Turon River - The Devil's Climb

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Route: Turon Gates, Devils Climb, Turon River, River Cabin Road, Upper Turon Road

Date: 01/08/2020
From: Turon Gates

Parking: N/A
Start Point: Turon Gates campsite
Finish Point: Turon Gates campsite
Region: Turon National Park

Route length: 7.1 miles (11.42km)
Time taken: 03:56
Average speed: 2.0 mph
Ascent: 544m
Descent: 521m

Points of Interest: Turon River

Turon National Park is a tiny speck of park, located just west of the Greater Blue Mountains area. It may surprise you to find that, beyond the rugged cliffs of the Blue Mountains isn't the beginning of Australia's endless red desert but, rather, vast expanses of farmland, wombat-filled bush and the odd pristine river thrown in for good measure - Turon River being the one in question in this instance.

With international and state borders currently closed, we're limited to exploring our home state of New South Wales, which is not all bad given it's larger than the state of Texas. There's plenty to explore and this is often best done with a car full of camping gear, even in the depths of an Australian winter. This particular hike is described on the website of the Turon Gates campsite where we were staying for the weekend and is aptly named 'the Devils Climb'. As you might expect, there's a steep ascent in there.

The hike is basically a loop out from the campsite, climbing up then along a ridge, before dropping into the next valley and following the Turon River back. The climb is actually the first thing you do after leaving the campsite. The path ascends a steep, rocky incline that rewards your effort with sweeping views over the surrounding landscape. 

The bottom of the Devils Climb at the end of the campsite

A sign marks the beginning of the climb

Turon Gates campsite next to Turon River

Turon National Park

Halfway up the ridge

Looking up to the ridge

Turon National Park

Looking back down the Devils Climb

The climb continues up into the trees

Eventually, we reached the ridgetop after the sweaty Devils Climb where we met a fire trail rising from the opposite valley. The trail along the top is fairly easy; a broad track, wide enough to be driven, gently undulating along the ridge. That said, the views are muted by the trees, save for one or two locations, which is a shame but pretty typical of New South Wales. 

Reaching the ridgetop

The ridge top fire trail

A view across the Greater Blue Mountains

Markers lead the way

The path descends steeply through the trees, winding its way down towards the Turon River. We passed the rusted hulk of a truck halfway up the hillside which, given the steepness and condition of the path, remains a mystery as to how it actually got there. 

Starting our descent to Turon River

An abandoned truck - it had certainly seen better days

The Eucalyptus trees synonymous with the area

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Approaching the verdant Turon River

Eventually, we reached the Turon River which is absolutely stunning. Here we joined the riverside walk back towards the campsite, marked out by reflective dots nailed to the trees. Immediately we had to cross the river, crossing over a sketchy looking fallen tree like you might see in the movies. After a short climb over a low ridge, we emerged at the riverbank again. The markers guided us to cross but it seemed the usual stepping stones were underwater. After searching around, we decided the easiest way over would be simply wading across.

Reaching Turon River

Out first crossing point

The log appears much narrower when you're suspended above the river

Turon River

The first ford on Turon River

Sara crosses Turon River

After we were across the river the path continues, winding also alongside the idyllic waters. We actually had to cross the river another two times by the time we had made our way along the valley. Both of these were done barefoot and, if I'm honest, were not particularly pleasant as the river was very cold, despite what the photos suggest. 

The Turon River is well renowned because it was the site of one of Australia's first gold rushes. During the gold rush Chinese migrant workers built a water race to bring water to mining operations along sections of the Turon River. Many parts of the race can still be seen today.

Turon River

Turon River

Turon River

Turon River

The riverside walk along the banks of the Turon River

Turon River

Another crossing to wade across

After our final river crossing, we reached a set of small holiday properties, all owned by the Turon Gates campsite. They are linked to the access road by a gravel track which, still following the course of the river, leads back to the campsite.

Headong along the access track

The steep sides of the Turon valley

Turon River

Back to the campsite