An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

Summary: An off-track route in Wollemi National Park from the Long Ridge Trail. The loop explores some remote gullies as it follows the base of three cliff-lines.

Trailhead: Long Ridge Trail off Mountain Lagoon Road (permission required)
Distance: 8.2km
Duration: 4-6 hours
Grade: Moderate
340m total ascent
Route type: Loop
Best season/s: All year
Topographic map/s: 9031-3S MOUNTAIN LAGOON (1:25K). Buy / Download
Online map: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/wollemi-long-ridge-gpx-6b9bb05?u=m
No Dogs
No mountain bikes

This is another off-track “exploratory” bushwalk in the Wollemi with Yuri, this time along an unnamed ridge off Long Ridge and down into some gullies. We set off from near the middle of the Long Ridge Trail, a firetrail which crosses a few private propertes (access was organised by Yuri) towards the highest point along the ridge, shown on the topo mark as a 538m spot height.

AWAT6909 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6912 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

As well as many flannel flowers, the ridge has a number of what I think are Australian Daisies [I’ve subsequently been advised it’s an Olearia, possibly Olearia tomentosa] – a diverse family which has 20,000 species worldwide, and almost 1,000 species indigenous to Australia, with most unknown in cultivation.

AWAT6913 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

From here we soon descend the westerm side of the ridge, dropping through some rocky ledges.

AWAT6917 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6919 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6920 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

It’s a steep but relatively easy descent and we soon reach the head of a small creek, which is a tributary of Tootie Creek.

AWAT6927 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6932 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

We descend about 200m to reach the base of the first of three cliffs; we will follow the base of the cliff line, before looping back up to the cars.

AWAT6947 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6950 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

There’s a bit of bush-bashng through more dense scrub, as we cross a small gully between the first set of cliffs, and the second.

AWAT6952 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6955 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

The next cliff-line is more interesting, with rocks towering high above.

AWAT6958 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6965 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

There are lots of caves and shelters which we explore as we make our way slowly along the base of the cliff-line.

AWAT6966 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6973 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6980 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

Hoping to avoid some of the thicker scrub below the cliffs, we take a fairly high route… until we reach a vertical drop of over 20m…

AWAT6979 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6987 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

…the only option is to back-track until we can fnd a safe route to drop further down.

AWAT6990 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT6993 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

Unfortunately this means we need to battle the thick undergrowth in the gully between the second and third cliff-lines. It looks a bit like a scene out of Jurassic Park – but intead of dinosaurs lurking in the ferns, it’s an assortment of stinging nettles and hidden logs determined to thwart our progress.

AWAT6999 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT7003 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT7004 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT7010 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

We finally make it through to the next cliff-line.

AWAT7015 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

It’s relatively easy again from here, with almost no undergrowth at the base of this cliff-line.

AWAT7018 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

After a brief lunch stop, we make good progress along the base of these towering cliffs.

AWAT7031 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT7027 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

At the end of the cliff-line, Yuri finds a viable route back up to the top of the cliffs.

AWAT7046 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT7040 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT7042 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

A steep-ish climb takes up back to the top of the ridge, traversing a few fields of flannel flowers, to complete the loop.

AWAT7048 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT7052 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

AWAT7056 LR An off-track loop from the Long Ridge Trail in the Wollemi

We finish around 3pm, giving me just enough time to visit the Charles Trig station and the Emu Cave (which has hundreds of Aboriginal rock carvings of emu prints carved into the wall) before heading back into Sydney.