Monolith Valley from Shrouded Gods Mountain

Text and photosBernie Quirke

I acknowledge the Budawang people of the Yuin nation, traditional owners and custodians of the land we walked.

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Day 2: Upper Broula Brook to Mount Cole overhangs, 11 km, 7 hrsWe climbed back up onto the Corang Plateau then down to Canowie Brook and were on the well-trodden track. Such had been the dry recent months that usual water sources were reduced to trickles so we picked up a few spare litres from the pools at Burrumbeet Brook and pressed on up the valley towards Bibbenluke Saddle. As it turned out the additional water wasn’t necessary as pools persisted at both the campsite beside the Corang River (419939) and at Viney Creek (430927). Very recent track work provided an easy passage and we arrived at the base of north-west cliffs of Mount Cole in the early afternoon. We dropped packs and went south-west for water at Viney Creek then returned and continued to the most north-east of the overhangs (434930) for a leisurely evening. A colourful sunset ensued and, later, a surprising burst of hail.

Day 3: Mount Cole, Shrouded Gods Mountain, Cooyoyo Creek, 5.5 km, 4.5 hrsNext morning we were greeted with blue sky, light winds and good visibility, ideal for an assault on Shrouded Gods Mountain.

From our Mount Cole overhang campsite it’s a delightful walk up and down, into narrow gaps, below towering rock faces, with remnant beech, mosses and ferns, to break out into the open and confront the Seven Gods, then plunge down into the Green Room and Monolith Valley. A short distance further on we reached the point from which to attack Shrouded Gods Mountain (445921), dropped packs, stuffed the necessities into daypacks and headed for the east-west gully that provides access.

The route into the gully is marked with cairns. As you enter the gully the sheer wall of Shrouded Gods is on your left. Keep to the

Route into Monolith Valley

Route into Monolith Valley

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south (right) side and look for a near-vertical cleft on the right that had a black knotted rope when we were there – such fun! It’s a simple climb with a couple of rest points. From the top of the cleft, edge around to the left, then keep climbing. When possible, cross to the other side of the east-west gully. Now the route leads back along the side of Shrouded Gods and begins climbing again until the plateau is gained. Compared to The Castle it’s an easier climb with much less exposure. The views, however, are at least as spectacular.

After exploring the immediate area, we descended, collected packs and continued through Nibelung Pass and down to the Cooyoyo campsite. As it was the beginning of the school holidays, we expected a good number of bushwalkers and 13 of us shared a modest campfire, trip information and a few tall stories. A Dad and 11-year-old were planning on tackling The Castle the next morning and I wondered how they would go. Silly me! They passed us half way up, the 11-year-old scuttling up a rock face with the confidence of a spider.

Seven Gods

Cleft to Shrouded Gods Mountain

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Day 4: Cooyoyo Creek, The Castle, Mount Owen, Mount Cole overhangs, 8 km, 9 hrsThe route onto The Castle was first documented in 1948 and remains a challenging undertaking. Although The Castle can be climbed without ropes, one section near the top is very exposed and a rope is certainly useful. On this trip we saw ropes had been secured by others in at least six places. Take note, however, of the sign at the base of the climb warning that the ropes are not maintained by NPWS and should not be relied upon.

The start of The Castle climb

Pigeon House and Byangee Walls from Cooyoyo Lookout

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Having attained the summit, a stroll to the south end was well rewarded with the view of Byangee Walls stretching out to the very distinctive Balgan aka Pigeon House or Didthul. My understanding is that Balgan is the Budawang people’s name for the mountain named by James Cook as Pigeon House. Didthul is the Murramarang people’s name. Both mobs are of the Yuin nation.

Climbing back down and returning to Castle Saddle, we retrieved our packs and headed back into Monolith Valley. We had a choice of retracing our steps to the overhangs or taking the shorter route up over Mount Owen. I’d climbed Mount Owen as a day trip, but with a full pack and more than a few years older, this time it proved to be a challenge. Shorter doesn’t always equal easier.

We lunched at a creek (442922), topped up our water then started the first climb. I’d forgotten this bit – straight up! With lots of hand and foot holds, this climb was quickly done but, with full packs, required some determined effort. Heading west but, with a lot

Pigeon House and Byangee Walls from the south end of The Castle

Exposed section climbing The Castle

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Mount Cole overhang

of scrambling up and down and surrounded by towering walls, it’s easy to become disorientated. Memory, aided by frequent cairns, brought us to the second climb.

A fallen tree made the climb more difficult but we squeezed our packs through the tangle of branches and continued up to a wide ledge that led to the third and biggest ascent. The steeply sloping gully ended in a final five metre rock face that can be climbed directly or skirted on the right. Hot and wet, we enjoyed the breeze, snapped the classic

Monolith Valley panorama, then set off across the Mount Owen Plateau. With cairns in almost every direction, the route becomes confused but we just headed west to the well cairned descent point into the gap between Mounts Owen and Cole.

With full packs the route up Mount Owen was challenging enough, but the bouldering coming out of the gap was tedious indeed. We were glad to see the first overhang (429926) unoccupied, unlike the group of four that arrived in the dark later that night.

Monolith Valley from Mount Owen

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Day 6: Corang River to Wog Wog, 10 km, 5 hoursA part of the usual track back to Wog Wog crosses private land, but until recently this hasn’t been an issue. Sadly, the current owners are enforcing their rights, so after crossing Broula Brook, we headed off track to skirt the boundary, rejoining the track near Goodsell Creek.

Back at the Wog Wog campground we talked through the high points of the trip, congratulated ourselves on summiting Shrouded Gods, The Castle and Mount Owen, put names to the many wildflowers we’d photographed and, of course, started planning the next Budawangs adventure.

Map references are GPS recorded by the author, UTM/WGS84.

After returning to bushwalking in 2006, having allowed work and life to intervene, Bernie has walked over 6000 kilometres in Australia and New Zealand, averaging more than a month of overnight walks each year. He has a preference for multi-day, off-track, remote walking.

Bernie in New Zealand on Sunset Peak with Fohn Lake below

Chloanthes parviflora

Thelymitra ixioides

Blandfordia nobilis

Caladenia fuscata

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