Michelangelo & other caves and Flying Carpet, Gardens of Stone NP, NSW, Australia

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2015 May: Explore areas west of Deanes Siding, Gardens of Stone National Park, NSW, Australia

Prolog - Michelangelo & Rain & other caves, and above Flying Carpet

This is an All Nations Bushwalkers excursion to the west side of Deanes Siding in Gardens of Stone National Park. The trip consists of 3 parts:

Part 1:
  •  Look for Michael's Chair ... not sure if we've found it.
  •  Visit:
      - Michelangelo Cave
      - Rain Cave
      - Weather Cave
      - Mist Cave
      - Sand Cave
      - Shovel Cave

If you like this type of caves, another interesting and nearby cave is Cathedral Cave - refer to my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/cathedral-cave-newnes-s-f-nsw-australia.htm

Two and a half years later, in 2017 October, I re-visited Michelangelo / Rain / Weather Caves via Pyramid Rocks (and climbed the Great Pyramid). That was a great walk !  Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2019/01/pyramid-rocks-and-caves-above-carne.html

Part 2:
  •  Explore the east side of Gurgler Pass.

Part 3:
  •  Look down on the Flying Carpet.

The Flying Carpet is of particular interest to us, because a month ago we climbed up to its platform from below ... photos and a write up of that climb are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/flying-carpet-gardens-of-stone-np-nsw.html
Now we just want to look down on it from the cliff tops   :-)

Our Group

There are six of us:
    - Charles
    - Freda
    - Liam
    - Nick
    - Saf
    - and me

We take two cars - Charles' and Freda's


Book

"The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond.  Book 3"
By Michael Keats and Brian Fox
Publisher: Keats Holdings Pty Ltd
Released: April 2013

I don't have this book. But it would have some information about today's trip.


Maps

- 1:100,000 scaled 8931 Wallerawang
- 1:25,000 scaled 8931-3N Cullen Bullen

The below map is from top right hand quadrant of the Cullen Bullen map:
- Top half of the map:
      •  Blue circle is where we park our cars on the Newnes Plateau for Part 2 & 3 of today's trip.
      •  Red circle is the Flying Carpet.
      •  Green bar between the blue & red circles is Gurgler Pass.
- Bottom half of the map:
      •  Blue circle is where we park our cars for Part 1 of the trip.
      •  Red circle is Michelangelo Cave.
      •  Green arrow is where we climb up the cliff and return to our cars.
      •  On new maps, Fire Trail No 7 has changed its name to Secret Crag Road.

KML tracklog files & Routes

- Driving in: The KML tracklog file from Wentworth Falls to where we park our cars for Part 1 of our walk can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSU3VRb2MxYkdEWjA/view?usp=sharing

- The walks:
Part 1 - Visit Michelangelo & Rain & other caves:
The KML tracklog file can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSTnVTU3pIYmpEaWs/view?usp=sharing
(The exact position of the caves are marked by pins in the KML file.)

In summary:
•  Park cars at junction of Fire Trail No 7 and Glowworm Tunnel Road. (At 65 meters into the Fire Trail, there is a small clearing on the north side. We park the cars there.)
•  Walk to the end of Fire Trail No 7 and keep going until we come to the edge of the cliffs.
•  Explore along the top of the cliffs on the south side of the Fire Trail to look for Michael's Chair.
•  Turn around to the north side of the Fire Trail. Just below the cliff top, we visit:
      - Michelangelo Cave
      - Rain Cave
      - Weather Cave
      - Mist Cave
      - Sand Cave
      - Shovel Cave
•  Climb back up the cliff and return to our cars.

Parts 2 & 3 - Explore east side of Gurgler Pass. Look down on Flying Carpet.
The KML tracklog file can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSWWlyTkRCVXk4Zk0/view?usp=sharing

In summary - Part 2:
•  Park cars at the same spot as our previous trip to the Flying Carpet ... refer to:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/flying-carpet-gardens-of-stone-np-nsw.html
•  Explore plateau on east side of Gurgler Pass.
•  Return to our cars.

In summary - Part 3:
•  Explore plateau on west side of Gurgler Pass.
•  Look down on Flying Carpet from cliff tops.
•  Return to our cars.


