Beloon Pass

[Solohike74]

Hi Beloon Pass features on some routes I'm contemplating, what's it like to ascend and descend from either direction, and how much exposure is there?

I am experienced in M/H multiday on-track hiking with light scrambling.

[Allchin09]

Hey,

From the South, it's a slow climb up to the top. No exposure.

From the North, it's quite steep and can be a little slippery. I still wouldn't call it overly exposed though. It's similar to that of descending Mt Solitary via 'the Col' if that is of any help.

I would say a South-North traverse would be easier, as the ascent isn't as steep, but that is a personal preference.
'

[kanangra]

The track on the southern side can be a bit obscure in places.

K.

[Marwood]

I was up there for the first time from the Nattai side just over a week ago, and found the track up to the pass to be reasonably well marked, with markers, tapes, and cairns all the way up to Travis Gully. There's a couple of places where fallen trees or the undergrowth make the footpad a little obscure, but nothing really tricky. The point where you cross Travis Gully and take the side gully in a WSW direction is marked by a couple of large cairns. We had some navigational uncertainty at this point, since the topo shows the footpad continuing to the north side of the watercourse, and the NPA sketch map shows it to the south.

In the absence of any visible footpad we made our way up the watercourse itself till we reached a point where two large boulders blocked the way. From here, we skirted along to the left of the boulders and continued through the scrub parallel to the watercourse till we reached some rock platforms and could see the pass off to the NW, at the point where the main gully turns to the S. In hindsight we should have returned to the watercourse after passing the large boulders, since after descending down to the watercourse again we picked up a footpad and made our way pretty easily up to the pass. From the pass there's some blue tapes & cairns marking the route that heads off the right (NW) below the pass to join the old 4WD track that leads down to the gravel road. All in all we had no major navigational issues but the delays meant we ran out of daylight and ended up 8-10km short of Yerranderie with night falling, so we camped just outside the locked gate that marks the boundary of the SCA "forbidden zone". The good news was there was water in the small dam just by the locked gate - a bit cloudy but it filtered OK. A couple of roos got quite a shock at dawn when they came for a drink while I was getting water for my morning coffee.

For the record, 10 days ago the Wollondilly River was about 30cm deep at the ford, The Jooriland River was flowing maybe 10cm deep, and Byrnes creek was completely dry. Even with all the rain on the Friday night and Saturday morning, the Nattai was about 30cm deep at the ford before Colley's flat, and the ford after Alum flat was recorded at scrotum depth.

Due to an infected toe, we called our walk off short at Yerranderie and from there we were able to hitch a ride through to Oberon the next day (many thanks to the kind person who came to our aid). We were lucky enough to arrive in Oberon on a Tuesday - since the bus from Oberon to Mt Victoria railway station only runs on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday evenings.

The descent from Beloon Pass to the west has only a couple of spots where you need handholds to scramble down, and is not that badly exposed. However, it was enough to cause some issues for Mrs M, who has no great fondness for heights.

[Solohike74]

Sounds like the descending parts of the Cross Cut Saw, Alpine National Park, Victoria. Thanks for the tips guys. I'll wait til I have my new tarp & Fire Maple choofer before going.

[Onestepmore]

Hubby had to abandon his walk to Belloon Pass about a month ago, as he got trapped by floodwaters. He got cut off on the wrong side of the river after it rose durig a night of very heavy rain, and had to scrub bash all day below a cliff face to get back and wade through creeks continually and completely waterlogged and wrecked his feet. One toenail bascially rotted off and and is just now growing back. I tried to get him to write a track report.
We'l have another bash at it, in preparation of he and my 15 year old daughter doing part of the Ensign Berallier trail (Mittagong to Katoomba), where I'll meet him at the other end in Yerranderie with our son. I'll go as far as the clearing on the river, he can dump his pack and go an reconnoitre the Pass.
So just take care if there has been substantial rain - it was well over the flood markers and came up very fast

[clarence]

I did Crosscut Saw many years ago and don't recall how exposed it was, so it is hard to compare. The actual pass of Beloon Pass has a steepish but short rock scramble on the Wollondilly side and is a gradually ascending track on the Nattai side. Exposure or technical climbing difficulty at the pass will not be a problem for typical bushwalkers. Enjoy the view from the top.

