The Bylong Labyrinth is the remarkable north west section of Wollemi National Park. It is a maze of complex ridges, pagoda rock formations, canyons and volcanic necks.
I went on a short three day walk there with Rik and Rob. The walk was “short” because we started at about lunchtime on Saturday and finished well before lunchtime on Monday. But we did enjoy two nights of high camps.
We started late because we had to change our original trip plans. This was due to access problems. So, we ended up doing a Plan B type walk.
We started from where the Coxs Creek Trail splits into the Growee Trail. After leaving the car we climbed up a nice easy spur onto Bluff Mountain. As we climbed the views got better and better. The most impressive thing was a series of pagodas at the end of the Spring Log Ridge. I had actually climbed up on the end of that ridge near those pagodas on a trip back in 2001.
The view was so good that we decided to camp early. The decision was easy to make – the ridge provided an excellent campsite. We were a little before the summit of Bluff Mountain.
On Sunday, we traversed the mountain and descended via a ridge that extended down to Hefrons Hole. The area is quite rugged – and you often need to be prepared to scramble. Our ridge was quite steep in places, very easy in other places, and turned out to be quite straightforward. There were only a couple of places where we had to scramble down small cliffs.
Hefrons Hole was nice – open and grassy, with big trees. We noticed some recent pig damage and also saw two dead pigs. Lower down the crater we found ourselves on the Growee Trail once again.
Where the trail crossed the Growee River, we refilled our water bottles ready for the next night. A little further along the trail we stopped for lunch, and not far past that, passed the car, which is unusual on a walk! But we kept on walking towards our next goal – Wheelbarrow Mountain.
I had traversed Wheelbarrow Mountain on two earlier trips – on the 2001 walk and one much earlier back in 1977. I recalled that it offered great views as the top, a basalt cap was open and grassy.
We climbed the mountain from Wheelbarrow Gap. This was very easy – following a four wheel drive trail right to the summit plateau. It looks like the mountain is private land, but it does not seem to be used for farming purposes at present.
Camping on top was superb! We had fantastic campsite – a large open, flat grassy area with magnificent views overlooking the Bylong Labyrinth. We also experienced very still conditions and some good atmospheric weather conditions.
On Monday, we awoke to a nice sunny day where we were, but the surrounding valleys were filled with morning mist – nice!
After breakfast we packed up our camp and returned to the car. A very easy walk.
More photos are online on my website here.
Great pictures and thanks for sharing. I am writing a history of Molong and development of NSW from 1817-1870 (Vol 1) which includes our first white settler, William Lee. he is noted as buying 12,000 acres ‘Bilong’ on the Goulburn River in 1829. His son George took over later on and they raised thoroughbred race horses from about 1845. I was wondering whether you have an image I could use which would epitomise the area his acreage was on – I’m wondering how they raised horses in the wilderness with so many trees??
One of the major creeks in the Belong Labyrinth is Lee Creek – and that would be name after William Lee or his son. You are welcome to use my pictures but I am not sure if I would one that is suitable – i.e. one of the Bylong Valley. Mots of mine are taken further to the east in the rougher country that would not have been settled.