Wattle Ridge, Slot Way, Nattai River & Troy's Creek July 2019

From Wattle Ridge I took the Slot Way track to access the Nattai River. Needle Lookout is along this track, as the lookout's name suggests it provides a great view of Russell's Needle as well as a good look at this section of the Nattai River Gorge. Russell's Needle is upstream from where the Slot Way meets the river, I wanted to go the opposite way. So down stream I went, the track is virtually non existent along the river.   Progress was a mostly a matter of negotiating a water worn bed of rocks about the size of footballs.   
My route out was via Troy's Creek track and then onto the old Nattai road. Troys Creek track was once an access track to the farm house that was at Emmetts Flat on the river. There is some relics from this farm at the Flat, a rusty old stove and a rusty bed frame.  Troys track at the river is a little hard to find and the track itself is very overgrown, long trousers are recommended. I encountered a few Lyre birds on the way out.

Looking North along the Nattai River Gorge from Needle Lookout

Mt Jellore, with Russell's Needle directly below Mt Jellore, also from Needle Lookout

A better view of Russell's Needle from near the Nattai River

Ruins at Emmett's Flat

Stats,
distance: 20.8 Km
moving time: 3hr, 30mins
Elevation: 694 metres
Calories:1901

Overnight on Mount Cloudmaker June 2019

This is my second attempt at this route, my last attempt in November 2018 I turned back around midday due to storms brewing. Then I figured I would not reach a suitable campsite before the storms hit. This time the weather was quite different with sunny days and cold nights.  The temperature was predicted to drop to -5 overnight in the region. This was the the shortest day of the year, to enable maximum walking time I slept in the back of the ute the night before. I don't know what the temperature did drop to, but I woke to find my water bottle had ice in it. The rest of the day turned out to be perfect for hiking. After an uneventful day of walking I arriving at Mt Cloudmaker just before nightfall. After entering my intentions in the log book,  I doubled back 100 metres or so, to a sheltered saddle, where I set up camp. After a feed I was tucked in my sleeping bag by 6pm, it was just too cold. The next morning, after a good and long nights sleep my water bottle had ice in it again. It was a bit chilly getting breakfast, as soon as I got hiking I warmed up. The weather remained perfect for the rest of this day also.

 Mt Cloudmaker is the highest peak, the route I took follows the ridges. I could just see Sydney CBD from where I took this.

Looking up Gordon Smiths Pass

Looking West to Back to Kanangra Walls

My camp, near the of summit of Mt Cloudmaker

Mt Cloudmaker summit

Cave at the base of Crafts Wall

Looking  South from the Kanangra-Boyd Plateau, Mt Colong on the horizon

Ice on the puddles at 4pm

Stats,
Kanangra Walls to Mt Cloudmaker
distance: 11.6 Km
moving time: 4hr, 17mins
total time: 6hr, 50mins
Elevation: 704 metres


The return walk
distance: 12 Km
moving time: 4hr, 27mins
total time: 8hr, 21mins
Elevation: 663 metres

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Box Vale Tramway, Nattai River & Forty Foot Falls May 2019

After a break from my bush excursions I was looking for something less arduous, as it turned out I was a still a little sore the next day after doing this one.
The first four and a half kilometres was along the long removed Box Vale Colliery train line route. This line operated for eight years, closing in 1896. The line has a 84 metre tunnel on it. At its peak in  1888, 100 tons per week of coal was hauled along the line, that was during a Melbourne coal strike.
The coal seam is 158 metres below the northern terminus of the line, and is 25 feet thick of very high grade coal. The coal was hauled from mine to the line via a steep incline, that incline is part of the route I took.
After a quick stop to take in the view from the Nattai Gorge lookout, I descended the incline using the  cable  for assistance. On reaching the Nattai river I followed it upstream until the confluence of the Nattai creek, then up the Nattai creek passing Forty Foot Falls. The rest was fire trails back to the car park.

Nattai Creek down below the dam wall

Welby Reservoir, built to supply Mittagong

 

One of many cuttings along the train line

  

Looking North along the Nattai Gorge towards the Blue Mountains

  

 The Tunnel

 

The steep incline connecting the mine to train line and cable to assist walkers

 

Nattai River

Another tunnel  (cave)

 

Stats,
distance: 13.3 Km
moving time: 2hr, 6mins
Elevation: 513 metres
Calories:1269

Bruce's Walk, Lockleys Pylon, Rodriguez & Pilchers Passes March 2019

The first part of this run was along Bruce's Walk.  Bruce's walk follows the original power lines from Blackheath to Lawson. The power was generated at Lithgow further west, and this line transferred power east. Bruce's walk was constructed in the 1930's and has been very much neglected over recent times. Here is a wikipedia page on the walk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce%27s_Walk. The rest of this excursion was along well known and documented walking tracks as well as the Mt Hay dirt road. Earlier on I had two close snake encounters, I guess these fellows were soaking up the last of the summer sun. After this I didn't hurry and made a lot of noise through the denser undergrowth areas, particularly where I couldn't see the path due the overhanging ferns, luckily I didn't see any more serpents, but who knows how many snakes I passed but I didn't see . Otherwise this was a most enjoyable but long day in the bush.

