Friday 31/10/2025 The Sydney Peppermint Walk – Orchid Rock – Camel Rock
Ferntree Gully Environmental Reserve, Rylstone, NSW
Wiradjuri Country (Wiradjuri people)
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report)
Beginning within the leafy bounds of Ferntree Gully Environmental Reserve, the walking track weaved steadily east towards the sandstone features that define this distinctive loop. Over a distance of about 4 km, the path led across a mix of open woodland and moist gullies, never gaining more than 72 m in elevation. Severe gradients were avoided, with the track winding over gradual rises and short-sided gullies that divide the reserve’s plateaus.
Max elevation: 761 m
Total climbing: 97 m
Total descent: -95 m
Average speed: 3.18 km/h
Total time: 01:12:22
Weather conditions for the day were warm and mostly sunny, with Rylstone reaching a maximum temperature of 30 °C and a minimum of 10 °C. Only 0.1 mm of light rain fell, and winds were light to moderate from the northwest, keeping the atmosphere clear and colours vibrant throughout the route.
After a gentle start, the walk curved beneath the reserve’s namesake peppermint eucalypts, following shaded earth and hardened walking track. With each turn, sandstone outcrops appeared in the understorey—the first of the signature points being Orchid Rock, rising steeply from the gully, weathered and pockmarked, ringed by bracken and low scrub. The path skirted the flank, with the surface shifting from sandy loam to a more rocky base, before cresting atop a low ridge.
Wall of Streaked Rock Orchids (Dendrobium striolatum)
Camel Rock marked the outer reach of the loop, standing sentinel along an open slope. Here, the track turned west, following the natural line of the land as it traversed through breaks in vegetation, delivering broad glimpses across the upper reaches of Ferntree Gully. The circuit completed along well-signed turns and sections of stone steps, before rejoining its starting point among peppermint and stringybark.
Amongst other photographically recorded observations during this walk, we were able to confirm sightings of each of the following species: Narrow-leaf Geebung (Persoonia linearis), Streaked Rock Orchid (Dendrobium striolatum), Rock Orchid (Dendrobium speciosum), Ghost Fungus (Omphalotus nidiformis), Australian Bluebell (Wahlenbergia gracilis), Tantoon (Leptospermum polygalifolium)
Clickable icons on this world map will open the related trip report
A detailed, searchable trip list with links to reports, photo galleries
Information on Parks signage along the way
The Australian Aboriginal country for this area is Wiradjuri Country (Wiradjuri people). The Rylstone region and surrounding bushlands are recognised as part of Wiradjuri nation, and the Reserve’s interpretive materials and local history sources acknowledge this custodianship.
Designated Area
• Ferntree Gully Reserve is a Crown Land reserve, established in 1994, managed for conservation and recreation. It contains rainforest gully tracks, impressive lookouts, and interpretive walks through unique flora.
• The Reserve is adjacent to large tracts of native bush and is close to the boundary of the Wollemi National Park, but all the listed sites are specifically in Ferntree Gully Reserve.
Aboriginal Country
• This area falls under the lands traditionally owned and cared for by the Wiradjuri people, whose country stretches across central New South Wales and encompasses the Rylstone district.
• Ferntree Gully’s management references ongoing Wiradjuri connections, and broader Mudgee-Rylstone heritage recognises the Wiradjuri as the lasting custodians of this land.
The local landscape features, geology, scenic highlights, flora, fauna, Indigenous history, white history and other nearby walks in the area (Perplexity AI Model)
Landscape Features and Geology
This section of Ferntree Gully descends from the dry sclerophyll woodland of sandstone ridges into lush, steep-sided gullies. The terrain is defined by Devonian sandstone, conglomerate rock outcrops, and deep weathering that has created prominent features such as Orchid Rock and Camel Rock—named for their resemblance in silhouette and their habitat niches for rare plants and mosses. Narrow gully floors remain cool and damp year-round, shaded by sheer sandstone walls and boulder piles. The Sydney Peppermint Walk (~3 km return) follows this gradient, crossing dry ridgelines and gully floors, and passing under striking eroded rock platforms.
Scenic Highlights
Visitors on the Sydney Peppermint Walk experience the visual contrast between sunlit ridge-top forest—dominated by Sydney peppermint (Eucalyptus piperita)—and the fern-clad, cathedral-like gully below. Orchid Rock and Camel Rock are focal points for wildflower sightings, birdlife, and photographs, set against backgrounds of cliff faces and overhanging growth. Mossy boulders, twisting roots, and seasonally running water contribute to the atmosphere, with filtered light creating shifting patterns in the rainforest understorey. Boardwalks and steps allow for immersive, low-impact access beneath ancient rock walls.
Local Flora
On exposed upper slopes and ridgelines, Sydney peppermint eucalypts are joined by narrow-leaf peppermint, yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora), and black wattle (Acacia mearnsii). In the shaded gully, a temperate rainforest flora emerges: tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica), maidenhair fern (Adiantum aethiopicum), king fern (Todea barbara), and lilly pilly (Syzygium smithii). Orchid Rock is known locally for native terrestrial and epiphytic orchids—including greenhood and helmet orchids—while mosses, liverworts, and climbing vines cloak shaded surfaces. The diversity is enhanced in spring, with abundant wildflowers and flowering shrubs.
Local Fauna
The contrasting microhabitats foster a variety of fauna. Superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), crimson rosella (Platycercus elegans), eastern whipbird (Psophodes olivaceus), and yellow-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus) are regularly encountered in the gully and upper woodland. Sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps), red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus), eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii), and multiple frog species utilise both open forest and moist gully floors. The abundance of ferns and moss shelters invertebrates, while the rocky overhangs provide den sites for nocturnal marsupials and small owls.
Indigenous History
The reserve is Wiradjuri Country, long valued for its reliable fresh water, cool shelter, and plant foods. Gully floors and overhangs hosted seasonal gatherings and were important for resource access, spiritual practice, and transmission of ecological knowledge. Aboriginal presence is attested by artefacts, resource plant management, and the persistence of Dreaming stories linked to gully and rock formations. Local tradition preserves Wiradjuri names, language, and ecological practice, with the reserve respected as an ongoing cultural landscape.
White History
Ferntree Gully Environmental Reserve was protected in the 1990s to safeguard rainforest remnants, rare floristic assemblages, and natural beauty within a region otherwise dominated by agriculture and forestry. Walks such as the Sydney Peppermint Walk were established to highlight rare plant communities and promote conservation. Early explorers in the Bylong and Rylstone district, including William Lawson in 1822, recorded the dramatic terrain and valued it for timber and grazing, though much of the gully survived clearing. Modern stewardship balances recreational access with continued preservation and community involvement.
Clickable icons on this world map will open the related trip report
A detailed, searchable trip list with links to reports, photo galleries
