Callendina Loop

[kanangra]

After comments on my Linden Loop trip I have decided to start a new topic on this as an incentive for someone to get out there. I have a suggested route. Start at the gate at Linden Observatory and head out on Linden Ridge to Pt.446 where the map has the track ending. From here head down into Dawes Ck. Then down Dawes Ck to the junction with Wentworth Ck at the base of the loop. Then up to the knoll on the other side to Pt. 359.

Then back down to Wentworth Ck. Follow Wentworth Ck up to the junction with Woodford Ck. Then up Woodford Ck. Exit Woodford Ck at the point beside side creek at MR 692:760. From here pick up the end of the Dawes Ridge Track near Pt. 519. Then return via Dawes Ridge track to the main Linden Ridge FT and from there back to the Observatory.

What do people think? Should be possible in a day provided you keep moving?

Who will be first on here to do it?

K.

[GPSGuided]

What reference system are you using?

[jonnosan]

There is a cliffline on Callendina Loop that is difficult to get through from the southern slope. If you want to get up on the the '359' spot you need to get onto the saddle to the north.

[kanangra]

Thanks for that tip.

I am using the standard grid reference for NSW 1:25,000 toppo maps. Easting then northing. Points refer to spot heights marked on the map.

K.

[GPSGuided]

Thanks. Don't have the topo for that area.

[Grabeach]

I've just spent the last couple of hours going through my old notes:-

Car to Pt 446 2.5 hrs.
Pt 446 to minor junction then down creek (adjacent spurs to north and south have cliffs) to Dawes Ck - 1.5 hrs meandering.
Down Dawes Ck to Wentworh Ck - 15 mins still meandering.
Up Wentworth Ck from here looked really bad. Water too high to walk in the creek and very steep scrubby banks. I could see it taking twice as long as the 2.3 hrs it took us to come the same distance upstream to that point.
The easiest way out from the Dawes / Wentworth junction is to go straight up the spur and along to the end of the Dawes Ridge trail - 2.8 hrs (after fires but had just spent the time in Wentworth Ck and it was 35C in Katoomba that day, so on balance probably about right?) Jonnosan; From this spur, the eastern slope to the knoll looked steep but doable. Mind you this wouldn’t be the first time my 20 year old memories have been wrong. How high was the cliff (needed for 'A' below)?

Considering all of the above, I’ll make the following route suggestion(s).
Linden trail to end, high ground to north then north west, then north along the cliff edge (great views), down the Linden Back Ladder to the WolobraiCk / Wentworth Ck junction - 4 hrs fast walking from car to here, cross Wentworth then head up west (I have it noted as doable - check on the way down) then south. This leads to the northern approach to the knoll. From here either (A) head down the eastern slope, abseiling Jonnasan’s cliff line then up the easy way to the Dawes trail OR (B) return to the saddle north of the knoll then drop down west into Wentworth Ck (abseil?). Cross Wentworth Ck then up onto the western branch of Dawes Ridge (note that you will probably need to ascend the ‘toe’ of the ridge because of unmarked cliffs to the south). South here to rejoin the eastern branch and the trail. I suspect the views from around the 410 spot height on the western ridge could be excellent. ‘A’ probably doable in spring / autumn daylight, ‘B’ not so sure.

From perusing the air photos, a cycle and walk out to 410 and back could be an interesting trip on its own.

[kanangra]

Grabeach I was wondering why you would recommend going all the way north to the Wolobrai junction? Wouldn't it be quicker to drop straight into Dawes Ck from Pt 446?

K.

[Grabeach]

The problem I see is that you will have to go an unknown distance down Wentworth Ck to get around Jonnosan’s cliff line. The map shows the contours actually closing up heading north. I doubt you would be able to see a thing from down in the creek. Unfortunately I have no memory of what I saw from the high ground east of Wentworth Ck. Jonnosan may have more knowledge of where the cliff ends. Another reason is the great views heading to the top of the Back Ladder and potentially from the ridge between Wolobrai and Wentworth creeks. I also reckon the trip south down into, along and out of the saddle behind the knoll could be really interesting.

Twenty years ago, when I was 37 and the body parts were less worn, I'd have been straight out there checking it all out. Not being physically able to do this now is really frustrating. My best bet is to encourage others and hope they take plenty of photos!

[kanangra]

Sorry to hear that you are not up to exploring these routes at the moment. I consider myself duly commissioned and will get myself out there again as soon as I can! Oh and I will try and remember to take the camera.

K.

[jonnosan]

I just dug up the SUBW trip report.


The Wentworth Creek takes a very meandering route through rugged terrain down to meet the Grose river north of Faulconbridge. There are several ridges that run out from the towns on the plateau, with firetrails running at least part of the way along most of them. This area
doesn't seem to get visited much given how close to transport it is, I guess it falls between the cracks of being much harder walking than the byzantine network of old tourist tracks on the southern side of the highway, yet not as picturesque as say the Kowmung.

