Growling Swallet Florentine, Tasmania, Australia
By
shazcol on 21-Jan-11. Waypoint GA3071
Cache Details
| Difficulty: | |
| Terrain: | |
| Type: | Virtual |
| Container: | Virtual |
| Coordinates: | S42° 41.336' E146° 30.064' (WGS 84) |
| 55G 459128E 5273607N (UTM) | |
| Elevation: | 597 m |
| Local Government Area: | Derwent Valley |
/146.501067,-42.688933,14/400x200?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoiY2F1Z2h0YXR3b3JrIiwiYSI6ImNqa2l4ZzNzMDE5bjgzdm1sZGpuODF1Mm0ifQ.q8YMzVyzDJJlJHHV8EMjwQ)
Description
Walk to an interesting geological feature
The track to this area was originally established in the mid eighties to visit the many caves in the area by local cavers. The river enters into the Junee cave system here and re-appears some 30km away near Maydena at the Junee cave (caches here and further information about them).
You will see one of the most amazing large trees I have seen anywhere along this track with massive burls bulging out every where at the base. It is worth the walk just to see this tree.
The Growling Swallet name comes from the fact that during high water flow into the cave it makes a growling sound.
The 30 deepest caves in Australia are in Tasmania and the 17 deepest of these are all in the Junee Florentine area.
The Mount Field Visitor Centre has information sheets they hand out with directions if you ask at the desk.
The 900M track is reasonably well marked with shopping bag tape markers and several different coloured tape marlers. Expect to take half an hour one way at a steady pace. You will pass a marker after a few hundred meters as you pass over the old McCallums Track and soon after enter the national park boundary of Mt Field.
Not really a suitable place to hide a cache at GZ so post a photo of your GPS with the co-ords showing, a picture of your self at GZ or other evidence you actually visited GZ. The aim is to visit and enjoy while preserving the area.
Warning – The walk is very muddy in places, wear appropriate foot ware.
Warning – Several places on the walking track have fallen trees and you will have to find your way around them.
Warning – The area at GZ is unsuitable for small children as it is very steep and slippery.
Warning - The road is quite narrow towards the end and turning is also limited. It is possible at times you may scratch your car's paintwork and have to drive through a short muddy section.
Warning - DO NOT ENTER the cave or try to get any closer as flash flooding at any time and many other dangers exist. Stay on the track as you get a decent view from here anyway.
For those seeking further history of this area research the Great Western Railway to Strahan, caving in the area and the McCallums Track.
If you are happy with the warnings and continue please be careful and enjoy, else I suggest you do not do this cache as it may not be for you.
Logs
Cheers,
The Hancock Clan
The ride was muddy, the walk was muddy and the water was cold. But it was a great day. There were a number of people at the cave - 2 on arrival, and a group of 7-8 children and 6 adults then turned up. The children had done well, as most we 6 - 9 and they had walked up from the parking spot to the Swallet, really impressive.
I hid a cache while here, a little further up the slope from the virtual location just this location is more visited, which it should be.
Many fungis where photographed.
I had been here about 30 years ago, so couldnt remember the place very well.
Thank you for the cache
After parking we enjoyed the walk in, the mosses and ferns and myrtley sections were lovely. We thought it funny that little low logs had steps cut in, yet there was a monstrous log that had none - perhaps it had only fallen in recent times. At the swallet, we rockhopped across the stream, and down as far as we felt OK, it was quite amazing and a really incredible spot. We also followed the track on for awhile - not sure where it went on to. On the way back we popped into Junee Caves to see it coming out, but decided the Growling Swallet was a much more interesting spot!
Great location for a cache. Thanks Shazcol.
I arranged and picked up the key from Mt Field, and we were soon off on the track.
It's a very nice walk in, and about halfway joins upper with a better made track (an old access?).
Just before the cave, there are tapes leading down to the right, even though the track appears to keep heading upstream.
An amazing spot, and the water level was low enough (and there having been no rain or any chance of it) that we all clambered down as far as was safe, and took heaps of photos, which I'll add shortly.
Thanks, shazcol - these sort of caches really add to life.
Got to the boom gate and saw where the 4x4bies go round but did not think that wise for the Corolla so walked in from there.
Absolutely loved the walk and GZ to boot.
If there had not been a cache here, I'd never have visited so thank you for taking me to such a magnificent spot.
The well defined and blazed track made the going easy, except for the occasional muddy area.
Plenty of water in the river.
I've now been to both ends; this and Junee.
Got as close as I could to GZ but a variance of 11-15metres at times made it hard to get close so a guestimation was made and photo taken at S42 41.342;E146 30.065 -
THANKS FOR A TRUE BUSH WALKING CACHE AND EXPERIENCE
Cheers OldSaint.
I couldn't get real close as there was a lot of water running down the river into the cave.
Arriving at GZ we saw nature at its best and admired the surrounds. We took plenty of photos and hope they portray how special this place is.
Thanks shazcol for bring us here and for the cache. This is why we love Geocaching it takes us to places like this. Highly recommended.
For those following we can confirm that a boom gate now prevents access to this road but a key is available at Mt Field National Park where they will swipe your credit card $300.00 for a key deposit.
For those interested in having coords for parking they are S42 41.213 E146 29.474. I was also talking to some forestry people who told me that it was the intent of the government to place a gate at the start of the F8 East Road as a recently someone was having a look in the cave and drowned after an unexpected volume of water rushed in. Just a warning and a heads up. Top rating for this cache. Thanks.