Clarence

[puredingo]

Wow OSM, sounds like your old man had quiet and adventure! Can you be more specific as to where abouts he actually was, I know along some streches there are a few fallen trees he could have used as a crossing depending on where he was.

As for my experience with the the pass, with a nicely weighted pack on a good day it's a snap...On a heat wave type of day with an overloaded pack,it near killed me. And yeah, the descent down the Wollondilly side blackened a few of my toe nails too.

[ferozious]

I climbed up to Beloon Pass from Wollondilly late in the afternoon and it wasn't too difficult - the most difficult part is the very top where you need to use your arms and legs to get over some parts.
I then began my descent down Travis Gully in the fading light expecting a footpad the whole way.

If you loose the footpad in Travis Gully (like I did) then you can expect a very scrubby ordeal. I ended up setting up my tent on the creek bed of Travis Gully and waiting until the following day. Good times.

[Onestepmore]

Wow OSM, sounds like your old man had quiet and adventure! Can you be more specific as to where abouts he actually was, I know along some streches there are a few fallen trees he could have used as a crossing depending on where he was.
.

I've just hassled him (again!) to finish War and Peace

He and our 15 year old daughter will walk from Wattle Ridge to Yerranderie starting on the friday of the June long w/e - weather permitting. My 12 yo son and I wil go with them as far as Middle Flat, camp o/n then us two will return, while they go down Beloon Pass and continue on. Son and I will drive to Yerranderie the following day where we have a cabin hired, and we'll meet up with them for the last night there. I'm the red wine porter.

[Onestepmore]

Well we had a successful and very pleasant long weekend, and great weather this time. Hubbby, myself and our two teenage children walked from Wattle Flat carpark at Hilltop, down to the Nattai on Friday afternoon and had a really nice little campsite on the cleared area Middle Flat. Conveniently a large tree has fallen down which proves a very comfy place to sit by the stone fire ring that's already there, and it's just perfect to string up my trademark battery operated fairy lights. Lots of dew overnight made for a very saggy Scarp2 and MSR Hubba Hubba in the morning. Hubby packed up and headed for Beloon Pass, over the Wollondilly River and crossed out of the restricted zone to camp overnight on the Centre Ridge Management Trail. He then hoofed the last few hours the next day to Yerranderie. Myself and the kids slogged our way back to the car at Wattle Ridge, up the hill steadily, with a couple of food and rest stops, so it wasn't too bad. We met a party of 7 from Sydney Bushwalking Club on their way down. I hope you had a good trip guys. So many beautiful bell birds! We stayed the night at home to repack and feed animals, then set off early Sunday morning for Yerranderie (via Goulburn and Taralga), to pick up the Intrepid Explorer and ply him with cold beers! It was nice to drive up at lunch time and and see him sitting happily on the 2nd storey verandah of the Old Post Office, waving at us, with his tent hanging up to dry off. It's a good way for a family or friends to arrange transport for this walk, and nice to have cold drinks and a hot shower waiting at the end. We had rooms booked for the night, and had fun that evening intruducing a Chinese 4WD club group's kids to the joys of toasted marshmellows over their blazing fire. After a lesiurely breakfast, coffee and papers the next morning we explored the silver mine, and had a private museum tour with the caretaker. Climbing Yerranderie Peak will need to wait until our next visit. It was a fun, varied weekend. There are lots of day walks around Yerranderie, and a good camping ground. There's also good base camp facilities at nearby Mount Werong, and sites and loos at Bumaroo Ford (with fishing on the Abercrombie River) that we'd like to go back to. My kayak is coming along next trip!

PS Hubby noted that the log book in the red box at the cairn at Beloon Pass is full, so can the next person who intends to go there please bring another exercise book or similar to place in the box?

