Saturday 13 July
Photos courtesy of Barry and DonnaG. Walk report courtesy Walk Leader DonnaG.
Six walkers headed off to Little Forest Plateau on a spectacular winter’s day for a 13km walk last done by the Club in 2012. We headed off on the boardwalk and track that leads to Mt Bushwalker Lookout and not far from the Lookout we took a left turn south along a reasonably good path that alternated between rock platforms and muddy footpads.
The recent rain that had made the track wet in places was a good indicator that our destination, Ngaityung Falls, would be pumping and we were not disappointed! Much of the track to the falls followed the edges of the escarpment which meant we were spoilt for views for morning tea and lunch spots. After much hinting and then complaining by Barry that his stomach was gurgling due to a very light breakfast, we relented and stopped at a stunning spot on the escarpment. It was lovely to see The Castle and Byangee Walls from yet a different angle, almost as lovely as the sound of a silent Barry eagerly devouring his morning tea.
After morning tea we continued along our path following the very helpful and abundant cairns along the way. We arrived at a cairn `intersection’ where we hung a left. To continue on, we would have arrived at Gadara Point, yet another destination to be explored for a future walk program. We continued along through ever changing vegetation, sometimes overgrown in spots and successfully down some wet rocky ledges through more bush until we could hear the sound of the falls becoming louder. It wasn’t long before we popped out onto the rocky plateau where Pigeon House Creek meets the escarpment edge.
Whilst the water was flowing well it was easily crossed, without getting wet feet, with us making our way to a nearby jutting rock ledge. This ledge provides a perfect vantage point to see the full extent of the falls. They really were spectacular in full flow. The rock pools at the head of the falls were all full and probably would have been inviting on a hot day but not so on a winter’s day.
Having made the most of our visit to the falls, we retraced our steps back towards the cars, stopping at yet another cliff top view point of the Budawangs along the way for lunch. We all agreed that you could never tire of the scenery on this out and back walk as the majority of the walk was a view. All in all it was a great day and we couldn’t have asked for better conditions, full sun, a light breeze and around 17 degrees. A very enjoyable walk indeed.