Den of Nargun

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    • Duration

      1 Hour 30 Minutes

    • Location

      Mitchel River National Park

    • Distance

      5km

    • Grade

      Level 3

    This walk features the Bluff Lookout with views of the Mitchell River Gorge, deep green pockets of warm temperate rainforest and Woolshed Creek. As you walk through the rainforest gully, stepping stones lead you into the Den itself. Tradition has it the Nargun lives there; a fierce being, half human and half stone.

    The best way to absorb the eerie atmosphere of the Den of Nargun is from a safe distance. The Gunai/Kurnai people and Parks Victoria ask you to respect this special place by not entering the cave.

    Distance from Paynesville

    49 Minutes

    How to get there

    From the Princes Highway (A1), turn off at Lindenow Road (C602) west of Bairnsdale. Turn left into Dargo Road (C601) then right into Wallers Road at the National Park sign. The Den of Nargun is 4km further on.

    Access

    Access to the Den of Nargun is easy enough by conventional cars, but take it slow as the road is a little washed out in places.

    There is a picnic ground at the beginning of the loop walk, well appointed with picnic tables and some sheltered-gas barbeques, fire places, and amenities.

    History

    A Nargun, according to Gunai/Kurnai tribal legends, a fierce half-human half-stone creature that lived in the Den of Nargun, a cave under a rock overhang behind the small waterfall.

    Aboriginal legend describes the Nargun as a beast entirely made of stone except for its hands, arms, and breast. The fierce creature would drag unwary travellers into its den. Any weapon directed against it would be turned back on its owner.