I think, maybe, possibly (?) hubby will write some track notes, as the path is indistinct in some overgrown places and doesn't coincide with the topo maps. A couple of track markers wouldn't go astray
Don't hold your breath though....I'm still waiting for the report where he wrecked his feet.....

[kanangra]

What a great trip. All I can say is that your hubby is very lucky to get all his family out there. I've not stayed at Middle Flat myself and from your description I must check it out.

K.

[Onestepmore]

Oh, and I forgot to mention we saw some fresh dog (dingo? wild dog?) tracks in some unmarked sand. One set was pretty big - I'd estimate german shepherd size, and the other set, next to it, was smaller - maybe kelpy sized? Very clear and dermined (trotting) pace. No human foot prints nearby, only ours. No scats (except for wombats on the top of rocks in the middle of the path, as in typical Mr Wombat style!)

[north-north-west]

An Australian vet who can't spell 'kelpie'? That's disgraceful!

[Onestepmore]

I'm a discgrace

[Marwood]

I can spel pretty well, but I gave up vetting a few years back and I'm not an Aussie.

[robert sloss]

Re Beloon Pass

I had an email request for info on the Ensign Barrallier Walk and I found all these notes on Beloon Pass. So here is some background info.

In 1984 I decided to see if it was possible to to try and use the Nattai Valley as a route to Yerranderie to connect into the walks from Katoomba. An elderly Mittagong resident remembered that the Mittagong Council Clerk, Claude Lee, who he knew had often walked solo down the Nattai to access Burragorang Valley and wrote a book on the history of the valley but no mention of his walk down the Nattai. So I only had hearsay as a guide. My daughter and I set off from Starlights Track (it was virtually overgrown then) in 1984 and we made it back to Colo Vale on the same day. the only incident was when we walked into a weed plantation guarded by a large islander near Russells Needle.
Beloon Pass was at that time only a name on the CMA map that I explored in 1988 as the final link in the proposed walk. There was a 1km long fire trail up the eastern side but no sign of any track from the end of the trail; so I had to explore and tag a route that stayed well above Travis Gully Creek. The western side was a sudden drop off that had a series of negotiable ledges followed by a nasty scree slope. During the bush fires in 2001 the fire brigade bulldozed up an adjacent ridge to the north then they marked and cleared a track to the rocky ledges of the pass making it a far easier and safer route. I left the metal box with a record book on the top of the pass and I still have the first two record books from 1988 to 2000 but the book in the metal box in 2001 was incinerated in the fires and I had to replace it soon afterwards. It appears that I will have to go back again and replace the book.
I was so pleased to read that so many others are following in my footsteps.

Robert Sloss

[puredingo]

Well jackhinde...I guess that answers THAT question!

[jackhinde]

indeed it does.
a public thank you for the cumulative weeks worth of adventures i have had aided by your publications robert

[Allchin09]

indeed it does.
a public thank you for the cumulative weeks worth of adventures i have had aided by your publications robert

Robert,

Is there easy way to get a copy of your books? I've been searching for a while without success...

[michael_p]

a public thank you for the cumulative weeks worth of adventures i have had aided by your publications robert

+1.

...Mittagong Council Clerk, Claude Lee...

So that's where the name came from. Thank you.

Is there easy way to get a copy of your books? I've been searching for a while without success...

Try the Wollondilly Information Centre in Picton. They have had a number of them in the past.

[Onestepmore]

Thanks for your input Robert. i know my husband has spoken to you in the past. Great idea for the record books at the pass.
Just a note - some of the information books at the Picton Info centre have some misprinted pages .....just a FYI.
We've found all your booklets on walks in this region extremely helpful
A big thank you!

Allchin09 if you have problems obtaining any of these books on-lne from the Info office then just send me a PM and I can buy them and send them on to you directly.

[Onestepmore]

The old PO is 2 blocks from my house
Not a problem at all

grrrr, can't edit my previous post.....