GARDENS OF STONE

March 16, 2016

Glen Davis, Newnes Plateau

March 5-8, 2016

It is only one week until the Six Foot Track ultra marathon, and our return to Sydney, so we decided to revisit the area around the western side of the Blue Mountains. We spent a night at the Wollemi National Park campground near Glen Davis. The area is framed by stunning sandstone escarpments and is rich in mining history.

The Glen Davis campsite was in a great location, surrounded by towering sandstone cliffs. Unfortunately the 5km road to the campground from Glen Davis township was surfaced in coal wash which created a nasty layer of black fine dust over everything on and in the car. Every time a car drove by clouds of billowing fine dust were thrust into the air and settled on everything. Not sure what bright spark thought coal wash was a good road surface. I was so disappointed by the visit to Glen Davis. Especially since we could not walk the Pipeline track to Newnes, due to one landowner not granting access through their property, and furthermore the mine ruins were not open to the public.

We stayed one night and headed on to Newnes where we spent the next three nights, exploring the trails to Glowworm tunnel, the mine ruins and a vertical climb of Murdering Mountain. A fascinating area so rich in natural beauty and industrial history. I would highly recommend a visit to Newnes and the Wolgan valley.

Glen Davis Campground

Coal wash road surface

Pantoneys Crown in Gardens of Stone NP

Pantoneys Crown...jewel in Gardens of Stone NP

Fantastic grazing land and a view to boot.

Happy cows...and why not?

Hammer rescuing a peewee whose leg was twisted in barbed wire. It lost a foot but flew away when freed.

Pantoneys Crown from Castlereagh Highway, Ben Bullen. Can't get enough of this view. Look forward to an opportunity to explore closer.

From Newnes campground we did a 26km walk to the Glowworm tunnel. It follows the route of an abandoned rail line hauling product from the Newnes mine. We raced here in June last year and were looking forward to coming back to experience this landscape at a more leisurely pace. There are stunning views over the Walgan valley from the top of the rail route near the tunnel entrance. It is a relatively easy walk. And it is also possible to do a shorter version of the walk and still visit the tunnel.