Mt Korong - May 2026

 Mt Korong is part of a chain hills that are in north west Victoria that are composed of granite. The granite was formed deep underground around three hundred million years ago and thought to be exposed around forty million years ago. Hardly a mountain Mt Korong is 364m high, it is quite prominent rising from the the adjacent plains. During his trek to Portland, Major Thomas Mitchell climbed to the summit in July 1836. The name Korong is derived from aboriginal word for boat or canoe. My run and walk was over the top from south to north, then anticlockwise around the perimeter track back to my car.  Around the base of the mountain are many natural water soaks, some have been enlarged to make very pretty ponds.

Wheel Cactus (oputia robusta) shouldn't be there

  

Rock Isotome (lithotoma axillaris)

Mt Kooyoora on the horizon

The Summit

Looking North

There are two juvenile water birds just visible if you click on the image

distance: 10Km,  moving time: 1hrs 35min, elevation: 250metre   

Hermits Track & Blue Gum Creek - April 2026

  The first part of this trip was an "out and back" along the Hermits Track. This track terminates at Dobson's Cave. The cave is reputed to have been home for a hermit in the 1990s. Dobson wasn't the hermit, but the first non indigenous visitor to the cave. These details could be incorrect. There is vary little historical information about it on the web. 

  After returning on a slight variation of The Hermits Track I then did a bigger loop in the Nattai National Park. Some of that was adjacent to the Thirlmere Lakes. The lakes are thought to have been formed around 15 million years ago due to the land uplifting and blocking the natural drainage. In recent times the water level has been lowering, to the point that one has dried up completely. This is believed to be due to the nearby Tahmoor Colliery disturbing the ground under the lake beds. Water from the lakes was used in the steam locomotives of the era.

 

https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/thirlmere-lakes-national-park 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahmoor_Colliery  

Water Trap Creek on the Hermits Track

Dobson's Cave

Dobson's Cave

Typical of the Nattai National Park

A rugged creek the route follows, fortunately it was dry

Near the Lakes

 distance: 22Km,  moving time: 4hrs 16min, elevation: 491metre   

 

Mega Cave & Rock Art - March 2026

 Not so far this time, on the western outskirts of Gosford and quite close to the M1 motorway, most of the time I could hear traffic on the motorway. Mega Cave is huge, my pictures don't convey the immensity of the cave. Access was a little difficult for the last few hundred meters.   On the alternate way back to the car I had a look at the petroglyphs on the rock slab in the "Mooney Mooney Aboriginal Site".

Cliff adjacent to the cave

Inside the cave

A stalactite composed of some unknown mineral

The small waterfall next to the cave

The Mooney Mooney Bridge on the M1

Mooney Mooney Aboriginal Site

II

III

IV

distance: 5Km,  moving time: 58min, elevation: 136metre   

North Wheeny Gap Trail into Lagoon Creek - February 2026

Starting out on the Wheeny Creek North Track, just off the Mountain Lagoon Road. The Wheeny Creek North Track is a relatively flat fire trail, it terminates before the the steep descent into the creek, then the path was very steep indistinct pad. I negotiated down this on all fours clambering backwards. The pool at the falls is a favourite swimming spot, but not for me this time. As I was to find out the damp environment at the falls is also a favourite habitat for leeches.     

Entrance to Wheeny Creek North Track

Bird's Nest Fern (Asplenium australasicum)

Above the falls

Unnamed falls where I turned back

The falls

maybe Rainbow Bracket (trametes versicolor)

Pine-leaf Geebung (persoonia pinifolia)

 

distance: 18Km,  moving time: 3hrs 19min, elevation: 407metre   

Bruce's Walk, the Eastern Section - November 2025

Bruce's walk started 1931 as a maintenance track for the power line that fed power from Blackheath to Lawson. This line fed power generated from near Lithgow. The trail was surveyed by an A.Bruce, hence "Bruce's Walk". It was initially promoted as a walking trail, but from World War II on it fell into disrepair and was largely  was forgotten. This time I did the eastern half, here is a link to my account of the western section I did in March 2019.

Signs at the start

"Shelter Cave"

Snake Orchid (cymbidium suave)

distance: 21.7Km,  moving time: 4hrs 17min, elevation: 1151metre   

Asgard Coal Mine, Thor Head and Asgard Head Lookouts - October 2025

The Asgard mine was started in 1881, it was never commercially viable.  It's a tunnel of about 20 metres into a coal seam. I only ventured a short distance into the gloom. Nearby is a brick oven intended to process the coal to produce coke, apparently it has never been fired.  All this is in a cliff on the western side if the Grose Valley. Here is a link to a 2016 heritage submission for the mine and coke oven. Lots of waratahs and other flowers out, best time of the year to visit the Blue Mountains.

Click on the pictures for more detail 

Broad-leaved Drumstick isopogon anemonfolius

Asgard Swamp viewed from Thor Head

A member of the Myrtle family leptospermum sphaerocarpum

Laurel-leaf Grevilla  grevillea laurifia

Finger Hakea hakea dactyloides

Waratah telopea speciosissima

Looking out the Coal Mine

Mine entrance

The exposed coal seam in the cliff face

the coke oven

inside the oven

looking down the Grose Valley

distance: 10Km,  moving time: 2hrs, elevation: 438metre