LOWER COLO GORGE LOOP

LESS THAN SIXTY KILOMETRES TO THE NORTHWEST of Sydney lies Wollemi National Park, which at over half a million hectares is the second largest in NSW. Seventy per cent of the park is officially declared wilderness, and much of the park’s interior is a rugged and dissected sandstone landscape of gorges, cliffs and canyons.

The Colo River has carved a deep gorge along the eastern side of Wollemi NP, from its starting point at the junction of the Wolgan and Capertee Rivers. For over 70km, it winds through the sandstone plateau, in a canyon that’s often around 300m deep, and not much wider.

The area around the Colo River offers some of the wildest country remaining in NSW, making it a major attraction to bushwalkers. While there are a number of fire trails and tracks on the east side of the gorge, the west is almost untouched. However, access to the gorge is difficult and often requires strenuous climbs and exposed rock scrambling.

For those beginning to explore the Colo region, this loop walk in the lower Colo River gives an excellent introduction to the area. There is a good mix of ridge and river walking, and the routes in and out of the gorge are easier and more accessible than those further north. Swimming opportunities abound in the warmer months, there are great views from cliff-top lookouts, and, in the depths of the gorge, it feels so remote that it is hard to believe you’re so close to Australia’s largest city.

Quick Facts

Activity: Multi-day hking

Location: Greater Sydney Region, NSW

Distance: 28km circuit

Duration: 2-3 days

When to go: Oct-Apr

Difficulty: Medium

Permits required: No

Car shuttle required: No

Maps: NSW Topo Mountain Lagoon 1:25,000

CLIMATE: RICHMOND (RAAF BASE) Rainfall (mm)

HISTORY & CULTURAL HERITAGE

Despite its rugged nature, Aboriginal peoples have been crossing Wollemi for thousands of years. The park lies at the junction of the lands of the Darkinung, Dharug, Wonnarua and Wiradjuri peoples, and major art sites such as Eagle’s Reach, Dingo’s Lair and Gallery Rock have been found within a few kilometres of the Colo River.

European colonists first ventured up the Colo in the early 1800s, and farmed the wide river flats below the gorge. However, the gorge had its own defences. Surveyor Frederick D’Arcy spent a number of years in the early 1830s surveying much of what is now Wollemi NP, but was unable to fully connect up the Colo Gorge. In the 1870s, George Townsend successfully made it through to Rylstone, and proposed a railway up the Colo Gorge to replace the Lithgow Zig Zag. However, this ambitious scheme came to naught.

Major Clews wrote about “The Bad Bit Across the River”—the western side of the Colo River—in his memoir about surveying the Colo in the 1920s and 1930s. Even at that time, many of the streams were still incorrectly mapped, and some of these errors persisted on maps into the 1980s.

In the 1970s, a major dam to supply water to a giant power station on the Newnes Plateau was proposed for the Colo. The dam plan was defeated, and Wollemi NP was declared in 1979. The Wollemi Wilderness, covering about 70% of the park, was declared in 1999.

FLORA & FAUNA

The poor soil on the sandstone tops supports an open forest dominated by eucalypts, particularly Sydney red gums, ironbark and turpentine, with a scrubby understorey. Towering blue gums grow on the narrow slopes of the gorge below the cliffline, and water gums abound on the rocky banks of the river. While you won’t see it on this walk, the Wollemi pine was discovered only in 1994 in a canyon in Northern Wollemi.

In the gorge, you’ll hear lyrebirds in the rainforest gullies, and bellbirds chiming in the early morning.

The Mountain Lagoon area does have a small colony of koalas, and you may hear their disturbing calls during the night!

When To Go

As the route involves considerable wading and possible swimming in the river, the warmer months are the best time to do the walk. Any time from around October to April is feasible. However, the climb out involves a 500m ascent on the afternoon of the second day, and thus very hot days should be avoided for the exit. Ideal times are usually late spring and early autumn.

The water temperature drops quickly as it comes into winter, and extended wading will be uncomfortable, if not dangerous.

Getting There

The walk starts at the T3 Trail junction on Sams Way, in the small hamlet of Mountain Lagoon, off Bells Line of Road. Driving time