A scrubby Wollemi adventure into the remote Pomany Range

This walk led by Bernard into the remote and less-explored north-west section of the Wollemi National Park had some grand aspirations, as we follow the footsteps (or perhaps cow-prints) of 19th century bushrangers and cattle rustlers. Unfortunately, some of those aspirations were rudely thwarted by the ridges which had other ideas, offering a wall of unyielding scrub that punished every step, turning progress into a slow, scratch‑laden battle of attrition.

Along the East Nullo Trail

But… the scrub comes later. Initially it’s a pleasant but long trek along the East Nullo Trail (originally called the East Trail) which formed part of a network of pastoral, stock-movement routes before becoming a fire-management trail.

Access to the Pomany Range requires a 9km walk along the old road, which passes through some majestic stands of eucalypt trees. A couple of steep sections test the legs as the trail follows the edge of a large farm, before ascending to the top of Nullo Mountain plateau.

There are soon tantalising glimpses from the trail to the east.

The views keep getting more impressive until we reach Wallaby Rocks, a spectacular vantage point that offers sweeping views over the north-western Wollemi National Park. Or as David Noble eloquently put it: “To the west of the [Widden] valley lies the Bylong Labyrinth – a virtually untouched landscape of deep cliff lined gorges, canyons and complex pagoda ridges. To the south and east lies the core of the Colo – Hunter Wilderness – the largest remaining wilderness in the state.”

Looking east is the vast Wollemi National Park, with the Widden Valley below and many tall peaks including Mount Monundilla, Mount Coriaday and Mount Baker in the distance. European pastoral expansion reached this area in the 1830s; John Tindale first took up a lease in the Widden Valley, and in 1843 he leased it to John Lee who linked the Widden pastures with his holdings in the Bylong Valley.

To the south is the Widden Valley again, flanked by dramatic limestone and basalt cliffs – it’s approximately 40 kilometres in length – and more Wollemi peaks, including the remote and prominent and Mount Coricudgy.

A couple of kilometres after Wallaby Rocks, our route leaves the East Nullo Trail as it follows the Hool ‘Em Boy track.

Hool ‘Em Boy track

There is no longer any trace of the Hool ‘Em Boy Track, which was an old cattle droving route along the Pomany Range that extended from Nullo Mountain to Mount Cox and then into the Widden Valley. The unusual name is derived from Australian slang for rounding up stock – “Hool em up!” Legend has it that as well as legitimate movement of cattle, this route was also used by cattle rustlers or duffers, with stories of cattle mysteriously disappearing from the Mudgee-Rylstone area. Weeks or months later the cattle would turn up with different brands at the Singleton saleyards, 60km away.

The terrain soon transitions from very pleasant open forest to horribly thick vegetation, which we push through following the route of the now non-existent bridle trail. The ridge has become gradually more overgrown as a result of a series of bushfires followed by some wet years. A trip led by Michael Keats in 2011 reported:

The old track is now very indistinct. There are lots of fallen trees and small shrubs are starting to take over. At various places there is remaining evidence where some effort has been made to edge the track and to make creek crossings level.

Sydney Bushwalkers Newsletter, September 2011

A few years later, similar track conditions were documented:

“Once a made path, it is rapidly becoming obliterated by erosion and fallen timber. It is only the prolonged dry period of some ten years that the track is still discernible as is.

The Bush Club trip report from March 2014

Although the scrub is fairly persistent for the rest of the bushwalk, occasional sections of more open country offer a fleeting taste of what the landscape would have been like a few decades ago.

Between Nullo Mountain and the Pomany Range is a deep saddle; there are remnants of the old cattleman’s track which descends steeply down to the saddle. Known as Hool ‘Em Boy Gap, the saddle is between Emu Creek to the west and Hool ‘Em Boy Creek to the west.

The precarious track’s most trying and dangerous portion was the Hool ‘Em Boy [Gap]. The Hool ‘Em Boy track dropped suddenly over a distance of 200 hundred meters from Nullo Mountain and into a geographic saddle of treacherous loose stones which challenged the best of horses to keep their feet. So steep is the pass that a steel scoop like apparatus was used to transfer more weighty items into the gully with the horses tied behind it to prevent it from hurtling unchecked into the valley.

European History of Mount Pomany

Hool ‘Em Boy Gap is also the only spot with reliable water along our entire route – a recurring theme across all trip reports in the Pomany Range is the challenge of finding water in this area, with multiple parties finding only brown puddles or dry creek beds. Old maps show two wells and a seep at Mount Pomany, but these have either dried or can no longer be found. We drop our packs and descend to Hool ‘Em Boy Creek, where to our relief we find a trickle of water (at GR 246327 6379155).

Stashing water here for our return trip, we re-shoulder our heavy packs as we continue from Hool ‘Em Boy Gap over The Causeway – a narrow land-bridge which connects the Nullo Mountain massif with Mount Cox and the Pomany Ridge System.

