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Wollemi National Park- Cliffs, Slots and Pagodas around

Barton Slot including the Chimera Slots and Centaur Rocks and Slot

Thursday 24th March 2016- Track Notes Short title Cliffs, Slots and Pagodas around Barton Slot

Date Thursday 24th March 2016 Leader Yuri Bolotin Maps, etc. Department of Lands Ben Bullen topographic map, 8931–4S, 1:25000,

second edition, WGS 84. Walk description and route

Park at GR 394 200 on Wolgan Road. Climb up on the ridge at GR 394 206 that leads to Barton Slot and the spectacular pagoda country beyond that will be explored as part of this walk. Note, this walk is for the adventure lovers only, as the route may prove to be impossible. About 3-9km. Exploratory.

Rating 6, M, LTW, S333E Gear issues Have clothes to change into in the car for afterwards. 2 litres of water. GPS,

PLB, appropriate head and footwear, electrolytes, maps, compass. Numbers 2 places left Meeting point

Pymble 0545, McDonalds carpark Richmond 0640, Lithgow Salud Coffee 0800, Wolgan Road 0820

Transport Club cars. Comments Scrambling, exposure. Close of Bookings

ASAP

Enquiries Yuri Bolotin, yuribolotin@gmail.com; 0413 715 943 Michael Keats, mjmkeats@easy.com.u, 9144 2096

The Party Yuri Bolotin, leader, Brian Fox, Geoff Fox, Michael Keats, Berenice Torstensson, Harold Thompson, Shelia Zarman, Lucy Morris, members and Allie Fenton, guest. 9.

The Weather A glorious autumn day, brilliantly sunny with some high cloud in the morning. Temperature range 15 to 27 degrees.

Background Notes Barton Slot is located above the cliff line 1.5km north west of the Wolgan Road and Emirates intersection. This slot the about 200m long. In places it is 70m deep and varies in width from 50cm to 2m. Having a general gradient of 30 degrees except where a drop of 6m would entail a rope descent. Named on a Bush Club walk 28th August 2015 by Brian Fox, Yuri Bolotin and Michael Keats as it is located on one of the tributary creeks of Barton Creek. Ben Bullen Topo Map 391 216.

Warning This walk crosses private property. Permission to enter must be obtained in advance.

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Trace of the walk overlaid on a topographic map. Recorded and prepared by Geoff Fox.

Track Notes There is something magnetic (or is it hypnotic?) about the jagged cliff skylines of the Gardens of Stone – Wollemi National Parks area. Indeed, Surveyor Robert Hoddle in a letter to the Colonial Secretary dated 4th November 1823 described such cliff lines in purple prose. “The appearance of the rocks was irregular and romantick (sic) and had the appearance of a Castle and Town in ruins.” The northern profile of the Wolgan Valley skyline is a superb example of this natural art form. The desire to explore these stunning skylines has inspired walks by Yuri, Brian and I ever since we first sighted them. Whilst we have been atop many there are hundreds more to visit. Arranging access is a major consideration. We are fortunate to now have many friends who have properties that adjoin the various national parks and who give us permission to cross their lands.

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Plot of the walk overlaid on an aerial photograph. The Chimera Slots and passage way are in the lower centre section. Chimera Point is the collective name for the southern edge of the cliff line. Centaur Rocks and Centaur Slot are in the top left hand part of the trace. Barton Slot appears as a black line on the centre right. The GPS would not record. Trace recorded Brian Fox, prepared by Yuri Bolotin. Yuri put this walk proposal together after the discovery of the Barton Slot in August 2015. In many respects the walk as proposed was a gamble. Finding a way through such wild terrain with challenging cliff lines is not easy no matter how much research you do. The vehicles were parked at 0850 on the Wolgan Road at GR 393 201. The briefing was deferred until we reached the banks of Barton Creek, GR 393 202. Here it was less noisy and also safe from passing traffic. The aerial photos showed a level of plateau dissection that augured well for lots of exciting discoveries, if of course we could get there. The walk could be over if there was no possible way of route. Several decaying fence lines were crossed as we made our way up a narrow rocky spur. Pauses were made at GR 392 207 and again at GR 391 209 on a steady but continuous climb through dry open forest. By 0935 we had reached the base of the first major cliff line. A broad shallow ravine to the west promised a way forward and upward. It exceeded our wildest aspirations being easy although steep in sections. By 0945 we had reached GR 389 212 and were positioned above the first major cliff line. Towering above and slightly to the north was a massive overhang, GR 390 212. We headed up to it to find the sandy floor covered with a range of animal and bird foot prints. This is a busy traffic area.

