We’ve well and truly fallen for the Colo River. After visiting via both the Bob Turners and Canoe Creek Tracks, we were hooked. When a sunny 28C day was forecast for Easter Sunday, there was nowhere we’d rather be. This time we opted to try a new section of the river accessed via the T3 Track.
The T3 leads down to a shallow section of the Colo River with crystal clear water backed by grand cliff walls. It’s absolutely beautiful, though I will admit that at first I didn’t find it quite so majestic as the other two spots we’d visited previously. However, the longer we lazed on the white sandy beach, the more I could feel the Colo working its magic.
It’s hard not to feel completely serene in such spectacular surrounds. And if you too are struck in the same way, there’s a huge sandy beach where you can camp overnight.
Though the reward of spending the night here does not come easily as the track is steep and rough, and will feel all the more so with a laden pack. Here’s what to expect from the T3 Track.
The T3 Track
The stats
Distance: 6.8km return
Elevation gain: 550m
Difficulty: Hard
Trailhead: End of the T3 Fire Trail, Mountain Lagoon
Summary: The track down to the Colo River begins rather gently, but then gets significantly steeper as you get closer to the river. There are no markers, and at times wash-outs can be mistaken for the trail, and these are much steeper and more unstable than the real track, so you need to take care with navigating.
There are some lengthy sections of loose soil, which can be very slippery on the descent, as well as one very narrow exposed section (though this is not steep).
If you’ve hiked the Colo before, I would say it’s a little easier than Canoe Creek, but significantly harder than Bob Turners.
The Colo River via the T3 Track is a remote area with no phone signal and little foot traffic. We wouldn’t hike here or recommend hiking here without carrying a PLB and offline map.
Starting the trail
From the parking area (full details below) the walk heads into the bush and almost immediately passes the T3 Track signpost.
Apart from one faded pole partway along, this is the last signpost we saw. The track heads up and over the rocks and then begins traversing the cliffline.
Roughly 150m in you’ll get your first great view of the densely forested mountains. After another 50m there’s a minor descent before the path flattens again. It’s rocky in parts but easy to follow.
At the 365m mark the path is less easy to spot, it’s on the right and heads steeply down some rocky ‘steps’.
The steep section lasts for a little under 100m before the gradient slackens. The gradient for the next 600m is quite gentle and feels almost flat for a while.
You are traversing the spur with intermittent peeks out to the mountains beyond and you still feel a looong way above the gorge!
Reaching the lookout
Lookout coordinates: -33.3939080, 150.6594172
Approximately 1.05km into the track, as you descend, the terrain becomes more rocky for around 200m, but it’s not challenging when dry.
However, at the 1.35km mark you’ll reach a point where a wash-out on your right looks like it’s the main track. Make sure you continue straight, over the rocks, to stay on the T3.
Roughly 100m later you’ll see a small cairn - quite a rarity of the track and there’s a mini rock chute that is easy to negotiate. The next section of trail is quite easy, both in terms of terrain and following the path.
Just over 2.1km into the track, at the top of a rocky section, the path bears north as opposed to north-northeast. And 150m beyond this you will start climbing down some rocks (which is easy when dry) before reaching a wide rock ledge 100m later.
This is the main viewpoint of the track (2.4km into the walk) which offers spectacular views down to the river far below.
There is a lot of room to sit and relax here before tackling the final part of the descent, which is the most difficult section of the track.
The final descent
From the lookout, with your back to the river, the path heads right. It is very narrow and exposed for around 100m.
On the way down, I wasn’t a fan of this section but on the way back i skipped up it without a thought, so though it is by no means steep, I guess even the fact it went slightly downhill made it unnerving for me.
There is a big drop to your right so you need to take care, but footing was generally very good.
However, after the traverse the descent starts to get very steep and some of the terrain is loose. Thankfully this very steep section only lasts 150m before it slackens and then flattens completely 200m later.
You’ll now have a lovely easy section of flat track through the bush before the final descent to the beach.
Just over 2.9km into the track, or 90m after the path flattens, there’s a turn on your right which leads to another good view of the river (it’s a 20m detour).
You’ll notice that though you have descended quite a lot, you are still surprisingly high above the river!
Just under 100m later you’ll reach a fork. The track continues to the right and begins to descend steeply downhill. After 100m you’ll reach another fork.
At this second fork it looks like the track continues to the right of a charred tree, down a gully, but this is another wash-out and it’s very steep and loose.
It will take you to the beach, but the T3 is actually to the left of the charred tree you can see in the photo above.
There is a minor bit of slip to cross to the left (pictured above), which is why it looks like the trail is to the right. But trust me, having done both routes, cross the few steps along the slip and take the T3 down to the beach.
It’s still steep and loose in parts, but it’s less steep and less loose than the wash-out and there are a few more trees around for stability if needed.
You have just 215m of steep descending to go to reach the beach from the fork beside the tree.
To give you an idea of how steep this last section is, we measured that from the beach we climbed up 90m of elevation along a 300m stretch of track (almost a 30% gradient).
I think it’s probably as steep as anything we’ve climbed in NSW before. The track will then bring you out to a large sandy beach close to Tootie Creek (which is on your left).
The Colo River
Once you’re at the beach you can explore to your heart’s content. The spectacular sandstone cliffs tower over the river and the water is a shimmering golden colour. The water clarity is incredible.
There were plenty of butterflies fluttering around and the blue gums dotted along the river bank all added to the charm. It’s a truly beautiful place.
The deepest section of the river without leaving the immediate area is by the cascades close to the old campfire on the beach.
We walked a little to the right as well and the river was very shallow, but definitely deep enough for sitting and relaxing in. Even the deeper section wasn’t easily swimmable, but it was waist height by comparison.
You could continue much further along the river to the Tootie Creek Cascades with deeper swimming holes, but you need a lot of time for that as making your way along the Colo can be slow going.
It’s ideal to camp and leave yourself a decent amount of time for relaxed exploring, or make an early start. Please remember when camping to carry everything out with you and leave no trace behind.
This is a pristine wilderness environment which we are privileged to get the chance to experience.
If you are going to do a bit of exploring beyond the main beach area, remember to memorise some landmarks so that you can find the T3 again, as it really isn’t very obvious from the beach. We didn’t explore very far but one day I know we’ll be back to see more.
As a side note, around the river there are some sections of sand which you can sink into, I wouldn’t call it quicksand as I never felt it was sucking me in, but I sometimes found myself knee deep when moments before I’d been walking on compact sand.
Heading back up
When you’re ready to leave, the first kilometre back up to the viewpoint is the steepest.
A couple of turns can be less obvious in reverse, the first is 780m from the beach when you see a log you want to keep right. And 70m later you want to avoid following the false trail on the left.
When you reach the viewpoint you will have climbed 200m in elevation (over 1km) with the first 300m being the steepest.
After the viewpoint you still have plenty of uphill to go, but nothing is as steep or rough as that first kilometre.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Getting to the T3 Track trailhead
The T3 Track begins in Mountain Lagoon, close to Bilpin. The final 9.6km to the parking area is unsealed but in good condition. However, large parts of the road are single track with a drop to one side.
Some of the road is steep and windy and though you don’t need a 4WD in dry conditions, you will be more comfortable in a car with some clearance.
You can find the parking area at these coordinates: -33.405889, 150.647829 or you can find it on Google Maps by clicking here.
There are no facilities, including toilets, at the parking area or anywhere along the trail. The closest toilets are in Bilpin.
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