I’ve meaning to visit Wilkinson Hill for a while – the dramatic cliffs surrounding this hill can be seen from numerous lookouts, including Bald Head and Thor Head. Rather than heading out on my own, I take the opportunity to join an Upper Blue Mountains Bushwalking Club walk led by Bill Beck, which explores not just Wilkinson Hiill but the spectacular Jungaburra Ledges. Our group of nine bushwalkers sets out from Bells Line of Road, initially following a firetrail along Kamarah Ridge (a quick car shuffle means we can do this as one-way bushwalk – you could also return along the road or via Watertrough Hill, which would add about 2.5km.)
Named from the Aboriginal word for sleep, Kamarah Ridge runs from Bells Line of Road in a SSW direction to Kamarah Bluffs. The firetrail gradually becomes a bushwalking track, and after 1.6km we veer off down a spur that runs south to the Jungaburra Ledges above Jungaburra Brook.
The off-track descent along the spur is is quite gentle, and we soon reach a pagoda that offers a nice view over the Grose Gorge.
From here the descent gets a little steeper, but with minimal undergrowth to contend with, it’s fairly easy bushwalking by off-track standards!
Jungaburra Ledges
We’re soon approaching the series of ledges above Jungaburra Brook, which are near the base of the tall cliffs.
The Jungaburra Ledges – perhaps better described as a series of enormous overhangs carved into the base of the cliffs – offer a very level and easy route above Jungaburra Brook.
The overhangs get increasingly spectacular, with some views out over the valley below.
We emerge from the series of overhangs and follow the base of the cliffs, as we follow Jungaburra Brook upstream on its northern side.
We’re soon back under more impressive ledges.
On the opposite side of Jungaburra Brook – which is where we are heading – some climbers on the track and half-way up the vertical Jean Jaurès Wall gives you a sense of scale. There are over 174 climbing routes what is called the Bell Supercrag, many with challenging grades.
The route gradually descends to Jungaburra Brook, which is currently dry, and where have a short break. Along the sheltered brook are a number of flowering orchids. In contrast to the easy walking along the level Jungaburra Ledges, just below where we cross the creek there are a number of steep drops and chutes along what soon becomes Jungaburra Canyon.
The route we are taking crosses Jungaburra Brook and heads for the cliffs that tower above the creek on the southern side; looking across the valley we can see the long and deep ledge that we have just walked along.
The cliffs are equally high on both sides, and the view back up Jungaburra Brook shows the rugged nature of the valley above Jubgaburra Canyon.
We’re soon following another couple of immense overhangs above Jungaburra Brook; the cliffs continue all the way along the southern side of Wilkinson Hill.
Wilkinson Hill
A break in the cliff-line provides access up to Wilkinson Hill, and we’re soon at the first lookout. It provide provides a view over Jungaburra Brook to Kamarah Bluff.
It’s easy walking through low scrub as Bill expertly leads us along the southern edge of Wilkinson Hill, to visit a few lookouts at the top of the tall cliffs. The second lookout offers sweeping views straight down the Grose Gorge,
To the south is Thor Head and Dalpura Head, separated by the deep Grose Valley.
We head uphill, and the light scrub soon changes to open grassland; it’s an unusual landscape in the Greater Blue Mountains (Lockleys Pylon and Bald Hill have similar terrain).
We cross the western part of Wilkinson Hill towards our next lookout, enjoying some more views to the west toward Ikara Head and the Canyon Colliery (which operated intermittently between 1956 and 1997).
We’re soon at today’s third lookout; a small rock platform perched at the top of the cliffs near the middle of Wilkinson Hill. While the last two lookouts offer a fairly similar outlook, as we traverse the bottom of Wilkinson Hill we get a gradually differing perspective of the many “heads” of the Asgard plateau.
We head uphill again from the top of the cliffs, making our way further east across the very open landscape of Wilkinson Hill.
Our destination: The Corkscrew, as Bill calls it. I’ve no idea why.
There are some great views from the top of the improbably sculpted pagoda, with the cliffs stretching out to Dalpura Head, and the Birrabang Walls in the distance.
Next to the Corkscrew is a much larger pagoda – Lunchtime Pagoda – the top of which was intended as our lunch spot – except that today it’s way too windy.
This is arguably the most spectacular lookout: the panorama includes the entire Asgard Plateau directly ahead – Valhalla Head, Thor Head and Ikara Head – and Dalpura Head to the left, and the vast Grose Valley that stretches south to Burra Korrain Head.
To the east across Jinki Gully are the jagged pagodas and vertical cliffs at the end of Jinki Ridge, and to the south (on the other side of the Grose Valley) is the triangular-shaped Thor Head.
Following a leisurely lunch at the more protected base of Lunchtime Pagoda, we make our way up to a last lookout on the eastern side of Wilkinson Hill, before we head back towards Bells Line of Road. The summit is a little underwhelming: a small rock cairns marks the 980m peak, which was named after named after Charles Wilkinson (who led the Geological Survey established by the NSW Government in 1873).
A narrow but well-worn bushwalking track follows the ridge back towards Bells Line of Road. (You’d think from our lofty mountain summit it would be all downhill back to our cars, but the road is actually about a hundred metres higher in elevation.)
There’s a final twist to our itinerary: we veer off the track past a pagoda, towards the edge of the cliffs.
This last lookout is almost directly above the route we followed along the eastern side of Jungaburra Brook, and on the opposite side the narrow ledge at the base of the cliff where we can see a climber slowly making his way up the cliff face (if you look closely, you can see the small yellow dot half-way up the cliff).
From here we veer back to the established track, which ascends gently up the ridge.
There’s one last vantage point before a short but steep ascent.
We soon meet the Jinki Ridge track (which is well-worn, as it provides access to Dalpura Canyon), for the last kilometre back to our cars at Bells Line of Road.
It’s been a spectacular walk – thanks Bill – exploring not just the panoramic lookouts of Wilkinson Hill (which in itself would make a great half-day walk) but also the impressive Jungaburra Ledges.
Getting to Wilkinson Hill and the Jungaburra Ledges
Accessing the Jungaburra Ledges is best from a small parking area on the shoulder of Bells Line of Road 1.4km east of Bell, while to explore Wilkinson Hill you take the Jinki Ridge Track which starts 4km east of Bell. A 2.5km along Bells Line of Road or a car shuffle links the two trailheads. It’s a 24km (35min) drive from Lithgow and 50km (1 hour) drive from Richmond. Both trails have parking along the shoulder of the road.
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