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The blind end of the main Chimera Slot. Photo: Geoff Fox. On the same level as the cave floor, a level pad headed north around the cliff base and into a broad multi walled amphitheatre. We were now at the base of the final cliff line. Ferns of all stripes now covered the understorey, Huge Eucalypts provided the tree canopy. The bio diversity suddenly increased and where moisture was available the cliff walls were covered in epiphytes including the orchid Liparis reflexa, its pale yellow flowers almost lost amongst its lush green leaves. Rounding a corner we entered the first of many, many slots. Walking into it water loving ferns predominated. The walls became higher and closer together. For much of its 80m

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In one of the Chimera passageways. Photo: Geoff Fox. length it was dark and mysterious. Slight bulges in the 40m high cliff walls cast internal shadows enhancing the feeling of entering the underworld. We were rapt. This was special. Not so good was the fact that the slot terminated quite abruptly. There was no possibility of negotiating a way up. Fortunately we had noticed a small narrow slot at GR 390 213 as we rounded the corner. This narrow slot was our saviour. It took us all the way to the top of the plateau. More than that it led to a series of inter connected passageways and slots.

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Brian Fox at the south west corner of Chimera Point. Photo: Geoff Fox.

In one of the Chimera Passages. Photo: Yuri Bolotin.

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There were stunning internal views and even more remarkable, framed views through slots into the Wolgan Valley. This is a playground from a bushwalkers dream. The pass up, the passageways and more discovered later were named by Yuri as the Chimera Slots and Passageways.1 Experiencing a complete mental overload of wonders in such close proximity time just flew by. So it was at 1012, GR 389 212 when we finally hauled ourselves up onto the cliff edge and thought about morning tea. The Wolgan Valley views were beguiling as well. Somehow 12 minutes just disappeared. Threading our way through the terrain was like playing 3 dimensional chess, complicated, exciting, adrenalin rushing and mentally stimulating. Whilst we could not get onto the outlying orphan rocks, Brian did get close. I have named this amazing point Chimera Point, GR 387 212. Interestingly we were positioned to view Donkey Mountain so that the western end almost looked like a cardboard cut- out. You could almost see behind the individual spires. Slowly we made our way generally north but always as close to the cliff edge as possible; we did not want to miss a thing.

In one of the Chimera Slots. Left to right Harold, Geoff, Michael and Brian. Photo: Yuri Bolotin. At 1058 the cliff edge was now to the west rather than the south and the view west was across the unnamed creek that flows into Barton Creek through Penrose. The great collection of pagodas in this area includes a major deep slot. On top the erosion of the pagodas has reached an advanced stage with the contorted ironstone forming fantastical shapes. One such shape is of a large horse shoe. In keeping with the mythical creatures denominated in this area, Yuri named the area Centaur Rocks and the slot canyon below as Centaur Slot.

1 There are four Chimera Slots, two provide two way access to the plateau. The passage ways contain internal doglegs and a ‘room.’

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On a cliff edge pagoda there is a cairn of rocks, GR 38600 21264. Brian went and investigated these. The cairn turned out to be a special piece of history. Set out below is a summary of Brian’s research.

“The Cairn of rocks and the very old section of the remaining post, was part of a 640ac Mineral Lease (ML). The post and cairn was on the south west corner of this ML. Mark E Hudson mining surveyor placed this corner post as part of a 640ac Mineral Lease on the 11th September 1908. The survey plan shows placed on rock at point 'D' on the plan Ignatius Wall had applied for a Mineral Lease for the purposes of exploring for Coal and Shale on the 24th April 1906 (yes it was 2 years later before the official survey was completed) Wall's lease was cancelled 2nd June 1909. Ref: Plan of Portion MP 29, Parish of Gindantherie County of Cook. Survey Plan S 1879. The book, Passes of Narrow Neck, Keats, Michael and Fox, Brian Kenneth, p. 71, records, Ignatius Wall and his brothers Damian and William had taken out an ML on Narrow Neck in June 1889.”

An original mining lease peg. Photo: Brian Fox.

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Allie above Centaur Slot. Photo: Yuri Bolotin.

The Centaur’s ‘horse shoe’, Centaur Rocks. Photo: Yuri Bolotin

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Above Centaur Slot. Photo: Harold Thompson.

