Budawangs getaway!

I got away for a few days recently to the Budawangs, the terrific little mountain range, the best of which is in the Morton National Park, rather than the neighbouring Budawangs National Park.

It's about 200km south west of Sydney, and it's very much worth the trip. A good introduction is the short but sharp ascent (450m) up Pidgeon House, named by Captain Cook for its appearance (to 1770 eyes at least) as a pidgeon house. 


I took the picture at top of the main Castle Group, which I was to explore during a big day walk, from the top of Pidgeon House. You can also see Byangee Walls, Mount Owen, Mount Nibelung, Mount Mooryan, Mount Cole, the Seven Gods Pinnacles, and the Shrouded Gods Mountain. And what a bushwalkers paradise it all is!

My big day walk involved ascending via the Castle Walk up to Meakins Pass, then up into Monolith Valley, past the most beautiful Pool of Photography I've ever come across, into the Green Room, and on past the Seven Gods Pinnacles. Then it was time to turn around, but there was still time to ascend Mount Owen, via a difficult ill-defined scrambly route, and back down quickly before nightfall.

As for the Castle itself, well you always have to leave something for the next visit, and I've left this one. A bit scary to look at, and those who've been up it try to spook you in the usual way with stories about the big drop and the exposure. But I understand it's not that hard really, very few people actually fall over the edge, and it's therefore quite do-able. So next time, I'll do it!