In any case, I have been keen to get out to Callendina Loop (where Dawes Creek joins Wentworth Creek) for a couple of years. This weekend a few things lined up and on Saturday afternoon a small group was gathered for our 'exploratory off track' adventure. We left one car at the end of Binnowee Drive in Lawson, then drove around to Grose Road in Faulconbridge where we started walking about 4PM. Following a firetrail down a spur saw us crossing Linden Creek at 714725,then up another steep spur to the firetrail junction at 698722. We actually missed this junction at first, because the northern arm has been left ungraded, and reverted to a single track. It was a little scrubby in parts, we followed it for an hour or so before a slight navigational error saw us head down the stubby spur at 715755 instead of the longer spur to the east. We made our way down through the broken cliff line without resorting to handlines, and hit Dawes Creek
as the light started to fade. The banks of Dawes Creek were quite crowded with scrub, so for the most part we hopped across the massive boulders that lined the creek bed, eventually halting at a big pool 200m upstream of Wentworth Creek, just as it became too dark to see without torches.

In the morning, we broke camp at 7 and crossed over to the base of Callendina Loop. We went downstream for a while before ascending the scrubby eastern face and finding our way through the cliff line to the summit. At this point, phones were produced - Mitch wanted an updated weather report, I was scouting for the hidden ammo tin that had been taunting me for the last 2 years. Yes, a geocache. I found it in a rocky spot that gave us a great view to the north, down the gorge of Wentworth Creek. It would have been nice to sit and admire the view for a couple of hours, but time was getting on, we had a big climb out, and the Norwegian website Mitch dialled up had confirmed it was going to be a pretty hot day.

So back down to the creek we went, on the western side this time, then upstream to Lawson Point. Our original plan had been to continue on to grab water from Bundaroo Creek, but the pool at Lawson Point was too tempting. Time for a swim! We took our water from Woodford Creek instead, after deciding it was 'probably' alright - 2 days later there seems to be no ill effect. We could see a very faint footpad that seemed to link the base of Lawson Point and the northern arm of Dawes Ridge, so I was optimistic we would pick up a track on Lawson Ridge. But no! Not a skerrick. Just scrub scrub scrub, and the open rocky platforms that made for easier walking but also reflected the heat. Mitch forged us a path through a couple more clifflines, and we got some great views from the many thin rocky saddles. All in all though, a big hot steep grind. So we were all looking forward to reaching the lookout at 657745 where the topo showed the Lawson Ridge track starting.

We were running low on water, and the heat had taken a fair toll on us. Mitch and Chantal forged ahead while Aaron and I took a much longer break before heading down to the old firetrail. We were moving very slowly indeed, even as it cooled in the late afternoon, and were very pleased indeed to see M&C return with cold drinks and other delightful things to help us complete the journey.

A big grand trip indeed!

[jonnosan]

Also, there are big cliffs between Linden Ridge and Dawes & Wentworth creeks. I don't know if you could traverse the waterfall shown at pt 446. I spent a bit of time looking up at that spot from the junction on Wentworth and Dawes creeks to work it whether it was a viable route, I reckon it probably could be done, but would not want to have a plan that depended on getting up or down that way without a rope.

[Grabeach]

My Springwood map (printed 1982) doesn't show a waterfall, nor is there one in practice, below pt 446. I can't remember there being a line of sight from the Wentworth / Dawes junction into that creek. Perhaps you are confusing it with the creek that heads up due east from the junction itself?

[jonnosan]

You are correct, I was confusing the two creeks as you surmised.

[juxtaposer]

Jonnosan, I think I have been that way, though in reverse; that is if that is the 'Back Ladder' ridge Grabeach referred to earlier. You cannot get down from the point, but if you back track a little you can work your way down to the waterfall and follow the creek from there. From memory (I don't have my maps and notes at hand) this ridge connects with the west branch of the Linden Ridge, the east branch being the main one that goes down to Linden Point at the junction of Wentworth Creek and the Grose, that Kanangra and a few others have followed in recent times.

[kanangra]

Thanks for that info. Now all I need to do is get out there and give it a go. It won't be for a couple of weeks though.

K

[Grabeach]

The Back Ladder ridge actually joins in just south of where the 'true' east and west ridges split. While on that subject, another great walk we did was to come in from the Patterson Range to the Gross / Wentworth junction, follow the Engineers Track 'mistake' then open rock slabs till they end a couple of km up Wentworth Ck. From there up onto the west ridge and down the east ridge back to the junction. There are few different routes between here and the Patterson Range road which add to the variety.

I have always been impressed by the variety of quality walks that can be done using the western half of the Kurrajong sheet.

[Allchin09]

Well I'm hopefully going to have a crack Callendina Loop tomorrow, however it looks like it's going to be cold and windy, and I have to be back at Linden before 3.

[kanangra]

Good luck! But back before 3? You might be pushing it?

K

[juxtaposer]

I recommend the Linden Back Ladder to all knoll-watchers, but whichever way you go Callendina Knoll and back in a day is definitely going for it. Good luck.

[Allchin09]

Just jumped on a train home from Linden. It was a solid walk, but worth it! I did make it out to Callendina Knoll and back via Linden Ridge in and Dawes Ridge back, but only walked a short section of Dawes Ck and none of the others. I'll try and put up a trip report and some photos tomorrow.

