Budawangs – Quilty’s walk

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Budawangs – Quilty’s walk

Postby Mervyn » Wed 18 Apr, 2018 8:26 pm

From Saturday 13th to Tuesday 17th April 2018 I did a four day circumnavigation of Quilty’s, anti clockwise. I thought I would provide a few comments about the walk. Just two of us. It was very windy on Saturday and Sunday, a small shower late Saturday night. I had done the same walk three years ago.
Day 1. After leaving the fire trail at the north end of Fosters the track becomes very overgrown and at times hard to follow, this continued all through the remainder of day 1 and the first part of Day 2. We probably went off track about a dozen times, retrace your steps and find the track again. Those small ferns over grow the track very quickly. It is a beautiful walk with Foster cliffs on one side and Quilty’s on the other side. There is also the old log bridge in a collapsed state. We arrived at Sallee Creek where there was plenty of good water and found a protected spot to camp out of the wind, no fire as it was too windy.
Day 2. Short walk to Styles creek campsite, again the track was hard to follow in places, overgrown mostly. We met a pair of walkers going in the opposite direction, they expressed concern about the track. At Styles Creek there was plenty of water. We tried to search for Styles Cave, there was no track and the bush bashing became too hard and we were going up a steep hill when uncertain of our destination. So we decided to conserve our energy. It was very windy so we decided to move on. We gathered 8 litres of water at the creek and headed to the Hidden Valley turnoff campsite where we spent the night well protected from the wind. Carrying the extra water up hill is a tough exercise. We decided to visit Hidden Valley, we had been there before, followed the track up to the rock cliffs past a large cairn on some big rocks when the track just became totally overgrown, we search for half an hour then decided again to conserve our energy.
Day 3. We did the lovely walk through the vines, it was beautiful, there was water in the creek at the bottom of that valley. We got onto the fire trail and walked to the campsite near the fire trail junction and Endrick Creek, there was plenty of water in Endrick. We did the side walk up to Quilty’s pass, where there was a lovely view of surrounding cliffs. We wondered how they got the cattle up the hill.
Day 4. Return to the car via Redgrounds track. Tired bodies at this stage. There was water in the creek at the rock crossing, tea tree creek I think.
A few questions for those in the know, how do you get to Styles Cave, when was Quilty’ pass built, what did I do wrong at Hidden Valley entrance as I assumed this was a well warn access point to a lovely site?
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Re: Budawangs – Quilty’s walk

Postby Mervyn » Wed 18 Apr, 2018 8:42 pm

IMG_2991.JPG
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Re: Budawangs – Quilty’s walk

Postby Warin » Thu 19 Apr, 2018 10:14 am

Not 'in the know' but a quick look has
history - https://www.colongwilderness.org.au/arc ... buda99.htm - 1890's for the pass?
hidden valley report - http://thelifeoutdoors.com.au/hiking/in ... ge-part-1/
hidden valley track - is on LPI base map and another in OSM https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/311752119
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Re: Budawangs – Quilty’s walk

Postby crollsurf » Thu 19 Apr, 2018 1:22 pm

I wouldn't mind doing that. Sounds like you lost the track to Hidden Valley where it goes through a bit of a gap with a ~20m of swamp covered with chest high flax type plants. The plants hide the track. Should be able to find it by walking around to the left of the rock outcrop and continue straight as if the outcrop wasn't there. Just a guess.
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Re: Budawangs – Quilty’s walk

Postby bushnut » Mon 27 Aug, 2018 11:59 am

Sounds like a great walk - good summary too.

In terms of timing, do you reckon you could do that trip over two days?
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Re: Budawangs – Quilty’s walk

Postby Huntsman247 » Mon 27 Aug, 2018 2:27 pm

As far as I could tell there is no track to styles cave. I certainly didn't see one. It's a bit of an uphill bushbash. Although to be fair there routes of least resistance that can be followed. From styles Camp site, head back uphill towards hidden valley way a bit till the shrub clears up a bit and you'll find animal tracks that cross the creek. Then basically head for the cliffline.
Once at the cliffline there is a 'track' that follows the base of the cliffs. Where you'll find a number of nice overhangs that will probably accommodate groups of 2-4 people.
You'd probably want to bring water up there though from styles ck.
I haven't explored the end of this track that connects the overhangs but don't think it leads anywhere.
I personally wouldn't bother with the styles caves unless the main campsite was occupied or weather was really bad. The effort to get there doesn't seem worth it when the styles campsite is so convenient. It may cause mutiny if after a long day.
I'd be really interested if there is an different way to get to cave.
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Re: Budawangs – Quilty’s walk

Postby Mervyn » Wed 29 Aug, 2018 9:24 pm

Bushnut - you can do the walk in two days, you would over night at Styles Creek campsite, good water is available. You might miss some of the side trips like Quiltys pass, bora bora, hidden valley etc.

Huntsman - thanks for the update on Styles Cave, as I suspected.

Hidden Valley - has anyone been to Hidden Valley in the last four months, is there a track or do you need to push past the plants as Crollsuf suggested.
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Re: Budawangs – Quilty’s walk

Postby rachel_g » Mon 03 Sep, 2018 9:31 pm

Mervyn wrote:
Hidden Valley - has anyone been to Hidden Valley in the last four months, is there a track or do you need to push past the plants as Crollsuf suggested.


I was there in March - we didn't have any trouble finding a track into Hidden Valley - once in Hidden Valley there were a few different tracks. Initially we tried to bash across the valley (on a track which petered out), but then we came back to where we entered and took a fairly strong track along the side we'd entered on, which took us to (presumably) Dark Brothers Cave.

http://grindlay.org/2018/03/hidden-valley/
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Re: Budawangs – Quilty’s walk

Postby Huntsman247 » Tue 04 Sep, 2018 11:53 am

rachel_g wrote:
Mervyn wrote:
Hidden Valley - has anyone been to Hidden Valley in the last four months, is there a track or do you need to push past the plants as Crollsuf suggested.


I was there in March - we didn't have any trouble finding a track into Hidden Valley - once in Hidden Valley there were a few different tracks. Initially we tried to bash across the valley (on a track which petered out), but then we came back to where we entered and took a fairly strong track along the side we'd entered on, which took us to (presumably) Dark Brothers Cave.

http://grindlay.org/2018/03/hidden-valley/


I have yet to get there myself as every time I've been through that area its been so misted out it wasn't worth the effort to go to pagoda rocks but I believe that dark brothers cave is further up the cliff line and overlooks the hidden valley. This is according to a walk report and photos that I came across a while back.
Hoping to get there before it warms up again.
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