Mathinna Falls 2018 Tiers 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Mathinna Falls 2018. Tiers 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Mathinna Falls Tier 1.
Carrie and I were having such a fun day, having bagged two falls that were just marks on a map with no documentation (see URL below) – plus Evercreech Falls – in the morning, and now here we were to photograph Tiers 1-3 of Mathinna Falls, and then try our luck at Tier 4. I had tried for Tier 4 on my first visit, with very little light left in the day, and wearing only my gumboots. Both aspects were calculated for failure, and being alone that day – apart from having Tessa who could possibly be a liability rather than an asset – I retreated before catastrophe became the headlines.

Mathinna Falls Tier 3
Happy with the normal Tiers 1-3, up we started on 4. There were a few erosion aids, where water tumbling off the cliff left ground a little smoother than the thick scrub around, so I tried to follow these patterns as much as possible. The almost vertical land was very cliffy when not just plain steep with loose rock that did not hold. We grabbed like daemons, clutching any saplings or small bushes that would give us purchase as we hauled ourselves up the slope, both delighting in a full-body workout for the day. The cliffs drove us away from our destination somewhat, but I figured that we were going up the only possible way, and that we could traverse later if ever we got past the really steeply contoured bit. To our disappointment, although we did get up beyond the contour-crowded section, the very second the contours relented a little, thick scrub took over the battle to drive us away. We did what we could in the time we felt like devoting to the exercise, and pushed our way through the junk in the direction of the falls, which we could hear quite clearly, even if our vision was rather veiled.

Mathinna Falls Tier 4. This waterfall is absolutely massive. We were blown away by its height, which seemed never-ending, reaching below into regions we couldn’t see, and above, beyond our visual plane.
Once we did get a goodish sighting (photo above), we called it quits. There was no promise of a utopian view, so we contented ourselves with the one we’d achieved, and took some record shots before beginning the descent, the idea of which was causing a little trepidation for both of us. Coming up had been challenging. How would getting back down be? Were we about to plummet out of control, speedily downhill to a bash with a rock? Would I actually find  a safe way down? (Not sure if Carrie asked this question, but I sure did). And how would Tessa the Brave cope, heading down such a slope nose first with nothing to hang onto to break a possible tumble?

Mathinna Falls Tier 2

Mathinna Falls from the top. Carrie shooting, hiding behind bushes to the left..
On the way up, we’d shot Tiers 1 and 3. On the descent, we celebrated safety and a return to “normal forest” with a dallying in the area of Tier 2, climbing this and that interesting rock to get some angles that pleased us on this shapely fall. It was a great day.

Mathinna Falls …. the joy goes on and on and up and up … (steeply).
For the morning’s waterfalls, see  http://www.natureloverswalks.com/trickle-and-dry-falls/