Timeline & Distance

Part 1 - Visit Michelangelo & Rain & other caves:
10:24   0.0 km  Start walking
11:11   1.2 km  Finish exploring south side of Fire Trail No 7.  Turn around and head north.
11:50   1.8 km  At a rock sticking out like an island in the middle of scrubs

Morning Tea

12:05   1.8 km  Leave rock
12:25   2.1 km  At Michelangelo Cave

12:39   2.2 km  Leave Michelangelo Cave
12:48   2.3 km  At Rain Cave

12:58   2.4 km  Leave Rain Cave
13:00   2.5 km  At Weather Cave

13:01   2.5 km  Leave Weather Cave
13:02   2.6 km  At Mist Cave

13:02   2.6 km  Leave Mist Cave
13:29   3.1 km  At Sand Cave

Lunch

13:56   3.2 km  Leave Sand Cave
13:59   3.3 km  At Shovel Cave

14:04   3.4 km  Leave Shovel Cave
14:29   4.5 km  Back at the cars

Total:  4 hr 05 min;   4.5 km (Distance is from Google Earth)

Part 2 - Explore plateau on east side of Gurgler Pass:

14:48   0.0 km  Start walking
15:39   1.3 km  Back at our cars

Total:  51 min;   1.3 km (Distance is from Google Earth)

Part 3 - Look down on Flying Carpet:

15:43 :  0.0 km:  Start walking
16:20 :  1.6 km:  At cliff top above Flying Carpet

16:23 :  1.6 km:  Leave cliff top
16:26 :  1.6 km:  At another cliff top (slight north of previous one) to view Flying Carpet

16:27 :  1.6 km:  Leave cliff top
17:03 :  3.0 km:  Back at our cars

Total:  1 hr 20 min;   3.0 km (Distance is from Google Earth)


Pictures: Part 1 - Michelangelo & Rain & other caves

1)  15 minutes (1 km) after we started walking, we climb up this rock at the end of Fire Trail No 7.

2)  At the top of the rock of the previous pic
(Charles is at the left edge.)

3)  Spherules on top of the rock (and a few others too) ~~~
Does anyone know how are they formed ?

4)  Panoramic view from the top of the rock

5)  Zooming onto the left side of the previous pic ~~~
Saf is the guy in the pic on the right.

6)  Exploring around ... Saf is the guy on the left.

7)  In the Gardens of Stone National Park, there are many weathered rocks shaped like pagodas. Saf is on top of one of them.

Rock pagodas are rock formations consist of layers of soft sandstones, siltstones and shales with intervening resistant ironstone layers. The relatively easily weathered sandstone means weathering of the sandstone layers are at a different rate to the ironstone layers. (This process is called differential weathering.) The end result is what we see today - the beehive, dome, castellated and elaborate layered platforms of the rock pagodas.

More pictures of rock pagodas are in my blog to a lookout over Wolgan River ... click on:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/lookouts-over-wolgan-river-newnes-s-f.html


8)  Another rock pagoda

9)  (Photos courtesy of Saf)
We finish looking for Michael's Chair. Not sure whether we've found it. Now we are on our way to find the caves.

10)  Looking back at where we just came from.
The people in the photos are Charles & Freda (upper pic);   Nick (lower pic).

11)  Cliffs

12)  Cliffs

13)  We head for this rock sticking out like an island in the middle of the scrub. Nick is already there. The scrub is very thick and it is incredibly hard to bash through it.

14)  Finally, we reach the top, plus plenty of scratches on our limbs.
(Left to right: Freda, Nick, Saf)

15)  Now heading to Michelangelo Cave and passing by this tessellated terrace ~~~
At the bottom left corner, Charles is taking a photo of Nick.

16)  Looking back ... Nick is inching through the tessellated terrace. Further back is Freda & Saf.

17)  (Photo courtesy of Saf)
Michelangelo Cave ... Magnificent !!! ... The highlight of this trip !
(Left to right: Liam, Nick, me, with Freda on the right taking photos using my camera.)

Two and a half years later, in 2017 October, I re-visited Michelangelo / Rain / Weather Caves via Pyramid Rocks (and climbed the Great Pyramid). That was a great walk !  Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2019/01/pyramid-rocks-and-caves-above-carne.html


18)  The floor of Michelangelo Cave is steep.
(Left to right: Liam, Charles, Nick)

19)  On our way to Rain Cave and passing another tessellated terrace
(Left to right: Charles, Saf)

20)  On our way to Rain Cave
(Freda is the lady in the pic.)

21)  Rain Cave
(Left to right: Saf, Nick, Freda, Liam)

22)  Left side and right side of Rain Cave
(The photo on the left is courtesy of Charles.)

