A three hour return walk will get you to the Lower Portals in Mount Barney National Park but the trek is well worthwhile. Once you've reached the gate point it's a short stroll to a beautiful creek where you can boulder hop across to, either head right to the campsite or left to the swimming hole. If you veer left as we did, don't be put off when you reach what appears to be a dead end. There's actually a section where you climb up through the rocks/cave to get to the stunning section at the end. On this occasion we were lucky enough to see a platypus in the pools during the middle of the day as well as some fish and freshwater eels. A stunning, refreshing spot for a swim. Flanagan's Reserve and Bigriggen are both campgrounds nearby which are great stations for a nice daytrip.
October 2016