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A bit of an overhang there
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As I travel east I notice that sunrise is getting earlier and I'm awake ridiculously early this morning. However, the bonus is I can open the blinds and look at the colours of sunrise while still in bed.
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| Not a bad view from my bed! |
It is obviously going to be another glorious day. So different to when I was in Lithgow last year when it had been raining heavily. The walks I wanted to do were closed for safety reasons and it was really cold.
I rather delight in making my first cup of coffee with the coffee machine provided. A proper coffee with frothy milk while still in my PJs is a luxury I have not had since I left home.
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| Delicious! |
I head for the glow worm tunnel track and as I drive up State Mine Gully Road, I note that the surface has not improved since last year, and while I do remember how fabulous the rock formations on each side are, they are even more fabulous than I remember, with the sandstone pillars, caves and pinnacles.
Wow! The last section of the road to the glow worm tunnel trailhead passes towering cliffs, plunging chasms, crosses narrow ridges, and passes fabulous pagoda-like sandstone formations. The road narrows, occasionally passing through cuttings - following the old railway route, and even goes through a narrow tunnel, which I wasn't expecting. I don't think I'd like to be driving it in a small two-wheel drive vehicle and the journey takes me probably twice as long as the information back at my accommodation suggests. But the last part in particular is an absolutely amazing drive.
The car par itself is located at the base of a cliff and at the base of a rather magnificent pagoda formation.
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| Above the car park |
There's some very good interpretation signs and directions at the beginning of the track, and the track starts by going across a ridge, which plunges on either side.
I have downloaded the New South Wales Parks audio tour for glow worm cave so shall listen at appropriate stages. The audio is more informative than the signs along the way.
I am actually in the Woolami National Park, which is a bit exciting even though I shall not see the tree for which it is named.
The cliffs along the old railway line route are cuttings, shaped by hand and there is evidence of drill marks and pickaxe. There are many cliffs a little further away that are towering much higher and are even more stunning.
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| Cuttings shaped by hand |
As I walk through the magnificent cuttings and forest, I see a pair of crimson rosellas, who won't stay still for me to photograph them, and rustling in the bushes on my left with a hint of a tail suggests a possum but given that possums don't have feather tails, I realise it's a lyre bird. It also will not pose for me.
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Towering cliffs beyond
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So how did I come to find this place? Last year when I was planning my route I zoomed in on maps for the area between Canowindra and Chatswood and I saw Garden of Stone National Park. That sounded intriguing. So I investigated further and based myself at Lithgow last year for 3 days, exploring many of the lookouts over the seven valleys, and returned this year to do the two walks I wanted to do last year.
So far this one does not disappoint. I'm rating it as a 10!
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Just a stunning part of the walk
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It mainly follows the railway route - which was a challenge itself to construct!
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| Fairly sure this bit was not railway |
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| The entrance to "tunnel number 2" |
The glow worm tunnel is the most amazing experience, just pure magic!
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Glow worms!
I didn't think I had captured any but clearly I was wrong
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As I near the end I can hear voices behind. Clearly they did not read the instructions as they are also wielding lights. They asked me if the next tunnel is the glow worm tunnel! I point out that no, they have just come though is - but they saw nothing! I tell them on their return journey they need to turn their lights off, just follow the handrail and be silent and give their eyes time to adjust. They are thankful for that suggestions and I think don't realise they have just been told off 😋
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Exiting tunnel number 2
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The view, as I approach at the other end of the tunnel is utterly amazing. It's a canyon with incredible cliffs on both sides and beautiful tall tree ferns Cyathia sp, I think.
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| Cliffs and tree ferns - Cyathia sp |
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| More cliffs and tree ferns |
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| Yet more cliffs and tree ferns |
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| Yet more cliffs and tree ferns |
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| Yet more cliffs and tree ferns |
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| Cliffs and tree ferns and gum trees |
At one point there is substantial evidence of the past railway, but most of the metal was pulled up and re-used for the WWII effort
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| Evidence of a bridge from about a century ago? |
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| Those cliffs! |
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| But wait, there's more |
As I continues everything confirm my rating of it as a 10 out of 10 walk!
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A bit of an overhang there
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As I cross a relatively recent rockfall, I am reminded of doing the same on a walk one weekend in Bhutan and young Sangay's yell of 'Run, madam, run!' The second 'run' was redundant and I came as close as I ever will to an Olympic record as the rocks above rumbled their way down.
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| It looked a relatively recent fall! |
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| You don't say! |
I continue on to the lookout over Wogan Valley and it really is rather stunning. I'm not sure if this is the official end of the walk as there are two more audio tour stops. But since it is billed as a 6km return walk, and this is now the 3km mark, I assume it is.
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| Wogan Valley |
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| Wogan Valley |
I turn around shortly after the lookout over the valley and as I'm heading back towards the tunnel I'm entering an ever narrowing, chasm that has a dead end. And that's where the tunnel is.
On my walk back I looked out for wildflowers but there wasn't a lot of variety.
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| Boronia |
I was greatly enjoying the tunnel the second time - maybe seeing glowworms that were screened from view from the other direction, until somebody approached me with a bright light directed all over the place, contrary to instructions provided at both ends of the tunnel. As I stood still with my eyes covered to protect my acclimatised to the dark state, she informed me that I had surprised her. I had quietly asked a few minutes earlier for her to turn off her light!
I am very glad that I visited this place in the middle of the week and not on the school holiday. There was an adequate number of people. I would hate to be here when it's popular. The glow worm tunnel experience just would not be the same.
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