouth,, so you may have to leave the boat in the creek until the tide comes back in! just take some good anchors as the tide runs pretty hard here..

[Red_Nut]

Hooked-on
Cheers for the heads up. I am based at Zilzie (near Rocky) and we get some good tidal runs here too. It is always a classic to see crab pots floating past you down the creek on the big runs.

I haven't been to this part of the discovery coast before, I mainly stick to 1770 camp ground. I will be dropping in to see Tony and the crew at the tackle shop on the way through, so I'll be having a chat about the local conditions and asking about submerged rocks in the creek, etc.

From memory there are no angry handbags waiting to chomp you down that way?

I am loooking forward to trying somewhere different. My mossie net lives in the back of the troopy too, sounds like I may need it :) :) :)

Cheers.

Ed.

[Hooked_On]

Red_Nut
Have not seen any floating handbags all the time I have spent on these creeks, Have heard of some stories of some around the corner in Turkey area though... one seat of rocks in Eurimbula Creek about 800m upstream from boat ramp on left near sand bank they are in the water and they do cover on tides so keep eye out for these as you can pass close to them when navigating the channel.. rest of creek is littered with with trees on the sand banks (mainly on the corners half way up the creek) creek gets very shallow at low tide, so it is recommended to start getting out of the top end of the creek at half tide on the bigger tides.. on the smaller tides you wont be able to push up to far as it just to shallow..

just 5 min to 1770 by boat on good days watch the NW winds though.

Damo

[roz]

You will not have a problem in your troopy, I almost always go through Deepwater & Eurimbula driving my cruiser ute in 2WD. Make sure you have your hubs locked in just in case.

Having said that, I wouldn't advise non 4WDs go in there as clearance would definately be problem.

However when you turn off the main track into any of the three camping spots... Flat Rock, Middle Rock & Wreck Rock, you will run into a lot of soft sand, also a couple of tracks are narrow & steep, definately need to engage 4WD there.

On the other hand the tracks are only short so no need to deflate tyres imo.

Eurimbula National Park is much the same, you won't need to use 4WD but you will need the clearance.

r.

[Derek Bullock]

Check out my website at http://www.aussiecampovencook.com/agneswater.htm. Photos by Roz. ;)


Derek

[rat_catcher]

Team,
Can anyone compare it to something that I have driven a few times - the track from Byfield Nat Park through to Nine Mile Beach? This one has some sections of well compacted sand, and other parts that are deep and boggy.

I know this is a bit late and not an issue now as you have decided to stay elsewhere, but for the record I have driven the road to Five Rocks and Nine Mile beach many times and the road through Deepwater NP twice. The first time was on 17th December 2006 heading south and the second time was on 20th December 2006 heading north. This was on a family trip from Rocky to Bundy and back and I wanted to go via Deepwater for something a bit different to the highway.

I was driving a 100 Series Landcruiser and the track through Deepwater was quite easy. Yes there are a few patches of softer sand, but nothing like the track into Nine Mile. The softest part was probably the side track into Wreck Rock campground, but this was no trouble for my hunjy! You should have no issues at all in a Troopie.

[rat_catcher]

See below a few pics of the track. These were taken heading south from the park entrance and you should be able to see the changing track condition, but it never gets anywhere near as bad as the first sand hill on the way into Nine Mile.

[Red_Nut]

Derek / Roz / Ratcatcher - these pics look great. The track does look nice and easy. It looks like a nice cruisey trip through the bush - just what the Dr ordered.

Rat - The first hill on the track to 9 Mile beach can be a doozy, depending on the $%##@$#% that have chewed it up by not deflating tyres. There are a couple of options for getting up that hill, but yes it can be VERY soft.

Hooked on - There is some good information there on Eurimbula Ck, thanks. I will be printing this and sticking it in the glove box. Some local knolwedge is invluable, especially if it saves you wiping out on a submerged rock.

The dual batteries went in the cruiser on the weekend - can't wait.

Cheers.

Ed.

[rat_catcher]

Rat - The first hill on the track to 9 Mile beach can be a doozy, depending on the $%##@$#% that have chewed it up by not deflating tyres. There are a couple of options for getting up that hill, but yes it can be VERY soft.

Yep! Well there is nothing like that hill in Deepwater NP. Hope you have a great time.