The original unmaintained handrail & path on Bruce's

Bruce's Walk at the Katoomba Creek crossing 

A sign en route

Looking NW along Bruce's walk

The Grose River is in the valley in the middle of the picture. It is flowing east toward the Hawksbury river taken from near Lockleys Pylon

Looking down on Govetts Creek taken from near Du Faur Head

Du Faur Head is on the left, taken from Govetts Creek

The Junction of the Grose River & Govetts Creek

Log crossing of Govetts Creek

Yellow Slime Mould fuligo septica (dog vomit funghi)

Rodriguez Pass

violet juvenile leaves

Stats,
distance: 28.5 Km
moving time: 4hr, 48mins
Elevation: 1272 metres
Calories:2755

Mt Jellore February 2019

Todays subject, Mt Jellore in the Nattai Wilderness Area is roughly 12km north west of Mittagong and 100km south west of the Sydney CBD. At 800 metres, this distinctive peak is visible from the Sydney CBD and many other high locations in and around Sydney, it is  one of the highest points in this area. It was formed from an intrusion of Trachyte (igneous rock) into the surrounding sandstone.

Looking toward the CBD, a bit too hazy to see the CBD today. The Nattai River is in the gorge in middle of the picture.

Exposed trachyte cliff face on the south side of the mountain

Jellore summit from the access track

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Stats,
distance: 11.3 Km
moving time: 1hr, 54mins
Elevation: 457 metres
Calories: 1095

Beeripmo - Mt Buangor December 2018

Having spent more than half my working life at this place, I was keen to have a crack at the Berripmo walk after having read about it online. There were no documented longer walks here while I was working in the area, all the longer walks here have been established after I left the area. This track is well marked and maintained. Although total climbing is around 900 metres, this walk is very different to the walks in the national parks around Sydney and the Blue Mountains, Granite versus sandstone of the Sydney region. You would have to try really hard to get lost on this walk. Although steep in places, Beeripma doesn't involve any rock scrambling etc.

This is in Long Gully, the vegetation is typical of many other damp gullies in the park.

A deer track, there used to be Sambar & Red Deer the park, I am not sure which deer species are here now.

Lookout Hill TV tower, more than half my working life spent there.

One winter myself and other coworkers were snowed in for five or so days. The snow overwhelmed many trees blocking the access road. The site was staffed for the duration of television transmission. These days this site and all the other similar sites in Australia are controlled from a central point.

Mugwamp Camp & Hut

I camped here with my young son in the mid 1980's

Looking South West from Mt Buangor lookout, Mt Gorrin in the middle distance

Major Mitchell called the plains of western Victoria, "Australia Felix". To the left of Mt Gorrin is the Chalambar wind farm.

Snow Gums (Eucalyptus Pauciflora) on the summit of Sugarloaf

The other mountain tops in the park have snow gums growing on them also. Because these trees are growing at a sub alpine altitude, they are somewhat bigger straighter than what most people think of snow gums.

Another glimpse of Australia Felix from Cave Hill, looking past Mt Cole

Stats,

distance: 21 Km
moving time: 3hrs, 16mins
Elevation: 933 metres
Calories: 2075

Kanangra Walls to the Cox's River & return, well thats what it started out as. November 2018

Kanangra to Katooma (K2K) is one of the iconic walks of the Blue Mountains, it is similar in length and fame as the Six Foot Track. The K2K is more difficult than the Six Foot. The logistics for me to do the total K2K as one walk is just too hard.   This walk was a crack at the western half, Kanangra to Splendour Rock or there about's, I had already covered Katoomba to Splendour Rock.
The day started out as a beautiful but quickly deteriorated, by lunch time there was lots of thunder, lightening and black clouds. I wasn't even half way to Dex's Creek the closest spot suitable for camping.
After much consideration while eating my lunch I turned around and headed back to the ute. Luckily the rain held off until after I got back up on the Kanangra Plateau. The climb onto the plateau involves negotiating  Smith's Pass, this pass is difficult, and I was glad the rain held off until I was back on the plateau.

I came across this young dingo on the way into the start of the walk

This cave is near the start of the walk

looking across the gorge at Thurat Spires from the Plateau

 

Smiths Pass

The weather went from beautiful to this in minutes

Stats,
distance: 11 Km
moving time: 3hrs, 44mins
Elevation: 328 metres
Calories: 1024