Blacks Ladders - Esgate Pass on Elphinstone Plateau - 26
November 2014
All images © David Noble. No image can be used for any purpose
without permission.
Party - Bob, Dave
Bob and myself had set off to do this walk on a few other occasions
- but had been thwarted by bad weather. So it was good to finaly
complete it! This walk lies just below the cliffs of the Radiata
Plateau at Katoomba. The plateau is subject to development proposals
which will threaten the bushland. Part of the plateau has some
radiata pines, but a lot it good native bushland. There are some
rare plants also - such as the Pherosphaera fitzgeraldii —
the Dwarf Mountain Pine found in some of the gullies. The
conservation proposal also suggests changing the name of the plateau
to Elphinstone Plateau in honour of Charles Elphinstone - an early
conservationist.
Above - Prostrate Persoonia (Persoonia chamaepitys) also
known as Mountain Geebung
Above - On the cliffs above Blacks Ladders
Above - Bob at the pass
Above - Bob reading the logbook at Blacks Ladders
Above - after the ladders, it is a fairly long walk around the base
of the cliffs to Esgate Pass
Above - we saw lots of rock climbs along the way
Above - Bob on the chains at Esgate Pass
We had lunch at the top of the pass and then walked back along the
plateau back to the car. Along the way - was a short detour to a
nice lookout.
Above - Boars Head, Narrow Neck and Mt Solitary
Above - Looking towards Nellies Glen
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