Wolgan FallsBrian Fox

The breath-arresting view from the tip of a long narrow spur above the Wolgan River is great place to take first-time Gardens of Stone visitors. It has always amazed me that this spot has no name, so I decided to do something about it. An appropriate name was elusive, then fate intervened and delivered. The following describes a trip in November 2015.

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Despite the inclement weather forecast I decided to go ahead. Little did I know how hot and windy it would get. We left Sunnyside Ridge Road and descended a fire trail in a shady forest with beautiful flowers. The spur had a faint pad to a narrow ridge, and we scrambled up many stunning pagodas there.

Gorges and PagodasThe magnificent view included the sinuous Wolgan Loops and the wide, green expanse of the Wolgan Valley. This area has some of the best Gardens of Stone platy pagodas.

We continued down the ever narrowing spur to its terminal point, joined by a narrow uneven neck, singularly beautiful in this area of scenic grandeur. The flat rocky platform was about eight metres wide, with sheer sides dropping into the Wolgan Gorge. The fourth side plunged to a razor-like 10 metre long spine connecting to a huge isolated pagoda towering over the gorge. We could hear but not see the falls; their top was about 20 metres below us. There were spectacular yellow, orange and grey sandstone canyon walls, a sea of sculptured pagodas, and a grand view of the Wolgan Valley.

Honouring Richard GreenI’d been thinking about this place for several weeks, and came here today to name it. Four months ago, I was here with Richard Green, an extraordinary photographer and staunch environmentalist. Richard used his helicopter to photograph remote Australian wilderness. He had been taken by the beauty of the Gardens of Stone and offered to help protect this region, becoming an Invited Photographer for the Gardens of Stone: In Focus Photographic Competition. He chose this location to feature in his photographs, flying over this area and later joining us for a walk down the spur. His photographs are

View from the first pagodaYuri Bolotin

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spectacular, and the small size of the one in this article (below) does not do it justice.

On 7 November 2015, less then two weeks before this walk, Richard Green, his wife Carolyn and film-maker John Davis tragically died when their helicopter crashed on a flight from Liverpool Plains, where they were making a film to help stop the Shenhua coal mine. I was, and still am, shaken beyond words by his death.

To honour Richard’s extraordinary photography and contribution to the protection of the environment, I named this stunning place Point Green. The narrow, pagoda-studded spur that leads to it from Sunnyside Ridge Road is now Greens Spur. We had a small ceremony.

Stunning WaterfallsOnce down we left our packs at the bottom of the descent and walked to an area below Point Green, above Wolgan Falls, We returned to our descent point, a crack in the cliff, where a 15 metre tape just reached the bottom. Once down we left our packs

and walked to an area below Point Green, above Wolgan Falls. The view of the falls and the valley from here is phenomenal. We were about 40 metres above the top of the falls and about 100 metres above the valley floor. The edge of the viewing platform is sheer, so extreme care was exercised not to be tempted to lean out and see more.

With packs, we went on a wide ledge under cliffs that provided much needed protection from the sun. After a hundred metres, I decided to move to a ledge above us. This short scramble paid off quickly, when we came to a great overhang that featured some 150 metres of continuous high orange, white and brown cliffs on one side, expansive views into the valley on another side, and many interesting erosion residuals littering the crumbly floor.

We descended into the gorge and walked towards the base of Wolgan Falls in a green and pleasant valley. Several enormous Brown

Wolgan GorgeRichard Green

Above Wolgan FallsJohn Fox

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Barrel Gums were encountered, with one over two metres wide at the base. This valley was too inaccessible for logging.

As expected, there was a big drop, only 250 metres away from the Wolgan Falls. Progress was slowed by tiredness, the heat, enormous boulders, scrub, fallen timber, and thick ferns.

Eventually, we reached a landslide that had a really good view of the falls, but the heat and blinding light from the white rocks kept us moving quickly towards the water. The sight and the sound of cool spray so close within our reach promised paradise to our hot and tired bodies.

Wolgan Falls are at least 40 metres high and up to 20 metres wide, with plenty of water. They’re a great sight at any time, but today the fine cool spray and the waist deep cold pool were simply irresistible.

Lunch was in the deep shade of giant boulders. With a lot of yelling and laughter, one by one, everyone went under the falling torrents. Well, nearly everyone, as some had to be encouraged into submersion.

A challengeWhilst we were enjoying the rest, shade and swimming, I considered our next step – getting back. It was rather challenging. We were at the lowest point of our route and furthest from the cars. The shortest distance would be to retrace our steps. It had been very physically demanding in the heat going downhill, and with even higher temperatures than expected, it would be a lot harder going up.

Alternatively, if we climbed 150 metres up the southern cliffs and walked 600 metres, there would be trails to the start. It was longer but it should be faster and safer than retracing our steps.

Within minutes of leaving the cool shade of the waterfall we were scrambling up a very steep and unstable slope towards the first line of cliffs. The bare rock reflected the intense heat, but even worse was the 45 kph wind that desiccated our bodies. When level with the top of the falls, we paused for a drink, then up and up we went, reaching the base of the first cliff. It was hot.

Several people were unwell; a few of them threw up. The intention was to find the best way through the cliffs. This was a new area for me, and was not easy. It helped knowing that this route is possible: Geoff Fox was here a week ago.

Jafar and Lucy under the fallsYuri Bolotin

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Magic secret routesWe came to a slot that looked doable. I was relieved to see that the ledge allowed us to break through the first cliffs, emerging on a dry slope leading to the second and last cliffs.

Suddenly, I noticed a hole in the rock. Geoff had mentioned going through a hole, and we headed towards it. This was the magic way up. A couple of scrambles, and the entire group made it to the top! We had another drink whilst taking in the fantastic panorama of the Wolgan Loops and Greens Spur.

The sun and wind were now merciless, preventing us from fully enjoying the view, and we moved up a spur with dense scrub and occasional pagodas. Frequent drink stops were needed. We came upon a very old fire trail and used it to walk to Fire Trail No. 5, which I was very relieved to see: at least the navigation would be easy.

The trail was followed down through the Spanish Steps, which have been utterly desecrated by 4WDs and trail bikes. Rubbish, car parts, an abandoned and burnt vehicle, and a deeply eroded track were the sad features of a formerly spectacular place.

Greens Spur and Point Green, the prominent spur with the block at the end.Yuri Bolotin

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