Sunday 28 October 2018

Storming the Castle



In October of 2018 I was lucky enough to assemble a small team including my Dad and some of my closest mates Brendan and Anthony and together we made a successful bid at climbing The Castle. The Castle is one of the iconic peaks in the Morton National Park. It is an isolated plateau that stands at 836m and has incredible views in all directions. The wilderness is virtually untouched by humans as far as the eye can see. It was a trip I have had my eye on for several years and it was very satisfying to finally turn that dream into a reality.

We caught up for dinner and a beer a few weeks prior to discuss the route and importantly the logistics. We made sure first and foremost that we were taking everything that we needed but then also wanted to make sure that we weren't doubling up on many things so as to try and keep pack weight down. The night before the departure I got all of my gear out and lay it out to make sure that I hadn’t missed anything. I had all the bare essentials but when you added in the camera gear and a few luxuries the pack wasn’t quite as light as I would have liked. Once everything was packed it was off to bed as the alarm was set for an early start.


All of my gear prepped and ready

At 05:30 I was up and dressed. I loaded the last few items into the pack and enjoyed some toast. At 06:00 Dad arrived and Brendan a few minutes later. We loaded up his 4WD with the packs and set off for The Shire to collect Anthony. We picked him up and continued on our journey south. I had suggested we stop at The Cliffhanger Café just before the descent down to Wollongong for a coffee and bacon & egg roll which everyone was pretty pumped for. Sadly upon arrival we discovered that the café was closed for the day and had to continue the journey on an empty stomach. We passed Wollongong and then Nowra as well. We decided to wait until we reached Milton to stop which ended up being further than we thought so everyone was pretty ravenous by the time we arrived. As originally planned, we all tucked into a bacon and egg roll with a coffee and it really hit the spot!

Leaving Milton it was only about another 15km or so before we turned off the bitumen and hit the dirt roads. We were a little behind schedule and Brendan must have been keen to make up some time as it was a pretty rare occasion when his foot reached for the brakes. The corrugations gave his suspension a serious workout! I think its pretty fair to say that everyone other than Brendan was mildly uncomfortable with the speed in which we were hurtling along the track. After about 30 minutes we came around a corner and right in front of us through the trees you could see The Castle towering over the valley. It was an ominous site and gave a true sense of the scale of the climb that we were about to tackle. We parked up at the Long Gully Campground and did a final reshuffle of the packs before setting out.


Group shot before setting out onto the trail

As we were leaving the carpark we came across a huge Goanna, it was a pretty cool way to start the hike. After about the first 200 metres the trail comes to the Yadboro River. It was shoes off as I certainly wasn’t keen to get the feet wet right away. After the river crossing the next few hundred metres are through a lovely rainforest which has a real ancient feel to it. Its not long before the trail begins to climb up towards the Kalianna Ridge. It’s a steady climb on a relatively worn track. My legs felt rubbish with the weight of the pack but I tried not to let it worry me to much, I was just stoked to be out on an overnight hike after more than three years! Its way too long but having your first child certainly changes your priorities.


The big Goanna

Entering the wilderness!

Brendan on the Yadboro River crossing

Once you reach the Kalianna Ridge there is a small gradual downhill section for a few hundred metres which was a bit of a relief for the legs but as it turns out once you pass that bit every step of the track is uphill. You climb about 200 metres over the next kilometre which takes you right up to the lower clifflines. It was pretty hot and everyone was really feeling it. We didn’t know for sure if we would find water up higher so I was rationing my water and definitely not taking on as much as would have been ideal. The National Parks have done a fair bit of work recently to upgrade the track here with stairs and even a section with some chains to assist with the climb. Once you reach the lower clifflines the track traverses along the base of the cliff but it’s pretty technical footing. There are lots of roots and rocks all the while your always heading up woods, it was tough going for sure!


Very technical trail!

Very technical trail!

Very technical trail!

After a while we started to hear running water which was a really good sign. We rounded a boulder to see water falling down from the cliff above, it was a huge relief and without thinking I went straight over and started drinking it by the handful. It wasn’t until after woods that I thought about it and realised it probably wasn’t too smart to drink it without purifying but luckily I didn’t have any problems. We stopped under the waterfall for lunch, it was a nice shady spot and allowed us to drink plenty of water. Upon leaving we all topped up bottles and dropped in purification tablets.


A relief to find some water raining down from the cliffs above

A relief to find some water raining down from the cliffs above

Shortly after lunch we started to get some spectacular views of the clifflines of Mount Owen and Mount Nibelung. The formations of the cliffs were unlike anything I have seen before. After lunch my legs started coming around and I felt really solid on the climb. After you finish the traverse along the cliffline the track makes a beeline for Castle Saddle and its bloody steep, climbing 200 metres in just over 300 metres as the crow flies! It’s also in this section that you get your first glimpse of the summit plateau which towers above and looks pretty intimidating. From this viewpoint it looks unclimbable without proper rock-climbing gear (and far more rock-climbing skills than I currently possess).


