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Comment: Guide edited
Guide
<guide> 
  <header id="1" name="Gordon Gorge" walk="" sun="" rock="" acknowledgement="By Hamish Jackson" intro="&lt;br/&gt;Spectacular cliffs line both sides of the upper Gordon gorge, where the Gordan River cuts between the Denison Range and The Thumbs, running it’s course from Lake Rhona to Lake Gordon. The section of cliff dropping into the gorge from the ‘Packers spur’ at the northern end of thenthe Thumbs consists of unusually good quality ‘conglomerate’, with most of the cliff having very few pebbles. The rock type is known as Siliclastic sandstone conglomerate (Owen group and Gordon group), and is in many sections virtually identical to the rock at Arapiles. The rock is very different to the rock at the nearby Adamsfield boulders. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The area lies with the TWWHA, and the associated ethics apply. Happily, the climbing here is unique for Tasmania as the rock accepts a lot of good gear even on relatively improbable sections of face, and is typically over-hanging. This means moderate trad routes are approachable ground up, even through face climbing sections. Another unique aspect for Tassie climbing is size of the cliffs situated above the river, making for remarkably atmospheric gorge climbing and lovely camping with swims etc during the summer months. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;" history="Background&lt;br/&gt;These cliffs must have been noticed by many kayakers and bushwalkers over the years, but were first noticed by the Jackson family after they appeared in a ‘Tasmania from the Air’ Calendar in the 1980s. A trip to the summit of Clear Hill and then to the nearby Cliffs of Insanity* confirmed the significant climbing potential. Kayakers Peter Rand and Simon Jarman had separately encouraged Hamish to explore the area and shared some inspiring yet also intimidating photos of the cliffs from the river. Scaling the cliffs on natural gear looked somewhat improbable from the initial photos. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Bushwalking blogs made pre-2019 report that the Gorge was always reasonably easily accessed via the Clear Hills plains, and this route became even easier after the 2019 Gell River fires. The first routes were established in early 2024 by Hamish Jackson and Jamie Spencer.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;*nb the rock at the Cliffs of Insanity is a different type of conglomerite, but similarly steep!" access="Access&lt;br/&gt;The top of Wild West Buttress is reachable in about five hours from Hobart – 2.5 hours drive and 2.5 hours walk. The walking is flat and relatively easy so single night, weekend trips are quite productive. The camping is lovely, and cliffs extensive, so multi-night trips are also somewhat recommended especially when swimming in the Gorge is pleasant during summer and camping on the river is pleasant. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Road access&lt;br/&gt;Access is via the old Adamsfield track (aka Morley Track), which branches off the clear Hill Road a few km past Adamsfield cliff parking. 2WD access gets you to the river crossing, but AWD/4WD or bicycle is best to get to the start of the walk about 1km past the river. &lt;br/&gt;The Adamsfield/Morley  track inis gated, so either obtain a key from the National Parks office, or just bring a mountain bike or gravel bike and ride the 2 km from the gate to the start of the walking. Park your car well off to the side of Morley track (or stash bikes in the bush) about 1.2 km after the river crossing, at the end of the straight section of road just prior to the road winding through light forest (see topo). &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Walking access. &lt;br/&gt;From the car pull over follow the bushwalker’s pads and Packers tracks across the Clear Hill plains for 2—2.5 hours. &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;" camping="Camping&lt;br/&gt;Camp can either be made at the top of Gorge rim 200m north of Wild West Buttress (water from creek 5 min back along the plains), or on flat rocks in the GordanGordon river at the base of Wild West descent gully. Please observe minimal impact camping etiquette. " autonumber="true"/>  
  <text id="5" class="heading3">Morley trackTrack and Parking</text>  
  <image id="2" src="Parking for clear hill plains walk.jpg" height="567" width="700"/>  
  <text id="6" class="heading3">Walking route across the Clear Hill plains</text>  
  <image id="3" src="Walk along clear hill plains.jpg" height="454" width="600"/> 
</guide>

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