Michael and Allie in Barton Slot. Photo: Geoff Fox. Whilst Brian was busy examining the survey marker, our eyes turned north where a blip on the horizon proved to be Mount Dawson, less than three kilometres away. Much time was spent investigating the Centaur Rocks and Centaur Slot. Not unexpectedly there was loose talk about whether it was possible to descend into the valley… Leaving this area a course was set north east and then east as we made our way to the top of Barton Slot. The plateau country is a mix of discrete areas of low heath and scrubby dry

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sclerophyll forest. The reason for the circuitous route is the complex drainage network of the waterways that include Barton Slot.

In Barton Slot. Photo: Geoff Fox. At 1237 we arrived above Barton Slot, GR 391 216. A familiar spot, we had been here for lunch in August 2015 when our visit was by climbing via a more easterly spur from the Corn Paddock. Whilst hunger got the better of most our us, Yuri was keen to discover whether we could use Barton Slot as a short cut back to our ascent point. Now in this country anything is possible. Yuri returned triumphant, ‘yes there was a way’. ‘And by the way I disturbed a rather large Tiger snake in the slot’.

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Unperturbed, we happily set off after lunch descending into the amazing miracle that is Barton Slot. It shows on the aerial photos as a perfectly straight black line trending NNW. It is a wonder. The fact that about half way along it there is an easy grade walking access route to the west is even more remarkable. This junction is at GR 391 213.

Descending via one of the Chimera Slots. Photo: Yuri Bolotin. The journey back to our ascent point was truly remarkable, the area is so richly endowed with pagodas, slots, sculptural forms means that we will have to return. There is so much more to see than can be done in a day. Crossing a creek a deep pool of water was found, GR 390 215. From above it is protected by an overhang. It is deep and possible permanent. An Eastern Water Dragon, Physignathus lesueurii was sunning itself on a semi submerged log. as we progressed south it was a succession of ridges, slots, pagodas and interconnecting rocky platforms all the way to GR 388 213. It was along here that we discovered another descent route and in consulting the map realised that the Chimera Slots include two that are

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negotiable and two that are just fantastic to visit. A secondary bifurcation in the northern most slot had us absolutely entranced. It is so narrow and so deep that it would take an exceptionally high resolution aerial photograph to show it. The estimate length is 40m, the width 50cm. The best GR at the entrance is GR 389 213. Inside the passage the GPS signal just tied itself in knots. It was now 1400. Before we commenced the descent we had a quick look around the vast cliff lined amphitheatre. There are at least two major complex waterways apart from the Barton Slot that we did not visit. There are also an untold number of other areas to the north that need to be explored. The descent started at GR 390 212 at 1413. The vehicles were reached at 1506. Total distance walked 9km. total ascents 600m.

Table of Times, Locations and Grid References

Time Location Grid Reference

0850 Wolgan Road GR 393 201

0854 Barton Creek GR 393 202

0900 Climbing dry spur GR 393 207

0920 Climbing dry spur GR 391 209

0935 Base of cliff line GR 390 211

0945 Ravine walking/ scrambling GR 389 212

0952 Big overhang GR 390 210

0955 Possible slot up GR 390 213

0957 Enter 80m long slot ( one of the Chimera Slots) GR 389 212

1012 Morning tea GR 389 212

1036 Exploring the Chimera Passages GR 389 212

1051 Cliff edge orphan rock (Chimera Point) GR 387 212

1058 Old mining survey peg GR 386 213

1102 View Mount Dawson GR 386 213

1109 Slot exploring GR 387 213

1116 Slot east GR 388 213

1127 Network of slots GR 388 213

1131 Centaur Rocks GR 387 215

1144 Centaur Slot + exploring 26 minutes GR 387 216

1210 Walking to crest GR 388 216

1225 Crossing heathland GR 390 218

1231 Crossing dry forest GR 391 217

1237 Above Barton Slot + exploring + lunch GR 391 216

1312 Descend Barton Slot GR 391 216

1318 Junction within Barton Slot GR 391 215

1322 Leave Barton Slot area GR 390 215

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1324 Slot pool with water dragon GR 390 215

1341 Exploring pagodas and platforms GR 388 213

1400 Exploring another slot (Chimera Slots) GR 389 213

1413 Commence descent GR 390 212

1506 At vehicles GR 393 201

To view Geoff Fox pictures

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bti81c5a3rd5621/AABMI-jF-LM3eUC2FoK7z7aPa?dl=0 To view Harold Thompson s pictures

ttps://www.dropbox.com/sc/oqg9c18yyjlhrtx/AACFPfC-C-pXrfQMcAsOcJNva

Michael Keats for The Bush Club In., 25th March 2016 BCPW Cliffs, Slots and Pagodas around Barton Slot 240316- Track Notes/MK