We woke
bright and early at 6am to get a head-start on the day before it became too hot to do anything. We walked with Mark and Sharon to the
upper Manning Gorge, a rocky 1 hour walk, crossing the river and traversing across the rocky plateau to the top of
the gorge. The walk was tiring and hot but the swim was refreshing and the
views worthwhile. We returned by 10am, refreshed again in the lower
Manning Gorge and set off in the cars for the next few gorges for the day. We had planned to stop at
Galvans Gorge,
Adcock Gorge and
Bell Gorge where we would
camp for the night. We changed our plans after a hot walk to
Galvans Gorge where there the water had almost dried up for the season and the stagnant water was not inviting. We skipped
Adcock Gorge and continued driving to
Bell Gorge. We were disappointed to read the
ranger's notice that as at 13th October camping was not allowed at
Bell Gorge and we would have to
camp at
Silent Grove 10km away from
the Gorge. It was too hot in the afternoon to attempt the steep walk down and back to
the gorge so we spent the afternoon showering at
Silent Grove. The
camp sites were pleasant but we were stung $14 National Park fees but the facilities included flushing
toilets so it was a treat. We cooked another roast dinner in
our camp oven - this one a roast pork with crispy crackling.