Mount Haughton

[sandym]

Kinda hard to believe it is almost three years since I walked into the Budawangs last but I got tired of the fearsome regrowth after the fires and have been doing more walking in Namadgi where the bush-wacking is more reasonable! However, with reports of a cleared trail to Mount Haughton, two of us walked in again on Sunday. Very windy, but apparently not as windy as the previous day according to the three young lads we met walking out. The drive into the locked gate is a bit rough but manageable in 2WD, just some very large potholes and bare slabs. The fire trail down to The Vines has had copious amounts of large rocks put on it to stop any muddiness so it is a bit wearing on the feet. I always think I should bring my bicycle but I never do.

The track has been slashed with the caveat that where it follows Kilpatrick Creek under Quiltys Mountain there is major blow down. About every few metres, it is necessary to either climb over a big fallen trunk or crawl under a big fallen trunk. Sometimes a crawl is immediately followed by an over and visa versa. Along to the Hidden Valley turn - prominent foot pad visible which was not in 2021 when we last went to Hidden Valley - and down to Styles Creek and up to the base of Mount Haughton has all been slashed but in some parts it pays to keep an eye out as in a couple of places it is inexplicably easy to lose the track especially when walking back out.

Around the base of Mount Haughton there was a good foot pad but we did not go all the way to Mount Tarn. Instead we walked up a neat little pass where the cliffs break down on southeast side of Mount Haughton and battled some more scrub and a bit of swamp to find some ledges with big ironstone plates that enabled an easy scramble up onto what we assume (based on the map) to be the high point at the SW end. Great views but unfortunately it was fairly blustery up top.

The track that branches off the track to Mount Haughton and runs west then north to Round Mountain Fire Trail (past Fosters Mountain) was easy to follow as well. Not sure how it would be close to Fosters Mountain as we were up Fosters Mountain in June 2021 and the regrowth around the base of the mountain was pretty severe.

Pass onto Mount Haughton

Sunset over Hoddles Castle

Sturgiss and Elliot

[crollsurf]

Thanks for the report. After a failed attempt to Folly Point over a year ago due to impenetrable regrowth... It sounds like the Budawangs are now worth a visit. Love that area you walked, so thanks again. I'll take the bike. That first ~10klm is a bit boring.

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[Chev]

Thanks for sharing this. I've only been in there from the north a couple of times, quite a long time ago. There have been many reports of regrowth making the old tracks a horror. Recent news of track clearing put this back on top of the list and your notes reaffirm this.

[FionaShedden]

Such great news. Has anyone followed through to monolith recently? Is there any trace od that track. It was always difficult to follow so wondering of any chance now?

[Ahaswer68]

Such great news. Has anyone followed through to monolith recently? Is there any trace od that track. It was always difficult to follow so wondering of any chance now?

Yes. A couple weeks ago. The thrack exists only for a couple of hundreds metres. It disapear when hits the lowest point then appears again at the clifs and there is nothin in the valley itself. To get to caves (and Sturgiss), the best line is to stick, as close as possible, to the rockface on the right and follow it as far as possible then try to cross the valey through overgrown watercourse (100 m or so).

[Huntsman247]

The track is fine from wog wog to yadboro. Not sure from the junction to haughton. I saw a note on the NPWS website about the scrub being bad on mt Tarn a couple months ago. I was not overly keen to check it out myself.

[FionaShedden]

Thanks Huntsman, i figured as much. It was tricky around Mt Tarn before fires, so my expectation was it would be real difficult now based on the trip reports here. I have a scout who wanted to walk through Yadbora to Sassafras ( 4 days, 3 nights) but thinking it might be a bit difficult for a group of teenagers. I suggested Yadboro to Wog-Wog, but not really long enough for the required 3 nights, will sit down and think about other options.

[sandym]

A friend did Haughton to Tarn a couple of months ago and said the scrub on the Tarn Plateau was not too bad but they did lose the trail a couple of times on the plateau. They did not descend off Tarn. We went up Tarn from the Bibbenluke side not long after the fires and the track that goes up to the pass onto Tarn was completely gone. That is where you would have trouble, but Tarn to Haughton and Haughton all the way out is now no drama, except for the usual Budawang drama.

[Walk_fat boy_walk]

Thanks Huntsman, i figured as much. It was tricky around Mt Tarn before fires, so my expectation was it would be real difficult now based on the trip reports here. I have a scout who wanted to walk through Yadbora to Sassafras ( 4 days, 3 nights) but thinking it might be a bit difficult for a group of teenagers. I suggested Yadboro to Wog-Wog, but not really long enough for the required 3 nights, will sit down and think about other options.

Could easily stretch Wog Wog to Yadboro to 3 nights by adding side trips (eg. some combination of Corang Cascades + Mt Owen + Crooked Falls + Shrouded Gods + Castle)?

[Huntsman247]

Thanks Huntsman, i figured as much. It was tricky around Mt Tarn before fires, so my expectation was it would be real difficult now based on the trip reports here. I have a scout who wanted to walk through Yadbora to Sassafras ( 4 days, 3 nights) but thinking it might be a bit difficult for a group of teenagers. I suggested Yadboro to Wog-Wog, but not really long enough for the required 3 nights, will sit down and think about other options.

Could easily stretch Wog Wog to Yadboro to 3 nights by adding side trips (eg. some combination of Corang Cascades + Mt Owen + Crooked Falls + Shrouded Gods + Castle)?

The regrowth from the top of crooked falls to crooked falls lookout was pretty solid as of 2 weeks ago. Some deer pads but otherwise not much. There's been lots of tree falls in the creek so going is not as fast as times past. Judging by the stuff I cleared various points no one had been through there for some time before me.

I shiver at the thought of the scrub on that spur up to mt tarn from crooked. That was horrendous in times past.

[Walk_fat boy_walk]

Thanks Huntsman, i figured as much. It was tricky around Mt Tarn before fires, so my expectation was it would be real difficult now based on the trip reports here. I have a scout who wanted to walk through Yadbora to Sassafras ( 4 days, 3 nights) but thinking it might be a bit difficult for a group of teenagers. I suggested Yadboro to Wog-Wog, but not really long enough for the required 3 nights, will sit down and think about other options.

Could easily stretch Wog Wog to Yadboro to 3 nights by adding side trips (eg. some combination of Corang Cascades + Mt Owen + Crooked Falls + Shrouded Gods + Castle)?

The regrowth from the top of crooked falls to crooked falls lookout was pretty solid as of 2 weeks ago. Some deer pads but otherwise not much. There's been lots of tree falls in the creek so going is not as fast as times past. Judging by the stuff I cleared various points no one had been through there for some time before me.

I shiver at the thought of the scrub on that spur up to mt tarn from crooked. That was horrendous in times past.

Yeah was pretty gnarly when I was last there a couple of years back. Angel creek is really nice though. I'm guessing the spur down into hollands gorge from above the lookout would be sheiser too?

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[Huntsman247]

I didn't do it this time round.
Its probably safe to assume most things are at the moment. Haha.