A hiking blog with pretty pictures.
Excellent views from five peaks over 1400m, including Tidbinbilla Mountain (1615m), from this circuit walk in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.
I’d heard about this circuit in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve from locals when walking up Mt Gingera, the ACT’s second highest peak. You visit five peaks over 1400m, topping out at 1615m on Tidbinbilla Mountain itself. There are generally excellent views in all directions from the peaks and open sections of what is essentially one long ridge.
Continue reading “Tidbinbilla Mountain Circuit, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve ACT”
Two walks in one in Guula Ngulla National Park, to Baldy Billy Peak for good views, and down to a secluded stretch of the Wollondilly River.
Two walks in one here, on my first visit to the recently established Guula Ngulla National Park. The name means Koala Country, and there is a population in the park, but also emus, which is the closest to Sydney I’ve seen them. There are good views over the Wollondilly River from the short ascent to Baldy Billy Peak. After returning to the main track, you descend steeply into a valley to emerge at a pleasant stretch of the Wollondilly River.
Continue reading “Baldy Billy Peak & Wollondilly River, Guula Ngulla National Park NSW”
Mount Solitary via Kedumba Valley is a good work out with varied scenery as you descend into the valley then climb to The Col for views.
My first time to climb Mount Solitary from Kings Tableland to the east. Although not quite as good as going via the Golden Stairs and Ruined Castle, variety is welcome, and it was a good workout. You cross Kedumba Creek at a nice spot, and with a good change in elevation there’s lots of variety of forest and vegetation generally.
Continue reading “Mount Solitary via Kedumba Valley, Blue Mountains NSW”
The walk from Long Point to the Shoalhaven River in Morton National Park offers excellent views and atmospheric riverside walking. You can add to your adventure by climbing Kingpin Mountain and Long Point Intermediate.
There are excellent views from near the start of this walk to McCallums Flat and the Shoalhaven River from Long Point, but also very atmospheric walking along the river and over the river flats. You can add to your adventure by walking off-track over Kingpin Mountain (555m) and Long Point Intermediate (562m), and get bonus views while you’re there. All on all a lesser known but high quality walk that I can highly recommend.
Continue reading “Long Point to the Shoalhaven River, Morton National Park NSW”
Visit atmospheric Dimmocks Creek and a series of old lookouts over Bundanoon Creek on unmaintained tracks with optional bush bashing.
The ‘lost lookouts’ at Bundanoon in the NSW Southern Highlands are a series of old lookouts that used to be accessed on maintained tracks. My route took me firstly down to the atmospheric Dimmocks Creek, then later on an indistinct but marked track for a while to the first two lookouts with nice views of cliffs and Bundanoon Creek.
After that the route is no longer marked and the track almost entirely disappeared, so I spent 2-3 hours (return) bush bashing to visit two more official lookouts and one informal vantage point. I also enjoyed the mushrooms in autumn.
Continue reading “Bundanoon Lost Lookouts & Dimmocks Creek, Morton National Park NSW”
Expansive views are available from the summit of Mt Jellore (834m) in Nattai National Park, and you’ll enjoy mixed vegetation along the way.
There are expansive views available from the summit of Mt Jellore (834m) over Nattai National Park and beyond to the Greater Blue Mountains. Although the views are good I probably enjoyed some of the vegetation along the way more, especially Jellore Creek. Nevertheless, the summit is quite prominent, so you feel like you are on a real (though small) mountain, which is not common in these parts.
Continue reading “Mt Jellore Summit, Nattai National Park NSW”
Stroll the short Bombala Walking Track in Newcastle’s south, through attractive forest to a beach & rock platforms.
The Bombala Walking Track is a very short walk through distinctive and beautiful forest to a beach and rock platforms in Dudley, south of Newcastle. The coast is undeveloped in this area so you can enjoy a wild feeling down there.
Continue reading “Bombala Walking Track, Glenrock State Conservation Area, Newcastle NSW”
Countless spectacular rock pagodas at Lost City West in Gardens of Stone, a little known alternative to the popular Lost City Walking Track.
This walk takes in countless spectacular and ancient looking rock pagodas for little effort, and you probably won’t see a single person all day. For sure the varied and tracked circuit between Lost City North and South is a must-do. But on that walk you’ll be joined by many others, which can detract somewhat from that sense of having discovered, well, a lost city. This alternative to Lost City West doesn’t take you down into the valley, and requires some (easy) off-track walking, but the pay-off is having the place all to yourself.
Continue reading “Lost City West Viewpoints, Gardens of Stone Conservation Area NSW”
Five excellent lookouts over the Grose Valley on this shortish and lesser known walk over Wongarra Hill in the Blue Mountains.
I’m still discovering new and accessible lookouts in the Blue Mountains, especially on the edge of the Grose Valley. The five (!) vantage points on this relatively easy walk are all excellent, offering unique views of some impressive cliff and valley scenery. I thought views of Mt Banks would be the highlight, but the views west were, not only because they were enhanced by excellent light by time we reached those spots, but because of up close views of three chunky protruding sections of cliffs.
Continue reading “Wongarra Hill & Mirrorball Arch Lookouts, Blue Mountains NSW”
Erskine Creek in the Lower Blue Mountains near Glenbrook is very picturesque, and accessible from the plateau on the pleasant and easygoing Jack Evans Track. There are cliffs lining the creek, rock platforms, boulders big and small, sandy beaches, various big swimming holes, and in spring, lots of wildflowers. And you might have it all to yourself. There are also excellent views of Erskine Creek from the Jack Evans Track, and from Pisgah Rock, which is were I climbed out to.
Continue reading “Jack Evans Track – Erskine Creek – Pisgah Rock Circuit, Blue Mountains NSW”