23)  Weather Cave
(Left pic, left to right: Liam, Saf.   Right pic: Saf)

24)  Mist Cave ... a small one ~~~
After Michelangelo Cave, it is not surprising this one is a bit of an anticlimax   :-)

25)  Checking out a small cave
(Left to right: Freda, Nick)

26)  Sand Cave ... note the photo on the left ... this cave is a double-decker !!!
The small bright triangle in the pics on the right is reflection of sunlight from the uneven surface on the roof of the cave.
(The photo on the left is courtesy of Charles.)

27)  We have lunch in the Sand Cave.

28)  From inside the Sand Cave looking out ~~~
The carpet of small ferns makes this place like the proverbial Garden of Eden.
(Left to right: Saf, Freda)

29)  By the way, most of the time, we are bushbashing and rock scrambling, like in this pic.

30)  At Shovel Cave, the last of the caves we visited today.

31)  On our way back to the car, we pass by The Mouth Rock.

If you like this type of caves, another interesting cave is the nearby Cathedral Cave. Photos and write up on the cave are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/cathedral-cave-newnes-s-f-nsw-australia.html

And don't forget to check out my trip report:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2019/01/pyramid-rocks-and-caves-above-carne.html
which features another trip to Michelangelo and the other caves; plus the interesting Pyramid Rocks area with the exciting climb to the top of the Great Pyramid !


Part 2 - Explore the east side of Gurgler Pass

Park our cars at the spot where we parked them the last time we climbed up the Flying Carpet. Then off-track to the plateau on the east side of Gurgler Pass.

32)  Weathered rock formations and Liam

33)  Weathered rock formations and Charles & Freda

34)  Rock pagodas

35)  This large rock pagoda is interesting - a large block on top of a narrow neck

Part 3 - Look down on the Flying Carpet

From where our cars are parked, we go to the plateau on the west side of Gurgler Pass.

36)  Here is another weathered rock formation ... see also next pic.

37)  The same rock formation as the previous pic ... from different angles.

38)  Nick is on top of this weathered rock from which we'll get a glimpse of the Flying Carpet.

39)  The Flying Carpet, red arrows, as seen from where Nick was standing in the previous pic.
(The photo on the left is courtesy of Saf.)

The Flying Carpet is of particular interest to us because a month ago, we climbed up to its platform from below ... see my blog http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/flying-carpet-gardens-of-stone-np-nsw.html

40)  (Photo courtesy of Saf)
We want to get to where we can directly look down on the Flying Carpet.
- In this pic, the Carne Creek is below the cliffs on the right.
- Gurgler Pass is below the cliffs basking in the sunlight on the left.
- Earlier on, Photos #32 to #35, we were on top of the sunlit cliffs on the far side of Gurgler Pass.

41)  Liam is taking a photo.

42)  The red arrows point to the spots where we can look down at the top of the Flying Carpet - see Photo #44.

43)  From where Liam and Nick are, we can look down at the top of the Flying Carpet - see photo #44.

44)  The triangle platform is the Flying Carpet.
(The photo on the left is courtesy of Charles.)

As mentioned already, the Flying Carpet is of particular interest to us ... Photos and a write up of our climb to the Flying Carpet platform is in my blog http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/flying-carpet-gardens-of-stone-np-nsw.html

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Flying Carpet, Gardens of Stone NP, NSW, Australia

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2015 April: Flying Carpet, Gardens of Stone National Park, NSW, Australia

Prolog

Six of us go on this All Nations Bushwalkers club walk:
  - Charles
  - Freda, leader
  - Mei Ha
  - Nick
  - Saf
  - and me

We take two cars - Charles' and Freda's


Flying Carpet

The Flying Carpet, GR 409 144, is a rock platform jutting out of the Newnes Plateau cliffs in Gardens of Stone National Park. It was discovered only recently, less than a year ago in May 2014 by Yuri Bolotin. And he named the platform as "Flying Carpet". You won't find this place marked on any map.

This has to be one of the more memorable trips I have done. The experience of standing on the Flying Carpet platform is just surreal ... sort of like floating in space ... I haven't experienced anything like this before !

( PS: A month later, I was at the top of a cliff to looked down on the Flying Carpet. Photos and a write up of that trip is in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/michelangelo-other-caves-and-flying.html )

Google Earth says our trip, a circuit walk, is merely 4 km. But it takes us 6 hrs. Nothing difficult about it ... we take our time to enjoy the scenery and the dramatic rock formations. The photographs don't do justice to the beauty of this place.