[Allchin09]

I woke early and rode my mountain bike to Springwood station where I caught the 5:10am to Linden. Jumping off the train and strapping my head torch to my helmet, I rode along the streets (making one wrong turn...) until I reached the filtration plant. From here, I rode north along the fire trail, trying not to fall over in the many sandy sections. I had to follow my progress on the map to ensure I stopped at the track junction of Dawes and Linden Ridges. It didn't take long before I thought I was at the junction, and my location was confirmed when I say the little bike signpost that Kanangra had posted previously. It was here that I stashed my bike and some extra unnecessary gear that I had been carrying from a meeting the day before.


Bike and extra gear dumped

I then set off on foot along Linden Ridge with the red glow of dawn slowly growing on the horizon. I kept a fair pace, although avoided jogging due to the low light of my head torch. The Linden Faulconbridge Ridge Link junction was reach before daybreak, this is where the fire trail turns into a walking track. The track was pleasant to follow, and once there was enough light to remove my head torch, I started to jog the flats and downhill sections. Unfortunately, just after the saddle at (MGA) GR 705 742, the track became very overgrown. As it was just after a steep uphill section, I think this may be due to cyclist who make use of the track and keep if from getting overgrown turn around at this point. Every few meters I would have to force a branch out of my way, and so progress was slowed. The track soon started to disappear in places, and time was spent looking for it. In the end, I found it was best to just stick to the ridge, as I knew the track would eventually appear again further along.


The glow - just can't be captured by camera!

Eventually I reach a point which I reckoned was spot height 446, and I surveyed the route ahead, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar valleys and ridges which lay before me.


An unfamiliar landscape - many more adventure to be had!

It was just past 8:15. I took a bearing west and shot straight the spur towards the small creek junction at GR 714 765. There were a few small cliff lines to negotiate, but I got through them only banging my head once as I jumped down, hitting an overhanging rock. Luckily I was wearing my trusty felt bushwalking hat which softened the blow. Upon reaching the junction, I followed the small creek which was hardly flowing downstream, hoping that I wasn't to come across any large waterfalls. Although there were some steep and rocky sections, they were all passed without too many issues, and I was spat out at Dawes Creek.


Descending a creek on my way off Linden Ridge

It was here that I started to worry about making it back to Linden for 3pm, so I had a quick check of the map and shot off down towards the junction with Wentworth Creek. I arrived 15 mins later, and sat on the sandy bank whilst looking at the climb ahead.


Wentworth Creek

It didn't look too bad, although I couldn't see the top from the bottom, so I had a bite to eat, crossed Wentworth Creek and shot up the ridge East of spot height 359. The lower section was a little scrubby near the creek, but as I climbed it soon thinned out. About half way up, I began to hit a few rocky sections, and I found it was best to climb up from the Northern side of the ridge.


One of the rocky sections

I didn't really have any trouble making my way forwards, and the were only a few required rock scrambles. Upon breaking through the final layer of rock, the terrain flattened off, and at 10am an old campfire was found at the very top. At this point I thought I was running behind time, so I then raced off down the way I had ascended, and I was back at the creek junction 15 mins later.


Atop Callendina Knoll

From here I ascended the North East facing ridge, climbing up onto Dawes Ridge. There were views towards the top North towards Callendina Loop.


Callendina Knoll and the ridge which I climbed up and down

The vegetation was better than which I had experienced on Linden Ridge, and there were no cliff troubles. I found traveling along the top to be without issues, however after spot height 475 the vegetation did thicken and I was slowed. I was thankful when the Dawes Ridge Trail was reached at spot height 519 (sooner that what the map shows) as I could pick up the pace. The track from here back to the Linden Ridge fire trail junction was in good condition and was relatively flat. Mt Twiss was rounded, and not long after I was at the end of the trail where I had left my bike 7 hours earlier.

It was here that I realised I was actually ahead of schedule and could make to 2pm train, so I took it easy riding along the fire trail to the filtration plant. I stopped to enjoy the view from a small lookout on the right hand side of the fire trail, just before the plant.


Final view

I was then on tar on my way to the station, and soon passed a large group of 20 or so skateboarders who were gliding down the hills towards me, so I took to the side until they all passed. They were really flying. By this point I was out of water, having only filled up my water bottle once at Dawes Creek, and I was quite thirsty. I arrived at Linden Station just before the next train back to Central, hoping to fill up one water, only to discover that there wasn't any toilets or taps to be found! I didn't have enough time to search elsewhere, so I jumped on the train, and tried to to quench my thirst by eating an apple I had been carrying.

In the end, it was a great day out, and I thank forum members for bringing the area to my attention. I will definitely be back!

A few more photos from the trip can be found here - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 45f786079f

[juxtaposer]

A gritty day out: back before afternoon tea, I didn't think it could be done so quickly, but the mountain bike does help. To think that on more than one occasion I walked right by Callendina Knoll without sparing it much thought. I had other goals then, but I suppose at the time I just didn't appreciate knolls enough. These days I am far more cognizant of the important part they play in the landscape. The fire on top looks like a lunch fire.

[kanangra]

Yes great work. No doubt about it an early start really helps.

K.