I was able to join Helen and others from SUBW on a trip to Donkey Mountain in the Wolgan Valley last weekend. The mountain is in the Gardens of Stone National Park and towers above the Emirates Resort.
We started from the Wolgan Road and climbed up to the south western end. It was raining, and it ended up raining all day, so the dry caves at that end of the mountain were welcome refuges – particularly for having lunch out of the rain.
We quickly traversed the mountain and camped in a large and very sheltered dry chamber at the north eastern end of the mountain. A cave in the chamber was large enough for us to cook in out of the rain. Next morning, I got up early for dawn. The sunrise was not especially memorable in terms of photographic lighting, but there are lots of interesting rock formations all around.
After the others got up, we explored that end of the mountain – checking out the maze of cracks and canyons that radiated out from our camping chamber. It is amazing country! The rock pagodas above these slots are also fascinating.
Later in the morning we packed up and headed back to the western end, having lunch on the way and then descending back to the cars.
More photos can be viewed on my website here.