Neils Tunnel Natural Bridge

[icefest]

This is a rather big ask, but does anyone know anything about this feature: Neils Tunnel Natural Bridge?

I found it while considering how to best packraft from the franklin to the frankland Ranges.

Other than that it is a karst tunnel (and pretty remote) there seems to be little/no information/photos of it.



http://maps.thelist.tas.gov.au/listmap/ ... rkId=82502

[pazzar]

Do you mean from the Franklands to the Franklin? That would be a mighty hard trip pushing upstream if you plan the opposite.

[icefest]

I got asked by a friend what the best route to connect a packrafting trip with the Gordon would be.

Apart from my first reaction being "you're insane" I considered a couple of routes.

Olga is near the bottom of the possibilities. ATM I think Mt Norway + POW would be easiest, but I decided to have a look at the Olga river route and found this strange karst tunnel.

[north-north-west]

ATM I think Mt Norway + POW would be easiest.

POW and 'easy' don't belong together.

[icefest]

It's easier than the Princess Ranges...

[RoRo]

G'day Icefest....

I also am looking at Neil's tunnell.

Just read snippets of his book (Neil Thomas) - great read & great fellow. the thought of the tunnell is very intriging.....

probly planning a paddle down the davey to commemerate his life - this is where he drowned....

He is supposively only fellow who has been there. In his book he says:

'the river grew wider & wider and deeper as i descended...at one point i looked up & was startled to see a ridge lying directly ahead.the river disappeared beneath it. running underground like a huge drainage tunnell for 50m before reappearing on the other side. i swam through the dark passage, thankful for the low water level'

i caught up with bob brown recently & he mentioned it (he named it & submited its location as he was an accomplice)....

his trip was from pedder>wilmot range> down the olga>charles range>wanderer> mainwaring.

You still planning?

ro

[icefest]

Thanks RoRo,

I probably won't be going there myself (at least anytime soon) but I'd be quite interested in any photos you take.

The plan was more to try an find a way to connect rafting the Franklin to a trip to lake pedder and the huon river.

[RoRo]

sounds good.

have u done the denison? its a rippa. link pedder/denison/ gordo/ lower franklin.

i recognise your saying as shackletons....very famous quite that one....

[icefest]

I'd love to, but don't think I have the required experience yet. Doing the Franklin this summer, and am working on my kayaking in the meantime.

Well spotted.

[Irenabyss]

Old topic I know but here's the tunnel entrance. It is just under 50m long and has a funnel shaped entrance corridor that starts about 5m high (top of arch would be 10-15m, a low section in the middle less than 0.5m high where it dog-legs into an exit corridor that gets wider again. Given some of the wood in the river upstream it is amazing that it is not log jammed but it may create a naturally self clearing whirl pool at high water.
I'll post some video of traversing it and some more pics after I edit then some more.

[Irenabyss]

You can float through the tunnel with us here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmiK1T6ruls

[icefest]

Beautiful video, and amazing to see what exactly it looks like!

Are both you and john wearing climbing helmets?

[eggs]

Brilliant video
Thanks

[Irenabyss]

Beautiful video, and amazing to see what exactly it looks like!
[thank you - and apologies I don't seem to be getting notifications from this forum]
Are both you and john wearing climbing helmets?

[John's lightest weight helmet is a climbing one which he prefers on extended trips, but I only have a river one and I like the visor]

[danman]

Awesome video guys. Thanks for sharing.