Fury Gorge, quite simply put, is a perfectly terrible place to visit. From the moment I heard the story of Hellyer's journey, I was intrigued, and became obsessed with the idea of descending into Fury Gorge. This was during the days when I was guiding on the Overland Track, and each time we’d stop at the Fury Gorge lookout near the base of Cradle Mountain and I’d gaze into the gaping abyss, my imagination would wonder; what would it be like to descend to the bottom of this ‘horrible ravine’?
Scrub! Victoria Peak. Pentax MX, Cinestill 50, Nov 2022.
At its narrowest point, Fury Gorge is about two kilometres wide and three quarters of a kilometre deep. The Fury River has been hard at work for the last few million years. The walls of the gorge consist of broken cliffs and dense vegetation. Everything about the place says in no uncertain terms: stay out.
Looking back towards Mt Farrell. Pentax MX, Cinestill 50, Nov 2022.
My intention was to stay true to the spirit of the original expedition. I would travel self sufficiently on foot from Lake Mackintosh near Tullah, close to the point where Hellyer crossed the Mackintosh River, all the way to Cradle Mountain. I would head into country that was mostly unknown to me, with no maps, no electronics and no device that allowed me to call for help. I would use a compass as my only instrument for navigation, alongside Hellyer’s letter that he wrote to his superior, detailing their journey. I would go at precisely the same time of year as Hellyer and his party did, only 194 years later.
Hellyer was in a party of five and they travelled with dogs and muskets so they could hunt, but I would go on my own with ten days of food and my bushwalking kit. Initially I had two friends who said were keen but bailed on the trip in the lead up. Perhaps their sense of self preservation was stronger than my own.
Lake Mackintosh, Pentax MX, Cinestill 50, Nov 2022.
On the 13th of November, 2022, I drove up to Cradle. I had left my trip intentions with two friends and allowed two weeks for the trip. From Cradle, I hitched a ride to Tullah. I walked up and over Mt Farrell, then descended to Lake Mackintosh the next day. It was from here, not far from the place where Hellyer crossed the Mackintosh River that my journey began in earnest.
To be continued…