Tuesday 1 – Friday 4 December 2020
Walkers: Phillip & Erika, Rob, Bronwyn, Barry, Wendy, Lin, Ian.
It seems we do this classic walk across the Budawangs about every four years. But this time it was different in that almost the whole area was heavily burnt in the 2019-20 bushfires, significantly changing the nature of the walk.
The views were outstanding, the last of the spring flower meadows beautiful, and the walking, free of undergrowth, very pleasant.
It was pleasing to see the wildlife finally returning as the green gradually overpowers the black. We saw a good variety of insects (flies, ants, butterflies and dragonflies), and even two snakes – white lipped and (suspected) tiger. The grass trees were flowering prolifically and the insects were loving the nectar.
The only down side to a perfect walk was the heat on the first day and too many pesky flies blown in on the accompanying northwest wind. Otherwise, the weather was perfect. The second and third days of cool, low cloud added mysticism to the rocky peaks around us, and the fourth day of clear sunshine was perfect for the views.
Because we took our time, camping at Burrumbeet, Mt Cole and Cooyoyo, we were able to visit many highlights and take some interesting short side trips. We visited Corang Peak, Corang Arch, the Donjon crevasse, Green Room, Emerald Room, Natural Arch, Eagles Nest, and explored the rocky ramparts of Monolith Valley.
The rock is wonderful. There is not only a lot of it but it has great character, particularly in Monolith Valley where the pagodas resemble a miniature Bungle Bungle wonderland.
On the last day in perfect weather we climbed The Castle which, for some of us, enabled us to finally knock it off our bucket list.
The photos from Phillip, Rob, Erika, Barry and Ian tell the story.
A big thanks to Miriam and Rudy who assisted greatly with the drop-off and pick-up.
Ian