Sunday, June 28, 2015

Lookouts over Wolgan River, Newnes S F, NSW, Australia


2015 June

Day-trip   2 lookouts over Wolgan River
                      - Lookout & ledge at the end of Sunnyside Ridge Road
                      - Point Green & Greens Spur
                Newnes State Forest,  NSW, Australia


Prolog

This trip to two lookouts over the Wolgan River in the Newnes State Forest is organized by Yuri Bolotin of Colong Foundation http://www.colongwilderness.org.au/

The Newnes State Forest, like its adjoining Gardens of Stone National Park, has some amazing pristine wilderness area with spectacular landscapes and much biodiversity. Yet, it is not a National Park. At any time, the land can be mined, grazed, and its trees chopped.

At the first lookout, we explore a ledge along a cliff face under the lookout.

The 2nd lookout, GR 348 101, is now called Point Green, named by Yuri Bolotin in November 2015, in honour of Richard Green. The lookout is over a gorge of the Wolgan River; and is located 1.7 km from where we park the cars. Initially there is a disused track. Then it is off-track and involves some bushbashing.

Around the lookout (Point Green), are many amazing rock pagodas. Pagodas are rock formations consist of layers of soft sandstones, siltstones and shales with intervening resistant ironstone layers. The relatively easily weathered sandstone means weathering of the sandstone layers are at a different rate to the ironstone layers. (This process is called differential weathering.) The end result is what we see today - the beehive, dome, castellated and elaborate layered platforms of the rock pagodas.

In this blog, you will find many pictures of these pagodas.

The pagodas are unique to the Newnes State Forest and nearby national parks ... in that you won't find them anywhere else in the world. As the Colong Foundation's main objective is to protect wilderness areas, we all hope they can successfully lobby the politicians to turn the Newnes area into a national park !


Our Group

There are 14 of us:
    - Geoff Fox, leader
    - Emanuel Conomos, co-leader
    - Yuri Bolotin, of the Colong Foundation; and organizer of this trip
    - Alex C
    - Allan C
    - Brian G
    - Carol C
    - Catherine C
    - Larry W
    - Ralph P
    - Sybil P
    - Richard Green  (comes by helicopter) ... Point Green is named after him !
    - Carolyn Green  (comes by helicopter)
    - and me  (nah, I don't have a helicopter)


Maps

- 1:100,000 scaled 8931 Wallerawang
- 1:25,000 scaled 8931-3N Cullen Bullen

The map below is from the Cullen Bullen map:
- Red circle is where we park our cars at the end of Sunnyside Ridge Road for the 1st lookout.
- Blue circle is where we park our cars for the 2nd lookout, Point Green.


GPS tracklog files & Routes

- Driving in: The GPX tracklog file (for car) from Zig Zag Railway Station at Clarence to where we park our cars at the 1st lookout in the Newnes State Forest can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSeFk5NjZzRG96UE0/view?usp=sharing

- Walk - at 1st lookout:
The GPX tracklog file for the walk at the 1st lookout can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSY2RGMkdUOC1YSTg/view?usp=sharing

- Walk - to 2nd lookout, Point Green:
The GPX tracklog file for the walk to the 2nd lookout can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSUkxFYkd1UUxKSkE/view?usp=sharing

In the map below, our walking tracklogs are in brown.
The 2nd lookout, Point Green is at GR 348 101.

In summary:
- At 1st lookout (top left quadrant of above map)
    •  Park cars at the end of Sunnyside Ridge Road.
    •  Walk north-east a bit to find a gap between 2 rock (Photo #2).
    •  Climb down the gap.
    •  Walk along a ledge in the cliff face towards south-west, to as far as we can go.
    •  Retrace steps back to the cars.

- To 2nd lookout, Point Green (via Greens Spur, bottom half of above map)
    •  Drive cars to another spot on the Sunnyside Ridge Road.
    •  Walk on a disused track which peters out at some point.
    •  When track peters out, go off-track to a cliff overlooking the gorge through which Wolgan River flows.
    •  Return trip is by re-tracing the steps; and also climb up some rock pagodas.


Timeline & Distance

1st Lookout
10:21   0.0 km  Start walking
10:27   0.2 km  At top of gap between 2 rocks

10:30   0.2 km  Start descending the gap, then walk along a ledge cut into the cliff face.
11:08   0.7 km  At end of ledge

11:10   0.7 km  Turn around
11:34   1.2 km  At top of gap between 2 rocks

11:37   1.2 km  Start walking towards our cars
11:42   1.3 km  Finish

Total:  1 hrs 21 mins  at leisurely pace
           1.3 km  Distance is from Google Earth
           1.7 km  Distance is from Garmin GPS

2nd Lookout, Point Green
11:59   0.0 km  Start walking
12:44   1.3 km  At top of a rock pagoda

Lunch

13:04   1.3 km  Leave top of rock pagoda
13:31   1.7 km  At tip of a platform, ie Point Green

13:39   1.7 km  Start to re-trace steps
13:43   1.8 km  Admire scenery

14:04   1.8 km  Start walking
14:19   2.0 km  At base of rock pagoda where earlier on we had lunch

14:24   2.1 km  Start returning to cars, and also climb some rock pagodas on the way back
15:06   3.3 km  Finish

Total:  3 hrs 7 mins  at leisurely pace
           3.3 km  Distance is from Google Earth
           4.0 km  Distance is from Garmin GPS


Pictures - 1st lookout

1)  At the first lookout at the end of Sunnyside Ridge Road ~~~
- The Blue Mountains Range is on the other side of the valley in which the Wolgan River flows.
- Soon, we'll explore a ledge cut into the cliff on the left side of the photo (along the blue arrow) - almost all the way to the end.


