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.
Track notes at the end.
Mt Jellore Summit: The Scenery
Track Notes
I read notes on this walk that were a bit misleading. Firstly some say it’s fire trails all the way to the base of the summit climb, however this is not true. (I see now that there is another car park marked further down the road on maps, at what might be an alternate start to the walk, which would involve more fire trails.) In the middle a foot track takes you down to Jellore Creek and back up again. This is probably the nicest part of the walk. Also, some notes describe the climb to the summit as a scramble, which it certainly isn’t. The track is a bit steep with loose rock for a short while, but it’s still a track that you will walk up, not scramble up.
Start from the sign posted car park on Soapy Flat Road. Take the now sign-posted fire trails to a rocky outcrop. You continue on an impact track down the hill, over the creek and back up the hill, turning left and eventually joining another fire trail. Turn right onto this and continue to a lookout where you start the final climb to the summit. This climb is on a narrow track that is initially quite steep, but soon levels off. Continue past the summit to get your views.
I think the sign at the start suggests 3-4 hours return for the 10km and 500m change in elevation (on an undulating route). Not too hard but after a few months since my last decent-sized walk I was sore the next day. It probably won’t be busy.