By the way, almost the entire Gardens of Stone National Park is filled with extraordinary and varied rock pagoda formations, sandstone cliffs and canyons. The stunning rugged landscape makes this World Heritage Area a must for photographers, a haven for adventurers and excellent opportunities for canyoneers.


Maps

- 1:100,000 scaled 8931 Wallerawang
- 1:25,000 scaled 8931-3N Cullen Bullen

The below map is from top right hand quadrant of the Cullen Bullen map:
•  Small blue circle: Where we park our cars on the Newnes Plateau
•  Small red circle (southwest of the blue circle): Flying Carpet platform, GR 409 144
•  Halfway between the small blue & red circles is an unnamed creek.
   Where the creek cuts through the cliff line is called Gurgler Pass.
   After visiting the Flying Carpet, it is through here that we climb up to return to our cars.

Gurgler Pass is not marked on any of the maps.
A reference to the pass used to be in http://www.dingogap.net.au/
But it is no longer there  :-(

Michael Keats and Brian Fox have written a series of books titled "The Gardens of Stone National Park and beyond".
Some notes on Gurgler Pass may be there ... I think.


GPS tracklog files & Route

- Driving in: The KML tracklog file from the Great Western Highway at Mount Victoria to where we park our cars in the Gardens of Stone National Park can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSaWM0TU5IdGtTbFE/view?usp=sharing

- The walk: The KML tracklog file of our walk can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSd3dDVmpZcHRMVnc/view?usp=sharing

In summary:
•  Park cars (small blue circle of above map) at the side of Glowworm Tunnel Road, 1.5 km (by car) north of the junction with Old Coach Road.
•  Walk on a disused fire trail which is marked on the 100,000 scaled 8931 Wallerawang map, but not on the newer 25,000 scaled 8931-3N Cullen Bullen map.
•  Somewhere between 700 to 900 meters from where our cars are parked, go off track.
•  Around GR 406 152, go down to a small valley (Photos #3, #4, #5).
•  Walk along a ledge of the cliffs in an anti-clockwise direction to Flying Carpet (as per the KML file).
•  After the Flying Carpet, continue anti-clockwise along the ledge of the cliffs to Gurgler Pass.
•  Go up Gurgler Pass and up the valley to the Newnes Plateau where our cars are parked.

- Driving out: The KML tracklog file from where we park our cars to Wentworth Falls via Lithgow can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSUHhXcldmQjFDNTQ/view?usp=sharing


Timeline & Distance

09:56  0.0 km  Start walking
10:43  1.3 km  Stop for morning tea (somewhere between Photo #5 and Photo #7)

Morning Tea

10:48  1.3 km  Resume walking
11:02  1.5 km  At a rock shelter which is like a church cupola

11:11  1.6 km  Resume walking
12:28  2.4 km  At base of Flying Carpet
13:01  2.5 km  At Flying Carpet

13:28  2.6 km  Descend Flying Carpet
13:29  2.6 km  Stop at where the climbing tapes end

Wait for Charles

13:39  2.6 km  Resume descending to base of Flying Carpet
13:40  2.7 km  At base of Flying Carpet

Lunch

14:08   2.7 km  Resume Walking
15:50   4.0 km  Finish


Pictures - Disused fire trail

1)  We first walk on a disused fire trail. It is marked on the 100,000 scaled 8931 Wallerawang map, but not on the newer 25,000 scaled 8931-3N Cullen Bullen map. Maybe the authorities don't want us to know about it.

Off track walk to Flying Carpet

2)  Somewhere between 700 to 900 meters from where we started walking, we go off track. The scrub is quite thin, easy to get through.

3)  We climb down from Newnes Plateau to a valley (see next photo). I'm looking backwards ... we came down from behind the rock pagoda in the middle of this pic.

4)  And what a beautiful green valley !!! Like Shangri-La !!!
I don't normally repeat a trip, but this place is definitely worth another visit.

5)  But maybe it isn't such a paradise for the animals ... coz Saf finds a ... he is holding it in his hand ...

6)  ... A skull of a wombat.
     (Says Gary Roberts in the Comment Section.)

7)  Cliffs surrounding the valley ~~~
The rock pagoda on the right is the one in the distance in Photo #5.

8)  The further we go, the higher the cliffs.

9)  We come upon this lovely rock shelter with a beautifully formed cupola roof.

10)  We are walking along the ledge of the cliffs. There are plenty of rock shelters like this.

