Amadahy Falls, Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest, NC
A revisit plus exploratory hike in Rendezvous Mountain Education State Forest, NC. I first visited Rendezvous Mountain 2.5 years ago, and utilized the Talking Trees Trail to hike over 1 mile to officially tag the summit. Since then, the Amadahy Waterfalls Trail has been completed to form a loop with the Mountain Ridge Trail, affording a longer hike for people like me who like to work for peakbags. There is little information on Amadahy Falls, so I wanted to check it out.
The Amadahy Waterfalls Trail begins at the Forestry Center a few hundred yards below the summit. It follows a forest road and is blazed frequently. After a mile it plunged steeply down to Purlear Creek, crossing it twice quickly then ascended above a small gorge with huge boulders trailside. From the trail you can clearly see a portion of Amadahy Falls, but I wanted to see if there was more below in the narrow chasm. I backtracked and made my way up the creek through much rhododendron and deadfall. It turns out everything hidden from view is not worth seeing. The upper half of the slide is beside open terrain, and it would've been easier to slide down the steep banks to the upper section. The waterfall itself is a series of slides, maybe 40-45 feet total. The creek is really small though, these slides are not a noteworthy destination in my opinion.
After the waterfall the trail closely follows Purlear Creek, crossing it and its tributaries 9 times total. No worries though, this creek is very small. After the last crossing the trail ascends steeply to the ridge, ending at the Mountain Ridge Trail. The trail follows an old jeep trail to the summit. Rendezvous Mountain is the highest peak on this long east-west ridge at 2,466 feet. The 59.25-foot steel Aermotor tower was built in 1936 and remains in good condition. However, the tower is off limits because of a large microwave dish emitting frequency fields in excess of FCC exposure standards. If the skies were clear I would've ignored this and quickly climbed up for some views, but the clouds were too thick to bother.
Hike was 4.6 miles in 2 hours and 20 minutes.
PIONEERS' PATHWAY PART III GOOMALLING AND TOODYAY
Toodyay is a town located in the Avon Valley, 85 km north-east of Perth, Western Australia.
The meaning of the name is uncertain, although it is Noongar Indigenous in origin - maps in 1836 referred to Duidgee, while some believe it was named for a local woman named Toodyeep who accompanied early explorers in the area.[2] Another source suggests it could mean place of plenty. The name Duidgee is preserved in the riverside recreation area, Duidgee Park.
In 1861, Western Australia's best known bushranger, Moondyne Joe, was imprisoned in Toodyay for stealing a horse, but escaped. After a series of crimes and jail terms, he was on the run again, returning to Toodyay in 1865 to steal supplies for an attempt to escape overland to South Australia. The annual Moondyne Festival is a light-hearted celebration of this darker side of Toodyay's history.
The Newcastle Gaol, in Clinton Street, was completed in 1864 and in use as a state gaol until 1909. It is now preserved as the Old Gaol Museum; an historic building and tourist attraction.
In 1870, a steam-driven flour mill, Connor's Mill, was built on Stirling Terrace by George Hasell. The mill was also used to generate electricity in the early part of the twentieth century. Saved from demolition in the 1970's, and restored to demonstrate the milling process and machinery, the mill now forms the museum section of the Toodyay Visitors Centre.[3]
The State Register of Heritage Buildings includes the Gaol, Connor's Mill, Toodyay Public Library (built 1874), Toodyay Post Office (designed by George Temple-Poole, built 1897) and the Toodyay Fire Station (designed by Ken Duncan, built 1938), as well as several other historic sites in Toodyay.[3] Some of the historic architecture of shops and residences along Stirling Terrace, the main street, form a distinctive frontage described as the Stirling Terrace Streetscape Group.[4]
[edit] Transport
Toodyay, being an historic township and an hour's distance from Perth, is a venue for daytrippers, tourists and motorcyclists. The circuit - Toodyay Road through Gidgegannup / Toodyay / Chittering Valley and Great Northern Highway - is a favourite with motorcyclists. On most weekends, Toodyay's main street is lined with cruisers and sportsbikes of many models, makes and vintages, their riders relaxing in the increasing number of pavement cafes that are springing up to accommodate the burgeoning tourist trade.
Toodyay also serves as a stop on the Avonlink and Prospector passenger trains from Perth to Northam and Kalgoorlie.
Goomalling
Attractive wheatbelt town
Located 132 km east of Perth, Goomalling is a pretty little wheatbelt town with the mandatory pub, rail head, small service centre for the surrounding region and bulk handling wheat silos. Sheep and wheat created the town and sheep and wheat will sustain it.
The area was first explored by Assistant Government Surveyor Austin in 1854 but there was no great need for a town. The monks at New Norcia, which was about 60 km northeast of the present townsite, often brought their sheep into the area. And George Slater, who had arrived from England with his parents in 1930, owned a huge selection which covered 100 000 acres from Goomalling to Kalguddering. He moved into the area in the 1850s. His house (the ruins are on the Dowerin road outside town) became a regular stopover point for miners who travelled through the area on their way to the goldfields on their way to Kalgoorlie and Southern Cross.
Goomalling didn't really come into existence until 1902 when it was declared a town and the railway from Northam arrived. It is claimed that the town got its name from the Koomal possum which inhabits the area but, like most explanations for town names, there is no really hard evidence for this assertion.
With a tiny population of 600 in the town, and servicing a further 600 in the surrounding wheat and sheep areas, Goomalling is the sort of place which is often driven through without stopping.
DON PUGH CARAVAN TRIP 20008