Morton National Park: Budawang Wilderness Kalianna Ridge to Meakins Pass

General information

Distance:  9.6 kilometers
Total climb:  around 600 meters
Time taken:  6 hours
Map:  Corang 8927-3N 1:25 000
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  171 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  56H KF 44614 87888

Destination map grid referencs: 56H KF 45292 91206

End point:  same as start

Route

http://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/

Description

This hike started at The Castle walking track near the Long Gully campground. Crossing the Yadboro River we continued along the well-defined walking track through dense rainforest.



This section tended steadily uphill but was not too steep, and soon we had passed into more open forest. The trail became steeper as we approached the escarpment southwest of The Castle, with the last few hundred meters being very steep indeed. We were rewarded, however, with good view of Mount Owen to the northwest.



Just before the escarpment is a steep and slippery rock face which can be climbed with the help of chains on posts set into the rock. Having reached the escarpment we followed it roughly north along a very difficult path: not easy to follow in some parts (a bit of experimentation and backtracking was required) and with much scrambling up and down required before reaching the northern end of the escarpment. Some excellent views from here to the north, west and southwest.

From here the path veers to the east towards Meakins Pass. This section is very steep, so steps are the dominant feature. When we attempted it it was also very wet and muddy. Only 350 meters from Meakins Pass, however, I became ill and we had to turn back, returning by the same route. Some different views and features were sighted on the return trip, including this one below The Castle.

This is a very demanding walk, but with many rewards along the way. Given my experience it's probably best to only attempt it when you are feeling in good physical condition at the start.

Morton National Park: Budawang Wilderness, Byangee Trail to Castle Gap

General information

Distance:  6.6 kilometers
Total climb:  around 400 meters
Time taken:  3 hours
Map:  Corang 8927-3N 1:25 000
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  171 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  56H KF 44720 87727

Destination map grid referencs: 56H KF 46129 90004

End point:  same as start

Route

http://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/

Description

This afternoon hike started at the Long Gully campground after three-hour trip from Canberra and setting up camp at Yadboro Flat (56H KF 47112 85623). Almost immediately we had to cross the Yadboro River. Since it was the start of a weekend of hiking I decided to keep my boots dry and take them off before crossing the knee-deep water on slippery rocks - hiking poles were very useful for maintaining balance. Having crossed the river we followed the Byangee Trail north. Initially the track was wide and not too steep, but it narrows and gets quite steep at about the 1 kilometer point. There were some good views along the trail to the west.



We continued along the trail until we reached the escarpment south of The Castle. At this point we turned to the east and followed the narrow path along the base of the escarpment. 



This path was slippery, with many ups and downs and sometimes quite difficult to pick out. Eventually we reached Castle Gap, where there were views of Pigeon House about 7.5 kilometers away.



It being fairly late in the day, we decided to head back by the same route. Although relatively short in distance, this is quite a challenging walk.