Three days in great country. A good place to enjoy the long weekend.
The tops between the Wolgan and Capertee Valleys are a spectacular bushwalking destination. The Blue Rocks – The Red Rocks – The Mount Morgan Plateau. Each part is very good. Each part is extremely rugged and spectacular. Each part is different – and each part is reasonable accessible.
Earlier on the year – during the Anzac super long weekend – I had been to the Red Rocks section. This time friends John and Chuin Nee had organised a trip to the Blue Rocks. There baby Jasper was going as well as Digi Dave. Martin and Rob would be with us the first day and part of the second – then they would head off on a longer trip.
Our plan was to walk out to McLeans Gap and then a little further on to what we call “The Exploded Pagoda”. On an earlier trip, we had camped in a sheltered chasm near the pagoda. This time, we camped on the plateau a little further along in a nice section of open forest. We used the same campsite for both nights and used it as a base for day walks on the second and third days.
Its usual to carry water to a high campsite like the one we had. We did, but needn’t have – there was plenty of water close to the campsite in rock pools – full after recent rain.
What I also carried was some photographic gear. The place is a paradise for photo-pfaffing. The massive clifflines are interesting and so are the valleys – the Wolgan and the Capertee – both are often visible at the same time. Also – the tops are rent in various places by chasms, slots and rifts. There are pagoda rock formations in many places and in a few places are dome shaped formations.
Both the Wolgan and Capertee Valleys have mesa type plateau mountains. In the Wolgan Valley is Donkey Mountain – a very fascinating and intricate feature. In the Capertee Valley are Mt Gundungaroo and also Pantoneys Crown. On our walk – it was Pantoneys Crown that dominated our views of the Capertee Valley. It is often prominent in my photos.
Dawn and dusk was spent on the tops near our campsite. There are so many photographic opportunities but only a limited time when the light is good that you need to be in many places with different lenses and other bits and pieces at once!
The “Exploded Pagoda” is a strange feature. It is an open rocky area surrounded by low heath. Littering the rocky area are very singular rocks. They are full of weird contortions due to ironstone layers. They seem to be fragments of a large pagoda. How did they get scattered over a wide area?
North of the Exploded Pagoda, lies large set of pagodas that form what we call the “Lost City”. On a previous trip, we explored part of this interesting area – it is a maze of pagodas and small slot canyons.
Further towards point Cameron lies a large area of domes. These are rounded rock structures – about the size of pagodas but quite unlike them. They have no ironstone banding. Closer to the rim is a large swampy area that drains into a small canyon. Our Monday day walk was to this area.
On the Sunday – we went eastward to Blue Rock Gap and explored nearby. Blue Rock Gap itself is a major obstacle that has to be crossed if you traverse the plateau. It looks very daunting as you approach it – with huge cliffs and rock towers. However, despite this ruggedness – it is very easy to cross. There are convenient passes on both sides.
More photos of our visit can be viewed on my website on these pages – Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Wow! Truly wonderful photographs, looks light you were blessed with beautiful light as well as the usual awe-inspiring scenery. Well done!
Hi,
I was lucky enough to walk through the Exploded Pagodas post 2020 fires with a bunch of mates. It seems they have since disappeared.
No – still there. See my post from Easter this year.