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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mt Solitary is a mountain situated in the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 100 kilometres west of Sydney, capital of New South Wales, and a few kilometres south of Katoomba, the main town in the Blue Mountains.[1]
[edit] Description
Mt Solitary is located in the middle of the Jamison Valley, one of the main valleys of the Blue Mountains, which is found immediately south of Katoomba.[2] It is probably called Solitary because it is the only mountain in the valley. It is a long, low mountain of sandstone (the Blue Mountains being a predominantly sandstone area), stretching across the valley from west to east. Its top is approximately five kilometres long; counting its lower slopes, it would be approximately ten kilometres long. It is approximately 950 metres high at its highest point.[3] It is covered in Eucalypt forest, with a small group of pine trees at the western end. Small but rugged pockets of semi-rainforest are found along its slopes, particularly where water gathers in gullies. Snow is known to fall occasionally on the high points during winter.
[edit] Activities
Mt Solitary is a popular spot for bushwalking, although its ruggedness makes it unsuitable for anyone but fit walkers. It is reached via a track which begins at the so-called Golden Stairs, which are found a few kilometres south-east of Katoomba. At the bottom of the Golden Stairs is a track that goes south-east towards the lower slopes of Mt Solitary. Along the way there is a turn-off for the Ruined Castle, a rock formation on a ridge above the track. In this vicinity there is also the sealed opening of an old coal mine on the west side of the track. On the east side of the track, down a slope, there is a large clearing which was once home to the mining community and which can still be used for camping.
The track then ascends the lower slopes of the mountain and is quite rocky and steep in places. At the top, it flattens out for a while before going down into Chinamans Gully. Here there is a large rock shelter known to some as Chinamans Cave.[4] The rock shelter was once an Aboriginal occupation site, but is nowadays used by campers. A short distance to the south, there is a lookout known as Melvilles Lookout, which affords sweeping views across the southern part of the Blue Mountains National Park and Kanangra-Boyd National Park.
On the east side of Chinamans Gully, the track goes another three kilometres along fairly level ground before plunging down the eastern slopes of the mountain. Immediately before this spot, there is a rocky spot just off the track which provides dramatic views of the valley. There is also a visitors' log book that is replaced occasionally by experienced walkers.[5] The track goes downhill for a few kilometres and then comes to the Kedumba River; the track is rather faint but has been marked somewhat by bushwalkers.[6] Campers usually spend the night at a sandy spot by the river, then trudge out of the valley to the Kings Tableland, from where it is several kilometres to the nearest town, Wentworth Falls. The trek from the Golden Stairs to Wentworth Falls is quite popular and is used occasionally by school groups, but it is only suitable for fit walkers. It takes at least three days for most people. The area is rugged and has been known to claim the occasional casualty; a schoolboy named David Iredale died on the eastern slopes of the mountain in 2007 after becoming separated from his group.
Apart from campers, many people use the area for one-day walks. The most popular of these is the walk from the Golden Stairs to the Ruined Castle and back. Some people also do the return trip from the Golden Stairs to the top of Mt Solitary and back, which requires more fitness because of the steep grades on the western slopes.
 Mt Solitary at dawn, seen from the top of the Ruined Castle |
 Mt Solitary from the northern escarpment of the Jamison Valley |
 Mt Solitary from the lookout at Sublime Point |
[edit] References
- ^ Blue Mountains Tourist Map, Edition Eight, 1988, Department of Lands, New South Wales
- ^ Blue mountains Tourist Map
- ^ Jamison Topographic Map, 89340-11-N, Land and Property Information, New South Wales
- ^ Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, Neil Paton (Kangaroo Press), p.226
- ^ Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, p.227
- ^ Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks, p.228