On the climb

On the climb

On the climb

On the climb

Dad approaching a really cool camp cave


Camp cave 

Incredible views back down the valley! The walls of The Castle on the left and Mount Owen on the right

From above the plateau is shaped like a tadpole with the main “body” about 500 metres long and a “tail” that is made up of a series of towers that extends away from the body for about 400 metres. About 500 metres before you reach the Castle Saddle there is a track junction with a track that heads up towards The Tunnel. The tunnel is like the name suggests a thin slot that makes its way through the tail of the tadpole which gives you more direct access to Meakins Pass, the access route to the summit. We continued up to the saddle and it was a big relief to get there as everyone was pretty knackered by this point. From the saddle it is about 500 metres with a 120 metre descent down to the campground at Cooyoyo Creek. Wow did it feel good to take the packs off and take a look around. A short walk from the campsite there is a huge cliff with really nice views across to Byangee Walls and Pigeon House Mountain. We got the tents setup quickly and then Dad and Brendan said they would start the fire, I was really keen to head back up to the saddle to try and get some photos of the sunset.


Finally at the Castle Saddle, our high point for the day

Anton and I made our way back to the saddle and then proceeded back to the junction. We made out way up to “The Tunnel” and then I spotted an enormous boulder about 100 metres away and decided that was the spot. We slowly traversed over to it and then made out way around to the back side of it and I found a way to climb up to the top. It was an awesome spot with a full 180 panorama across the valley and over to the cliffs of Mount Owen & Mount Nibelung. It was nice to relax and watch the sunset, the rays of light coming down through the clouds were awesome!


Our sunset viewing boulder

The fading sunlight streaming through the clouds behind Mount Owen

Sunset panorama of the entire valley. The cliffs of The Castle on the left over to Mount Owen & Mount Nibelung in the centre of shot and finally the "Tail" of The Castle on the right 

The fading light streaming through the clouds behind Mount Owen

Once the sun dropped below the horizon we knew we only probably had about 45 minutes of light left so made a beeline for the tunnel. To get to the entrance of the slot you have to climb over a few boulders. Heading through the slot was a lot of fun. On the back side there is a fixed rope which helps to descend the 7-8 metre cliff to the ground below. From here it was a relatively easy walk back to the saddle. In almost all my camp trips over the last 10 or so years its always been tradition to have a “mother” log for the fire. We kept our eyes peeled and eventually discovered a pretty decent sized one that looked like it might be possible to drag back to the campsite. Over the next 25 minutes we slogged it out carrying the log back to camp much to the delight of Brendan. They had already got the fire up and also been down to stash our cans of beer in the creek to cool them down.


Climbing over the boulders to reach "The Tunnel"

Going through the slot

Going through the slot

The Tunnel

Descending the fixed ropes on the far side of The Tunnel

Dragging the "Mother" back to the campsite

I fired up my Trangia for its first proper use and between that and Dad’s MSR stove we got an epic spaghetti meal prepared. I must give a special shout out to my awesome wife Jemma here, she cooked up a big batch of Bolognese the week before and I froze a few bricks to bring on the hike. The meal was absolutely delicious and washing it down with a cold beer made for possibly the best dinner I have had to date on a hike! After dinner we popped down to creek for a wash and to grab everyone’s second beer. The rest of the evening was thoroughly enjoyable chatting around the campfire and enjoying the delights of chocolate, muscat and whiskey.


A nice creek chilled beer

Pasta on the boil

Epic Meal Time

Muscat by the fire

Good conversation

Dad stoking the fire

Anton and I awoke before dawn to head down to the cliffs and watch the sunrise. It was a spectacular sight seeing the rays of light first in the clouds and then coming up over the horizon and lighting up the cliffs an incredible shade of orange. Once the show was over we returned to the tents and got the fire going. Breakfast was fantastic with some honey porridge and coffee. All in all it was a pretty lazy start to the morning around the fire and we didn’t set out until about 09:00. This was what the whole trip was for, the summit bid.


Sunrise over Talaterang Mountain

Sunrise over Talaterang and Pigeon House Mountains

Sunrise over Talaterang and Pigeon House mountains

The early morning sun creates a silhouette of Talaterang Mountain

We traversed around the back side of the tadpoles tail and stashed our packs at the bottom of Meakins Pass. There are fixed ropes all along the route up Meakins Pass which assist with the climb, it would be pretty difficult without them. The first few sections aren’t too bad and kind of ease you into it with gradually increased exposure as you go. The track notes referred to a dodgy old frayed rope which was to be avoided by back tracking and traversing across a ledge to the adjacent gully. Eventually we came across a dodgy old frayed rope but not knowing if it was “the” dodgy old frayed rope we decided to give it a go. Brendan lead the way and climbed up the rope. It was pretty intimidating as it was very exposed and easily the most technical part of the climb so far. We were all relying on the rope and It would have been a long fall if it decided to give way. The adrenalin was definitely pumping!


