PLAN: Budawangs - The Castle to Bibbenluke

Trip Summary

A great trip for a long weekend, can be broken up to smaller trips as required. Take in the views from a night on top of The Castle, followed by the sweeping views from Monolith Valley and the Seven Gods Pinacles. Then head off to Bibbenluke to take in the Eastern end of the Burumbeet valley.

Getting There - From Wollongong

From Wollongong, head south on the Southern Freeway (F6) and then Princes Hwy to Nowra. Continue south to Milton, turning right at the Milton Bakery (Heritage Bakery).

From here follow the road and signs through to Clyde Ridge road and eventually Long Gully Campground. The journey is about 2 1/2 hours from Wollongong.

First Leg

The plan from here is to head up to spend the night on top of The Castle - this part of the walk is likely to take between five and six hours, so best to get away before midday.

The climb up to The Castle saddle is going to be challenging, with large steps and steep climbs. There will be a couple of spots to refill water though, and should be plenty of shade along the way.

Once up to the saddle, take a good break before heading around to the right and starting the climb up to the top of The Castle. There will be plenty of ropes and chains along this section, but not too steep really.

Once on the top, hunt around for some clear ground to pitch tents and wait for the amazing sunset to kick in!

Water may be scarce up here, so take up as much as you can.

Second Leg

Today we move from The Castle, through the monolith valley, via the Seven Gods Pinacles and on to the camping caves of Mount Cole.

This section takes on lots of optional components, as we are just moving across from the Castle to Mount Cole caves. Time should be spent in Monolith valley as well as The Green room which are two of the most popular areas in the Budawangs. You can also make a trip out to the Seven Gods Pinacles to test your climbing skills and take in the most iconic views of The Castle and Pigeon House Mountain.

There are plenty of caves and over hangs on the Western side of Mount Cole so pick any that are free, and hopefully with water supply. Once again, we should be in for a good sunset as our camp site faces due west.

Third Leg

Today we are heading down into the valley to try and climb Bibbenluke mountain.

After climbing Bibbenluke, we head back to Mount Cole and pack up camp. Now head back through the gap between Mounts Owen and Cole, we find the trail back up to Mount Owen and negotiate the low growing bush to the edge of the mountain looking out to the South.

We are camping up here tonight, so again find a nice spot to prepare for sunset or sunrise - your choice!

Final Leg

End of the trip here and so we head back to the Castle saddle and then back to Long Gully and home.