The route soon ascends steeply again, and as we push through more thick undergrowth and negotiate minor cliff lines, we wonder again at how this once was a cattle track… maybe the cows were built different back then…

Then, as I climbed out of the amazing saddle between Mount Cox and Nullo, I met a chap on horseback, heading outwards to Pomany with two dogs and about ten head of cattle. We exchange the usual pleasantries, and he put the usual question “What are you looking for out there?”

It’s awkward one to answer, so I simply said I thought Pomany and its surrounds were among the most attractive parts of the Northern Blue Mountains. He nodded speculatively, and replied “there’s some nice country further out… we used to have a track about 4 or 5 miles past Ponany.

Nice Country… Farther Out (SBW trip report)

(We’re not the only people with these quesions on our minds: Dick Whittington in his 2001 Mount Pomany trip report wrote: “In the morning we once again relocated the track and began to follow it back to Nullo Mountain, experiencing navigational difficulties upon losing it. This caused me to think about the local farmers driving their cattle through this country which we bushwalkers, perhaps consider to be remote and difficult to access)”.

As we ascend there are some nice views of the setting sun lighting up the cliffs above Hool ‘Em Boy Creek to the east.

We’re finally scrambling up the steep and (at least to our untrained eyes) not very Cow-Friendly Terrain to reach the southern end of the Pomany Range. The plan was to continue another few kilometres towards Mount Pomany, but after many hours of scrub-bashing with heavy packs, we collectively decide to set-up camp at the first relatively flat spot we can find.

Pomany Range and the Unnamed Spur

We’re up bright and early on Day 2, and looking forward to carrying day packs only as we continue our journey along the Pomany Range, which separates the watersheds of Emu Creek to the east and Widden Brook to the west. Any hopes of easy ridge-walking are quickly dashed, as we start pushing our way through dense undergrowth.

Ahead of us to the north is Mount Pomany (1102m), the highest point and most conspicuous peak along the ridge – and today’s destination. It was named in the 1820s and first mapped by surveyor Peter Ogilvie in 1833, but there is no information on the origin and provenance of the word “Pomany”.

As we sidle around the eastern side of Mount Cox, there’s a glimpse of Mount Monundilla in the distance and the Widden Valley below. (While we expected – or perhaps hoped – that the ridge walking would be fairly easy, it turns out the eastern slope of Mount Cox is one of the least scrubbiest sections.)

On the northern side of Mount Cox we encounter a rock cairn, possibly constructed by the cattle rustlers “as a route marker to Mount Pomany and Mount Cox where there was feed and water for their stolen stock” (European History of Mount Pomany)

There a few patches of more open terrain, and more views of the imposing Mount Pomany ahead of us.

Just before reaching the saddle below Mount Pomany, we make the decision that the relatively slow progress along the Pomany Range means we’ve run out of time (and energy!) to reach the top of the mountain. Instead, we make a detour down one of the many unexplored spurs off the main ridge in search of some views over the rugged terrain.

The spur offers a great view of Mount Cox (1090m), named after Daniel Cox who came from England as a convict and purchased two portions of land on Nullo Mountain.

Halfway along the spur, we stop at the top of a rocky outcrop for lunch.

It’s probably not as good a vantage point as Mount Pomany – but it offers sweeping views towards Emu Creek and over the north-western Wollemi. And we’ve now got a reason to come back with extra-thick gaiters for another attempt of the highest peak of the Pomany Range…

Back to Nullo Mountain

We get back to our Pomany Range Camp a couple of hours before sunset, with just enough time to pack up and descend to Hool ‘Em Boy Gap before it gets dark.

Our third day is relatively easy, as we replenish our water and head back through the scrub to Nullo Mountain.

It’s a relief to reach the open grassland of Nullo Mountain, where we enjoy morning tea under the shade of the tall eucalyptus trees.

As we commence our fire-trail bash back to the cars, a last look over the Widden Valley from Wallaby Rocks provides inspiration for a return bushwalk in this spectacular area!

Getting to the Pomany Range

The Nullo East Trail off Nullo Mountain Road as described here is the most straightforward route to Mount Pomany and the Pomany Range – although it involves about 7km of fire-trail walking and then a traverse of the saddle (Hool ‘Em Boy Gap) that divides Nullo Mountain and the Pomany massif. It’s about 35km drive (35-40min) via Narrango Rd and Nullo Mountain Rd or Coxs Mountain Road to Rylstone to the start of the Nullo East Trail.

Alternatively, you can access Mount Pomany from the Widden Valley – however, all these routes start on private property and require landholder approval.

More information

• Michael Keats OAM, Brian Fox and Yuri Bolotin – European History of Mount Pomany
• David Noble – Widden Valley Area
• SUBW – A Blunder In The Stockade
• Sydney Bush Walkers Club (SBW) trip reports
  • Jim Brown – At last – Mount Pomany (October 1969)
  • Jim Brown – Nice Country… Farther Out (December 1971)
  • Dot Butler – Laughter with your Disaster (December 1978)
  • Dick Whittington – Mount Pomany (November 2001)
  • Michael Keats – The lure of Mount Pomany & Widden Valley (September 2011)