Date: Sunday 19th July 2015
Description/Location: Wollemi National Park
Leader: Michael Papworth
Report: Jane Munro
Pictures: Michael Papworth, Hans Staub
On Sunday 19th July, about 20 Club members drove out past Rylstone to explore part of the Wollemi accessible via the Bicentennial National Trail. This was a new area for most of the walkers, although one or two were familiar with the particular area.
We parked our cars at the locked gate and, after morning tea, set out along the Glen Alice Trail, which is a well made track and quite suitable for bike riding, at least in the area we walked. First the track passed below massive sandstone boulders and overhangs carpeted with native orchid plants. Then there was rainforest, thick with ferns and tangles of vines and creepers, and an abundance of bright pink-fruiting Lilli Pilli trees. There was also a vine with clusters of blueberry-like fruits. After that the country opened out into dry forest, glorious with blossoming wattle and native shrubs just beginning to come into flower. Here we could see, across a deep gorge, pagoda formations with their multitude of small caves and crevices just begging to be explored.
After 3.5km we left the track, to climb a spur on the flank of Mount Coorangooba. Michael had previously left small cairns of stones which marked a route up the steep scrubby slope. For some of us it took a bit of pushing and pulling, courtesy of fellow walkers, but we all made it, to a flat sandstone ledge which rewarded us with expansive views to the south.
This was our lunch spot, and we enjoyed and photographed the vista of deep canyons and dramatic bluffs and ridges spread out in front of us. We had maps with us, and were able to identify the creeks, gorges and mountains. Chris was able to point out Tayan Peak, the basalt plug of an extinct volcano, and Pantoney’s Crown, in the Gardens of Stone National Park, just visible far away on the horizon
The weather was of great interest too, and we were able to watch rain squalls approaching from both the south east and south west, and these eventually had us all scrambling to pull on raincoats and pack away our lunch things.
On our journey back to the cars, the sounds of bell birds, whip birds and lyre birds surrounded us. But despite the delightful and powerful songs they provided, sightings of these birds eluded us. After the walk, many of us gathered at Café 47 in Rylstone, for coffee and cake. Discussions followed about the possibility of overnight pack walks – anyone interested please let Jane know.