Thursday, June 15, 2017

The Warrumbungles: Camp Pincham - Goulds Circuit - Grand High Tops - Bluff Mountain - West Spirey Creek

Starting at Pincham Car Park, it is a short walk on a very good track to Camp Pincham, a walk in only campground (probably only a few hundred metres from the car). Inexplicably, a lot of the path up to Grand High Tops is paved with brick!

Crater Bluff

We followed a dry creek for about 1.6 km to Gould's Circuit which climbs up to Febar Tor (50 metre diversion to small rocky bluff) and then onto Macha Tor - good views of Belougery Spire and The Breadknife. Then it is back downhill to rejoin the Pincham Track along dry Spirey Creek. Another short detour leads to a sandstone lookout - Breadknife and Belougery Spire - called Spirey View. Back down to the main track and then a steady climb on wooden stairs, steps, paved track all the way up to Grand High Tops (close to 500 metre climb).

The view from Macha Tor

There are various benches and seats along the way and just before the climb started up steps from paved track, we passed two kids sitting on a bench who, for the next hour, called "MUM" "MUM" "MUM." We have no idea where Mum was - possibly doing a circuit around Dagda Short Cut and Grand High Tops, we never saw her, but eventually the kids did stop shouting.

The Breadknife

The view gets better and better and the track crests the ridge not that far from Belougery Spire. A good view down on to the Breadknife and over to Crater Bluff. We had lunch on the rocks looking out over Crater Bluff and Belougery Spire before a big gaggle of people came along from the other direction.

Belougery Spire

Downhill again to Dagda Gap and then some up and down through the bush to Dows Camp (dry, like all the camps here). At Dows Camp we turned off and did another 250 metre climb on a reasonable but rocky track up to Bluff Mountain which has a gradual south side and a precipitous north face.

Bluff Mountain


We had a snack and some tea on top. Not nearly enough food or water as we were short of both and then back down to Dows Camp. There is a fairly painful 200 metre descent down to Point Wilderness (view of Mt Exmouth) and Ogma Gap and then another tedious 200 metre descent down dry West Spirey Creek and eventually we stumbled over a bridge and rejoined the mornings track. We drank the last of our water and shared a small bite of energy bar.  

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