Spiderwebs on my arms and in my face. Black cockatoos flying together shriek their delight. Water moves below. Yellow, brown and purple fungi whisper their first hello.
There are three waterfalls on the Smoko Creek track in Meander. The first (shown above) is reached within about 45 minutes walking and is pretty speccy. Many brightly coloured versions of Lower Chasm Falls are splashed across various social media channels. The track to it is pretty moderate with the first part following a disused logging track. There is a bit of rock scramble and navigation around fallen trees as well as a narrow and sometimes slippery descent through a patch of hard water ferns closer to the falls. All that said, it is easily walked by my 8 and 10 year olds.
The track continues along Smoko Creek for a further 20 minutes before reaching Middle Chasm Falls, marked by yellow triangles to the left of the main track. The waterfall is fringed by fish bone ferns and moss, has an emerald pool at its base and a huge rock overhang above. Sometimes there is a faint rainbow visible when the sun is at the right angle and the water is high.
Further up Chasm Falls proper is no longer easily accessible because the log bridge it was once viewed from has fallen into the chasm. I have heard that the tall channel of water can be viewed from the opposite bank off track and downstream a bit but haven’t ventured there yet. The track continues toward The Dell and Mount Ironstone.
If you are reading this and plan to walk the track, please take care of the surrounding area at the falls, especially the fragile moss. Many a moss covered rock has been ruined by well-meaning explorers (photographers).
