Mount Nardi Section of Nightcap National Park, New South Wales.

We woke to a morning of heavy mist which delayed out start to the Mount Nardi section of Nightcap National Park. The parking area at Mount Nardi is only about 19 km from The Channon Village Campground along Tuntable Creek Road and Newton Drive. Allow extra time for this scenic but narrow winding road. After one and a half days of glorious sunshine the rain set in again. The higher we climbed into the range the wetter it became. We noticed that the sealed sections of the road were green with moss except for the tracks worn away by cars.

Not to be deterred, we donned our jackets, covered our backpacks with rain covers, popped our cameras into drybags and set off into the rainforest. There are two short walks leading from the carpark: Pholis Gap Walking Track, a 4 km, Class 3 medium walk and Mount Matheson Loop, a 3 km, Class 3 medium loop walk that can be combined with the Pholis Gap Walk for a longer walk. The Nightcap Track, 19 km Class 4, can also be accessed from here.

The trailhead at Mount Nardi.

We started out in light rain with the hope that under the protection of the tree canopy it would be a little drier. We entered a beautiful forest of Yellow Carabeen and Fern Trees with a vivid understory of bracken. The track was a little muddy and slippery but we continued on for a while. Unfortunately, the rain got heavier and heavier and the visibility reduced so much that we decided to head back. Our passage through the forest caused a chorus of bird alarm calls. We heard Noisy Pittas but despite pausing on the track for a while and peering into the gloom we could not see them. I held an umbrella over my camera for a few quick photos.

Fungi and Cordylines were thriving in the wet conditions.

When we returned to the carpark it was raining lightly just as it was when we set out. So our theory of being protected by the tree canopy didn't work this time. We can only assume that we were walking along the side of the mountain that was catching all the rain.