Moutain Bike - Burruugurra (Devils Rock) sacred site via the Boree Track - July 2026

This ride in the Yengo National Park  was out and back along the Boree Track . The Boree Track is an ancient Aboriginal route with many  traditional and sacred locations along it. In recent times the track was open to the public for four wheel drive vehicles. The Yengo National Park was established in 1993, sometime after that the Boree Track was closed to public vehicles with substantial barriers blocking car access. Pancake Rock, Mt Yengo, Mt Wareng and Burruugurra are all important Aboriginal cultural locations.

click on the images below for a better view 

  

Aboriginal Rock Art - Frying Pan Rock

More Rock Art at Frying Pan Rock

Red Spider Flower grevilla speciosa

Mt Yengo 669m to the left, Mt Wareng 596m or Little Yengo on the right

The sacred top of Burruunga or Devils Rock

 distance: 38.8Km,  moving time: 4hrs 41min, elevation: 402metre   

Careys Peak, Barrington Tops via the Corker Trail - May 2026

 Careys Peak is a exposed volcanic core on the edge of the Barrington Tops Plateau. Approximately 1,500 metres  above sea level, there are supposedly magnificent views from here. While I was there the whole plateau was in fog, so no distant views for me this time. Snow gums (eucalyptus pauciflora) are the main forest tree on the tops, further down the slopes are stands of   Antarctic Beech (nothofagus moorei). Here is the lowest latitude these huge, beautiful, ancient trees grow. They are remnants from when Australia was part ancient Gondwanaland, there are cousins to these trees in Chile and Argentina. The forest was cleared near Careys peak with the plan to make the area into a ski resort, the resort didn't eventuate, this has all reverted back to forest now. In 1839 a cattleman named Carey herded a mob 500 cattle to the Tops for feed during the drought of that time, it snowed for 21 days that winter, the whole 500 perished that winter. 

Corkers Track track head

Superb Lyrebird (menura novaehollandiae)

Careys Hut

Wombat Creek

Antartic Beech forest (nothofagus moorei) 

 

Tall Mountain Banksia (banksia integrifolia ssp monticola)

The summit of Careys Peak

distance: 22.8Km,  moving time: 4hrs 16min, elevation: 975metre    

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