Sweet Wayfaring

As we traced our way back home we spotted these wallabies grazing on the grass. Wallabies are rather like small kangaroos ... shorter legs, different colouring. That's it for this trip.

We lounged on the ancient chairs on the verandah of the hotel, sipping drinks, taking in the view and watching small birds flit in the grass -- they were tiny wrens and red beaked finches. The birds were too small and too far away to get a shot so I settled for the chicken scratching around on the verandah, while we wondered if the rich people from the resort would dare to venture down here for a drink.

At the very end of the road is a great camping ground, with green grass, a good sized creek and magnificent cliffs surrounding the site. We have camped here before but every time I visit I love the fission of joy that bubbles up from within in such places. But there was no camping this time, we retraced our tracks to the Newnes Hotel for a drink before returning home.

Talking of ordinary folk, almost at the end of the road you come across the Newnes Hotel, the last remaining fragment of the old township of Newnes which sprung up during a shale mining venture which operated from 1906 to 1932. The ruins of the mining operation can be explored today but we gave them a miss on this trip. Inside the hotel (which sells no beer) is the kind run down and cluttered establishment you might find in any remote country spot. No upmarket meals to be had here, just a soft drinks, ice creams and a few supplies to meet the needs of campers down the road. The little house on the left of the counter is a collection box to raise funds for a new toilet block.The current arrangement is some tents pitched outside with chemical toilets installed. A note at the entrance warns people that they are for patrons only and that if they want to use them they need to put some money in the box. Even though the current arrangement is rough and ready I guess there are people who prefe...

At the end of the trail we turned along the bitumen road (which eventually reverts to well maintained gravel) out through the Wolgan Valley to Newnes. With a view like this at the top, you can imagine it's spectacular in the valley below as well. It's remote and beautiful but remote for how much longer? On the way we passed the construction site for the six star Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa which they say will offer a rare opportunity to experience true luxury in a spectacular Australian bush setting. It opens in October 2009 so not long to go. But being for the world's super rich I guess they won't be bother us ordinary folk much.

Just when I was getting sick of the rutted track and wondering whether we had taken a wrong turn the stunning section that I had been waiting for came up ... tall cliffs coverered in green moss. The cliffs are about twice as high as I could get into this photograph. It makes it worth the rough drive, but if you are wanting to do it the easier way come in from the Lithgow side

These forest roads are not peaceful tracks. It's a four wheel driver's playground. City folk with big shiny rigs maraud in 4WD tag-along packs (there's safety in numbers) and video their brave exploits. Dirt bike enthusiasts multiply in similar numbers. I must admit that after recent rain the track was pretty rough, so it was a slow bumpy ride weaving our way around deep puddled pot holes. And no I didn't photograph my husband driving our 4WD down a rough rock ladder, but I did snap through the windscreen a few of the people sharing the road.