Day 3 - Wombeyan Caves to Mount Werong - 36kms
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Yesterday evening I had a walk to Limestone Gorge. It is about 15 minutes from the campsite. The gorge is small and narrow with a river going through it. There is a small cave you can walk though to get some great views of the gorge. You can even have a swim down there. A very pleasant place to enjoy the evening.
I have really enjoyed my time here, so much to see and do. This morning I was riding at about 8am. The weather is quite pleasant, not too hot and not too cold, with a gentle breeze blowing.
For the first 4-5kms I was climbing out of the caves via the sealed road. So it was a good start for the legs. A few more kms I took a side road (Langs Road). This took me back on the dirt and I was riding through a lovely wooded area with plenty of kangaroos hoping around.
After about another 5kms I joined the Mt Range fire trail, which follows the ridgeline. This route is marked as 4 wheel drive only. The route up to the turn off for Limeburners Flat had just been graded. So was mostly smooth riding.
After Limeburners the road started to go down and up (repeat 5-6 times) some steep gradients. At one point I had to push TJ up one of the hills, as couldn't get any traction riding. Think the gradient on that bit was like 20-25%. Thankfully I only had to walk the bike for about 150-200 metres. Whilst catching my breath at the top a convoy of 5 4x4 vehicles came crawling up the hill. So I was pleased it wasn't just me that found that hill took a bit of effort.
By 12pm I rode into Mount Werong. This area used to be a small area which forested the area. It was made national park in the late 1980's so now there is just a brick hut standing. This hut can be used for shelter as well from the weather. When I got here I noticed the vehicles which had passed me earlier. Friendly bunch and shared some of their yummy melon with me. Those 5 cars was the only traffic I had seen today. Feels like I am really off the beaten track at the moment.
After lunch I was going to leave Mt Werong, but noticed it was a very pleasant area to hang around. So decided I would be staying here for the night.
For part of the afternoon I went for a walk along Ruby Creek to the old mine. The walk is about 1.5 hours in total. When I got to the old disused mine, which was not much of a success, I noticed there was a really great view across the valley. So I spent a few extra minutes enjoying the view before heading back to the campground.
It was a very pleasant walk, but sometimes the path was a little vague as to which direction to take. The national park people have put plenty of arrows around to make sure you don't get lost. I made it safely back to the campsite and noticed the wind had picked up a bit.
For the rest of the afternoon I just relaxed around the campsite. The campsite has it's own rainwater tank, so don't need to worry about water. Also I don't need to worry about food, as when I left Sydney I packed enough food to last me 5-6 days before I get to the next town, Lithgow, to resupply. As I want to spend a bit of time exploring this area. Tomorrow I'm heading for Kangara Walls.
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| Limestone Gorge |
For the first 4-5kms I was climbing out of the caves via the sealed road. So it was a good start for the legs. A few more kms I took a side road (Langs Road). This took me back on the dirt and I was riding through a lovely wooded area with plenty of kangaroos hoping around.
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| Nice dirt road through the forests |
After Limeburners the road started to go down and up (repeat 5-6 times) some steep gradients. At one point I had to push TJ up one of the hills, as couldn't get any traction riding. Think the gradient on that bit was like 20-25%. Thankfully I only had to walk the bike for about 150-200 metres. Whilst catching my breath at the top a convoy of 5 4x4 vehicles came crawling up the hill. So I was pleased it wasn't just me that found that hill took a bit of effort.
By 12pm I rode into Mount Werong. This area used to be a small area which forested the area. It was made national park in the late 1980's so now there is just a brick hut standing. This hut can be used for shelter as well from the weather. When I got here I noticed the vehicles which had passed me earlier. Friendly bunch and shared some of their yummy melon with me. Those 5 cars was the only traffic I had seen today. Feels like I am really off the beaten track at the moment.
After lunch I was going to leave Mt Werong, but noticed it was a very pleasant area to hang around. So decided I would be staying here for the night.
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| A tasty coffee to have after lunch |
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| Ruby Creek lookout |
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| To make sure I didn't get lost I followed the arrows |