Lower sections of Meakins Pass

Dad and Anton taking a look at the climb ahead

Climbing up towards the infamous frayed rope

Climbing up towards the infamous frayed rope

Climbing up towards the infamous frayed rope

Relived to have the frayed rope behind us as we reach what could be called the ridge of the tadpole tail

After the frayed rope section it was relatively straight forward to reach the crest of the tail. The views really start to open up here. After some boulder hopping you reach the next fixed rope which is probably the longest one of the climb at about 15 metres. Once you finish this 15 metre rope you reach the final section of two fixed ropes. The first one is a straight forward climb but its wildly exposed with a drop over to your right that’s hundreds of metres down to the valley floor below. It was exhilarating! The final rope takes you up into a thin slot and once crested it’s a short boulder hop and your on the summit plateau.


Brendan climbing through one of the slots

Panorama from the ridge of the Tadpole Tail

Making our way along the ridge of the Tadpole Tail

Making our way along the ridge of the Tadpole Tail

Climbing the fixed ropes 

Climbing the fixed ropes



Climbing the fixed ropes

Wildly exposed final section of fixed ropes. Just behind it drops hundreds of metres to the valley floor below!

Wildly exposed final section of fixed ropes. just behind it drops hundreds of metres to the valley floor below!

Brendan on the final difficult slot before the summit plateau

We were all stoked to have reached the summit and began soaking up the views in every direction. The plateau was covered in hundreds of tiny rock pools following the recent rain. Each pool was full of tiny tadpoles which was pretty cool. We slowly made our way through the thick scrub towards the southern tip of the plateau where the logbook is. After some looking we eventually found the logbook and settled down to enjoy the spectacular views. You can see all the way to the ocean but the highlight has to be looking down upon Byangee Mountain and over to Pigeon House Mountain. We signed the logbook, got some photos and then with time getting away from us we decided to make a move.


Panorama of the Clyde Gorge, Shrouded Gods Mountain on the far left, Talaterang Mountain in the centre, Byangee Mountain & Pigeon House Mountain on the right

One of the hundreds of small rock pools on the summit plateau

Byangee Mountain with Pigeon House Mountain in the distance

Making our way through the thick scrub on the summit plateau

Making our way through the thick scrub on the summit plateau

The Summit Logbook

Our logbook entry 



Getting a nice Panorama of the Valley

Panorama looking south from the Summit Logbook

Team photo on the summit

Retracing our steps through the thick scrub we made our way back towards the tail so we could start the descent. The descent was a lot of fun and we soaked up the views as we made our way down the fixed ropes and through the slots. As we approached the infamous frayed rope we kept an eye out for the alternate route and to my delight we located it. It involved a few easy downclimbs followed by an easy but exposed traverse across a ledge to re-join the route that we had ascended. From here we made our way easily down the last few fixed ropes to the base of the pass where we collected our packs. The time was now 12:30pm and we still had a huge descent back to the car so we needed to get moving.


Tiny orange Lady Beetle (Coccinella transversalis)

Heading back through the scrub

Looking back down "The Tail"

Starting the descent

Enjoying the sites before starting the descent of the fixed ropes

The cliffs of Mount Nibelung

Anton descending the slot at the top of the fixed ropes

Dad descending the slot at the top of the fixed ropes

Anton on the exposed fixed ropes

Descending the exposed fixed ropes

Dad descending the fixed ropes

Brendan descending the fixed ropes 
On the ridge of the tail



Climbing down through the boulders

Climbing down through the boulders

Climbing down through the boulders

At the bottom of Meakins Pass

It was fairly hot and we made slow and steady progress down the technical trail. Despite being almost entirely downhill its still a tough hike given the difficult footing. It was a bit of a relief to get the traverse section done as it meant we only had the one final steep descent down the new stairs until we reached the Kalianna Ridge. The ridgewalking was nice as the track opens up here and its a lot less techy so we were able to get a nice rhythm going. A couple of kilometres from the finish we came across a mountain biker pushing his bike up the trail, he was having a blast but I have no idea why he had decided to tackle this particular trail on an MTB. The final section through the rainforest was nice and shaded and the cool water of the Yadboro River was refreshing. I walked the last few hundred metres back to the car barefoot and then set the pack down for the final time.


Descending down to Castle Saddle

Descending down to Castle Saddle

On the descent

Plenty of wildflowers to be seen

Another cool camp cave

Climbing some rocks on the descent

On the descent

On the descent

Traversing along the base of the cliffs

At the top of the Kalianna Ridge

Ferns in the rainforest section near the Yadboro River

It was an awesome adventure and a great first taste of the Budawangs. I am stoked that I was able to share the experience with Dad and some of my closest mates. I think that there are many more incredible sights to be seen in the Budawangs as you explore deeper into the wilderness and I definitely look forward to returning one day.


Team photo after getting back to the car

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