2)  The cliffs here are on the right side of the previous photo. (The lower photo is zooming in on a cliff face of the upper photo.)


3)  Sybil climbing down a gap ~~~
As explained in photo #1, we are going to explore a ledge cut into a cliff face.


4)  Yuri leading us to explore along the ledge cut into the cliff


5)  Ralph leading, then Brian & Sybil, exploring along the ledge


6)  Along the ledge, there are some Acacia terminalis (Sunshine Wattle), an Australian native plant that likes sunny areas.


7)  Leptospermum arachnoides (Spidery Tea Tree), another Australian native plant - this species grows mainly in NSW.


Pictures - to 2nd lookout, Point Green

After morning tea, we drive to a nearby spot also on Sunnyside Ridge Road, park the cars, then walk to a lookout over a gorge of the Wolgan River.

8)  First, we walk on a disused track. At some point, it peters out. In this photo, we are off-track with some bushbashing. (Brian is the guy in this pic.)


9)  We won't climb this rock pagoda, we'll go around it.
Rock pagodas are rock formations consist of layers of soft sandstones, siltstones and shales with intervening resistant ironstone layers. The relatively easily weathered sandstone means weathering of the sandstone layers are at a different rate to the ironstone layers. (This process is called differential weathering.) The end result is what we see today - the beehive, dome, castellated and elaborate layered platforms of the rock pagodas.


10)  Closer look at the face of a rock pagoda ~~~
The rock pagodas are unique to the Newnes State Forest and the nearby Gardens of Stone National Park and Wollemi National Park - you won't find them anywhere else in the world !


11)  Another rock pagoda


12)  More rock pagodas - we will climb this one.
Yuri is on the left. Alex is on the right.


13)  Geoff and Alex are the first to climb to the top.


14)  We have lunch at the top of the rock pagoda.
Here is a panoramic view from the top.


15)  Zooming in at the centre of the previous photo


16)  Zooming in at the centre of the previous photo


17)  The cliffs you see in the below pic are on the other side of the gorge through which the Wolgan River flows.
Brian is taking photos of ...


18)  ... of a waterfall on the Wolgan river (bottom of the photo).


19)  After lunch, some of us go further down a platform that is like a tongue sticking out into the gorge. The platform is now called Point Green.
- Walking along the blue arrow is like walking on the edge of a razor blade; it is fun.
- Destination is the end of the platform pointed to by the red arrow.


20)  Same scene as the previous photo, but from a different angle.
- We walk along where the blue arrow is.
- Emanuel (pointed to by the red arrow) has already reached the tip of the platform. Soon I'll be there too ... next photo ...



At Point Green

21)  ... At the tip of the platform, Point Green, where Emanuel was in the previous pic


The next 11 photos (Photo #22 to #32) are taken from roughly where I am now standing.

22)  View of the cliffs on the other side of the gorge through which the Wolgan River flows


23)  (This is the right side of the previous pic.) ~~~ The 3 red arrows point to, from left to right:
1:  A rock pillar on our side of the Wolgan River ... It is tempting to climb to the flat area on the top which should give us a good view of the gorge and the cliffs on the other side.  Off-hand, we can't see a way up and hence didn't try to climb it. Next time, we should explore it to see whether there is a way up.
2:  A nearer rock pillar ... It should be climbable.
3:  The tip of the platform where I am now standing ... see Photo #21.


24)  View of the cliffs on the other side of the gorge through which the Wolgan River flows


25)  Weathered rock formation


26)  Cliff on the other side of the gorge through which the Wolgan River flows


27)  The gorge through which the Wolgan River flows - I am still at where I was standing in Photo #21.


28)  Weathered rock formation of a nearby rock pagoda


29)  Around where the platform is (Photo #21) are some Epacris reclinata (Fuchsia Heath), native to NSW.


30)  Leucochrysum graminifolium (Pagoda Rock Daisy) - they only grow on the rocks of the pagodas. You won't find them anywhere else in the world !



31)  Leucochrysum graminifolium (Pagoda Rock Daisy)



32)  Leucochrysum graminifolium (Pagoda Rock Daisy) - this one hasn't opened up yet.



Return to car

33)  Returning to the rock pagoda where we had lunch at the top not too long ago.



34)  This tree which had grown on a rock surface, had fallen down. Note the thinness of its root system ... not much thicker than a pancake !


35)  On the way back to our cars, we detour to climb more rock pagodas.


36)  Weathered rock formation of a pagoda



37)  Weathered rock formation of a pagoda


38)  Weathered rock formation of a pagoda


39)  Weathered rock formation on a pagoda


40)  Brian on top of a rock pagoda


41)  Geoff on top of a higher one


42)  I climb to the top of where Geoff was in the previous pic and take a photo of this view.


43)  Zooming in


44)  Enough of the rock pagodas  :-)
Now climbing down


45)  Geoff climbing down the rock pagodas


46)  A final look at the rock pagodas - aren't they magnificent !!!


Richard & Carolyn Green

47)  Amongst our group is a couple, Richard & Carolyn, who are photographers. This morning, they came by their helicopter to join us for the walk. Now in the later afternoon, they are going to flying home - surely beats the traffic jam on the roads  :-)


Post Script

Richard and Carolyn Green died in their helicopter crash 5 months later on 2015-11-09. A passenger, John Davis also died. Rest in Peace.

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