11)  To reach our destination, the Flying Carpet, we walk for quite a while along the ledge ... one side is the cliff face, the other side is a steep drop down to the valley. In the pics below, the lady in red checkered shirt is Freda.

12)  More of the steep cliffs and the steep drops down the valley.

13)  View of the cliffs on the other side of the valley where Carne Creek flows.

14)  A log with orange/red moulds. I saw the same mould on a log on top of a cairn at Mt Foxlow summit in Yanununbeyan National Park 3 months ago.

Photos and a write up on the Mt Foxlow climb are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/foxlow-harrisons-peak-nsw-australia.html


15)  Nick finds this snake. It is a broad-headed snake, Hoplocephalus bungaroides, venomous, often confused with a young diamond python. From Wiki, it is Australia's most endangered snake - and we have the good fortune to meet one live !

(Above photo was taken by Nick)


Near base of Flying Carpet

16)  About 3 hrs after we started, the Flying Carpet comes into view ... marked by the red bars in the photos. It is a rock platform sticking out of a cliff of the Newnes plateau.

Climbing up Flying Carpet

17)  To reach the Flying Carpet, first pass this narrow gap.
- Left pic: Looking up.
- Right pic: After climbing up to the top of the passage, I look back and down and take this photo.

18)  Next, a steep upward climb

19)  Even steeper climbs ahead ~~~
The Flying Carpet is the horizontal platform at the top of the photo.

20)  Charles with the climbing tapes around his arm ~~~
He'll climb up first, then drop the tapes down to make it easier for the rest of us.

21)  Charles doubles up the climbing tapes.
- The white one is his tape, 30 meters long.
- The black one belongs to Freda ... about 25 meters long.

22)  Freda climbing up

On Flying Carpet platform

23)  Finally, we are on the Flying Carpet !
Nick loves it !  He can spend the rest of his life here !

(In the above, the left pic is taken by Charles.)


24)  My turn for a photo

25)  From where I stood in the previous photo and looking back at where we came from ~~~
- Left pic: The red arrows indicate where we climbed up ... along a fissure between the large cliff at the back and the Flying Carpet rock formation. And where we reached the platform is at where Freda is standing ... she is the tiny figure in red shirt, at the far end of the platform.
- Right pic: Charles is helping Freda to get across. I'm the guy in blue further back.

It would be interesting to get to the top of the cliff to take a photograph of the Flying Carpet. From where our cars are parked, it should be just a short stroll.
(In the above, the left photo is taken by Charles. The right one is taken by Nick.)

( Post Script: A month later, we'll take the short stroll to the top of the cliff to look down at the Flying Carpet. Photos and a write up of that trip are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/michelangelo-other-caves-and-flying.html )


26)  Fantastic view across Carne Creek valley, with the Flying Carpet in the middle
(Click on image to enlarge it.)

Lunch at base of Flying Carpet

27)  Then it is climbing back down to the base of Flying Carpet for lunch.
Clockwise - Freda, Saf, Nick, Mei Ha.
Charles is still retrieving the climbing tapes. But of course when it comes to food, we don't wait for anyone  :-)

To Gurgler Pass

28)  After lunch, we keep going forward to complete the circuit along the ledge of the cliffs.

29)  Just to spice up an already fascinating trip is a tunnel to squeeze through.

30)  Saf & Charles emerging from the tunnel

31)  An interesting slit in the cliffs ~~~
It would be exciting to explore around and see if there is a way up from here to the top of the cliff. But we decide not to as we are short of time and not sure how long it would take us to return to the cars before the sun sets.. Maybe next time.

32)  More of the cliffs

33)  Another tunnel to squeeze through ~~~ if you are any fatter, you won't be able to pass through here  :-)

34)  Saf emerging from the tunnel

35)  More walking along the ledge of the cliffs

Gurgler Pass

36)  Finally we come to Gurgler Pass, then go up a small valley towards the Newnes Plateau where our cars are parked.

37)  Still at Gurgler Pass ~~~
On the right is a tree trunk with interesting bark patterns.

End of walk - almost

38)  No - we are not lost. We are quite close to where our cars are parked. But we are so anxious for food and drink that we can't wait to consult the map now on where is the nearest pub  :-)
Left to right: Saf, Mei Ha, Freda, Charles, Nick

For the record, after the walk, we go to the pub in Grand View Hotel on the Great Western Highway at Wentworth Falls and rave about this amazing Flying Carpet over lamb shanks and port necks.

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