6/05/2011 – 8/05/2011   Sassafras – Newhaven Gap – The Vines – Mount Sturgiss – Quiltys Mountain – Bora Ground return

                                            Morton National Park, NSW

                                            Yuin country

Participants: Phil Allen, Sue Davies (Report), Steve Davies (Leader, Photos), Stephen Dolphin, John and Gerry Louis (Guests)

 

Day 1: Friday 6/05/2011   Sassafras – The Vines

This route was reconstructed from memory using Google Earth Pro and GPS Visualizer.

Download file: 2012-05-06 Sassafras to The Vines.gpx                         Track Info

 

We managed to sneak away early on Friday after lunch to allow us to mountain bike into the campsite before dark. The ride into The Vines campsite was truly magical with the natural beauty of the Budawangs in full display. There was not a breath of wind and as the daylight faded the evening hues of the sky showed their full brilliance. The group who had not biked this route before were noticeably under whelmed when we reached The Pinnacles, apparently expecting something far more grand than a pile of rocks.

We reached the campsite at The Vines just on dusk to find it occupied by a large group of walkers who were clearly settled in for the night. We decided to move our camp a bit further down the track and just managed to get set up before darkness. The final member of our party, Steve Dolphin, heroically cycled the rough road mostly in the dark using his head lamp arriving around 7.00 pm. Both he and Steve Davies will need to make contributions to the swear jar after the expletives that were heard directed at their cheap panniers that would not stay mounted on the racks during the ride into The Vines (they had independently bought identical panniers).

Steve Davies was now feeling much better as he had two club members join in on this weekend, so Lee’s advice from the previous trip must have paid off.

 

Day 2: Saturday 7/05/2011   The Vines – Mount Sturgiss return

This route was reconstructed from memory using Google Earth Pro and GPS Visualizer.

Download file: 2012-05-07 The Vines to Mt Sturgiss return.gpx                         Track Info

 

We awoke the next morning to zero degrees and a light fog so we were keen to head off for our day trip to Mount Sturgiss. The day walk showed this area of the Budawangs at it’s best, sweeping views with crystal clear skies, amazing rock formations and hidden valleys. The trip to the top of Mount Sturgiss involved some scrambling so a rope and harness was used which made the less experienced of the party feel safer on the steeper sections. The 360 degree view from the top certainly made the climb worthwhile.

The evening was spent huddled around a virtual fire (we pretended as the wood was too wet) hearing stories of past adventures and mishaps.

 

Day 3: Sunday 8/05/2011   The Vines – Quiltys Mountain – Sassafras 

This route was reconstructed from memory using Google Earth Pro and GPS Visualizer.

Download file: 2012-05-08 The Vines to Sassafras via Quiltys Mtn.gpx                         Track Info

 

On Sunday were explored the Aboriginal Bora ground on Quilys Mountain and a few of the numerous caves in this area before cycling back to the car. The weather for the weekend was perfect.

This was an exceptional weekend trip and provided excellent variety including cycling, walking and some scrambling. Hopefully, it will become a regular feature of the club program.

 

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