Mt Solitary Walk – 13-14 July 2014

This was a nice out and back walk with Wendy, from the Golden Stairs to Mt Solitary to camp on top.

I was hoping for good photographic light and conditions. It had been quite windy for a while, and now, only light winds were forecast – so I was thought that perhaps we would get a bit of valley mist. No! It was very still, but it had also been too dry?

On the walk out to the mountain, we noticed some new structures had been built below the Ruined Castle. They would best be described as “shelter sheds”. Two of them – about 50 m apart. Both just four poles and a roof. One a bit bigger than the other. They were below the track level – on flats used by campers and picnickers. Also on the track level was a toilet. One of the fly in fly out waste types.

We wondered why these new structures had been built. The area is a site of many old mines and at the termination of the old shale oil railway – at the end of the Federal Pass Track. Were the NPWS setting up a historic campsite? Or is it campsite being set up for glamping type trips? Or set up for scouts, D of E and other novice groups of bushwalkers? The campsite is only a little over an hours walk from the Golden Stairs trailhead, and about half a days walk from Katoomba via the Furber Stairs and Federal Pass. Perhaps the sheds had been built to provide a water supply from their roofs? They had gutters, but at this stage no downpipes. There is a water supply in this area, in an open old mineshaft, located a few metres behind the current toilet location. For many years it had a large lake of water a few metres inside. But in recent years it has often dried up (its current state) – so is no longer a reliable source of water.

We walked on, crossed the saddle and set off up Mt Solitary. It was a Sunday, and on the way we passed many walkers, mainly day walkers, returning from the mountain. Perhaps about 30 people?

On top, after a photo break, we walked the short distance to the campsite at Chinamans Gully. The campsite was in poor condition. Lots of rubbish around. Some small trees seemed to have been cut down. Green logs near a large fireplace. The flattest areas best for camping had been denuded of leaf litter. They seemed to have been swept! One campsite had a deep trench cut around it. And to top it off – a lot of toilet paper was evident not far away – in the trees or behind rocks. Very sad to see!

A disgusting sight near the campsite – toilet paper garnishing the bush!

At least the views were still good. Chinamans Gully campsite has excellent views to the south from Melvilles Lookout and if you follow the gully down to the cliff line, there is another fine lookout to the north. Also if you follow the creek bed down, you can often find water. Given all the toilet paper around however, it would not be wise to draw water from the main creek. We followed it down – and it seemed completely dry. Not surprising given the long dry period we had just had. Down near the cliff, there is another small campsite – where side creek joins Chinamans Gully. This creek did have some pools of good looking water, and its catchment is much less likely to be contaminated.

View south

At the northern lookout, we climbed up to a higher point – on a nice rocky outcrop.

Back at the campsite, we had a pleasant evening by a nice fire. It was a calm and clear night with an almost full moon. It was quite cold.

We both got up early to see the sunrise. The only valley mist was a small patch – a long way out in Lake Burragorang. We walked the five or six minutes down to the northern lookout to watch the sun as it rose. It was very cold and after few photos we returned to the campsite and got the fire going again.

On our return walk, we noticed some frost on the open tops just above Chinamans Gully. But it was quite pleasant in the sun as we walked along. It was a delightful walk back. The highlight was listening to the call of a male lyrebird at the top of the Golden Stairs, foraging in the leaf litter a few metres off the track. It went through a most amazing series of imitations of other bird calls. We listened to its repertoire for about ten minutes as it impressed its mate, also foraging nearby. We were impressed too!

More photos of the walk are on my website here.