Near Newnes NSW
Distance: 5km
Duration: 2.5 hours including snack breaks
We have been planning to get out to Newnes again for a while now, especially considering that the continued conservation of this magical areas hangs in the balance due to pressure from coal mining companies. I hope that it will be protected for years to come but just in case, we want to explore it thoroughly while we can, whilst it is still relatively untouched. Although there is definite evidence of human interference already; the native bush areas are in stark contrast to the endless clearfelled forestry-owned areas that you drive through to get to the walking tracks.
The Newnes plateau is best known for its unusual rock formations known as pagodas; craggy stepped outcrops that have formed over millions of years. From the NPWS website: "The geological evolution of this park has produced Triassic Narrabeen sandstone cliffs, slot canyons, grand mesas and the beautiful, yet often strangely delicate, pagodas. These pagodas are formed by wind and rain shaping the Banks Wall and Burramoko sandstone layers that spread right across the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, and they range from quite small to over 60 metres in height."
The sandstone formations are layered with ironstone bands that don't erode as quickly, leaving delicate protruding layers. There was a formation next to the carpark that was clearly a well used picnic spot, so we let the kids gently explore this one outcrop so they could appreciate the cool shapes and different layers of rock. In a small protected hollow up top, we were lucky to find a rare Pagoda daisy and were careful not to disturb it. At first I thought it was a common paper daisy however this unique species is unique to pagoda environments.
A short and easy walk from the small carpark is a picnic area that marks the beginning of the track to Wolgan View canyon. This was our first time exploring a canyon with Ty and Holly and they were keen to see something a bit different on our walk, so they bounced around, busy waving sticks and not arguing too much.
Past a fantastic turtle shaped rock formation the track starts to narrow and winds around to the left. We first headed to the right though, intrigued by what looked like the beginnings of the canyon. It was a cool dark little slot but ended in a drop off that involved too much bush bashing so we didn't go all the way through; instead we backtracked and headed off to the left, up an embankment and through what looked like a natural cutting.
The track was flat and pretty easy to navigate although there were a lot of downed trees and a little bit of scrub to bash through. There was an obvious change from dry eucalypt forest to tree-fern filled gully, and we knew we must be getting close to the canyon.
The most difficult part was the steep climb down shown in the two photos below, which the kids did with no trouble. Other than that, this track was pretty plain sailing.
Having only been canyoning once before, we were always going to be easily impressed, but I think the magical undulating stone walls would take anyone's breath away.
The filtered light illuminated the walls with subtle layers of colour, although my photos are not fantastic; my phone camera was struggling in the dark.
The kids loved the echoing walls and the change of scenery; so different to the usual expansive views and lookouts that we explore.
It's only a short walk but does get quite dark in the middle. Then you round a corner and the walls open up into this large 'room'. The track continues perhaps another 500m to a partly obscured unmarked lookout, where you can look down onto the rich folk at Emirates Wolgan Valley resort, tucked away in the middle of nowhere.
There looked to be more rough tracks up and off to the right but we will save those for another day. The track looked quite precarious so maybe that's in the 'to do without kids' pile. We were happy to take a break and have a snack at the clifftop overlooking the resort anyway.
It's an out and back track, so we got to explore the canyon for a second time as we headed back to the car.
This was an amazing walk and I would love to come back with a decent camera (and maybe some decent photography skills too!).
Distance: 5km
Duration: 2.5 hours including snack breaks
We have been planning to get out to Newnes again for a while now, especially considering that the continued conservation of this magical areas hangs in the balance due to pressure from coal mining companies. I hope that it will be protected for years to come but just in case, we want to explore it thoroughly while we can, whilst it is still relatively untouched. Although there is definite evidence of human interference already; the native bush areas are in stark contrast to the endless clearfelled forestry-owned areas that you drive through to get to the walking tracks.
The Newnes plateau is best known for its unusual rock formations known as pagodas; craggy stepped outcrops that have formed over millions of years. From the NPWS website: "The geological evolution of this park has produced Triassic Narrabeen sandstone cliffs, slot canyons, grand mesas and the beautiful, yet often strangely delicate, pagodas. These pagodas are formed by wind and rain shaping the Banks Wall and Burramoko sandstone layers that spread right across the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, and they range from quite small to over 60 metres in height."
The sandstone formations are layered with ironstone bands that don't erode as quickly, leaving delicate protruding layers. There was a formation next to the carpark that was clearly a well used picnic spot, so we let the kids gently explore this one outcrop so they could appreciate the cool shapes and different layers of rock. In a small protected hollow up top, we were lucky to find a rare Pagoda daisy and were careful not to disturb it. At first I thought it was a common paper daisy however this unique species is unique to pagoda environments.
A short and easy walk from the small carpark is a picnic area that marks the beginning of the track to Wolgan View canyon. This was our first time exploring a canyon with Ty and Holly and they were keen to see something a bit different on our walk, so they bounced around, busy waving sticks and not arguing too much.
Past a fantastic turtle shaped rock formation the track starts to narrow and winds around to the left. We first headed to the right though, intrigued by what looked like the beginnings of the canyon. It was a cool dark little slot but ended in a drop off that involved too much bush bashing so we didn't go all the way through; instead we backtracked and headed off to the left, up an embankment and through what looked like a natural cutting.
The track was flat and pretty easy to navigate although there were a lot of downed trees and a little bit of scrub to bash through. There was an obvious change from dry eucalypt forest to tree-fern filled gully, and we knew we must be getting close to the canyon.
The most difficult part was the steep climb down shown in the two photos below, which the kids did with no trouble. Other than that, this track was pretty plain sailing.
We dropped down into a deeply shaded crevice that got progressively darker; a lush Jurrasic Park-like glade of tree ferns; and found the entrance to the canyon. There is a small wide constriction to walk through first before you pop out into more huge ferns, and then the main canyon.
Having only been canyoning once before, we were always going to be easily impressed, but I think the magical undulating stone walls would take anyone's breath away.
The filtered light illuminated the walls with subtle layers of colour, although my photos are not fantastic; my phone camera was struggling in the dark.
The kids loved the echoing walls and the change of scenery; so different to the usual expansive views and lookouts that we explore.
It's only a short walk but does get quite dark in the middle. Then you round a corner and the walls open up into this large 'room'. The track continues perhaps another 500m to a partly obscured unmarked lookout, where you can look down onto the rich folk at Emirates Wolgan Valley resort, tucked away in the middle of nowhere.
There looked to be more rough tracks up and off to the right but we will save those for another day. The track looked quite precarious so maybe that's in the 'to do without kids' pile. We were happy to take a break and have a snack at the clifftop overlooking the resort anyway.
It's an out and back track, so we got to explore the canyon for a second time as we headed back to the car.
This was an amazing walk and I would love to come back with a decent camera (and maybe some decent photography skills too!).
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