Mount Talaterang

I've got a bit of a thing about the Budawangs, as you can easily see if you peruse this blog. All up, I have done 12 trips into the area since 2012. That probably does not sound like many, but, most of the years between 2012 and 2018 I was living in a small caravan and travelling far from the area. Now that I live within a couple of hours drive, I am able to indulge my fascination with the region, and, as a mostly ex-peak-bagger, I am ineluctably drawn to the summits of the flat topped pagoda mesas that are separated by scrubby, deep canyons and steep sided creeks.

On the far eastern side of the Budawangs, is an elevated plateau that overlooks the heart of the Budawang Range and has probably the best views with the least effort of any spot in the region. Views are not in short supply in the Budawangs, but generally the effort level is much, much higher.

It is an easy stroll on a good track out to the Mount Bushwalker lookout, and the big vistas start within a kilometre and a half of leaving the car park as the track passes close by the northern end of the escarpment and views over the Clyde River gorge and the Tianjara Range open up.

We, however, were heading for Mount Talaterang, the highest point on the big mesa that lies between Pigeon House Creek and the Clyde River. Among the serious bushwalking crowd, it is a reasonably popular destination and, at times, a faint foot pad has been visible along the forested ridge line. Little of that remains now as the area has been closed since the 2020 bushfires and only recently opened up again. Travel, however, is easy, at least by Budawang standards, as the bushfires burnt out much of the notoriously thick Budawang scrub.

Near the end of the Bushwalker track, a large series of cairns on a rock slab mark the start of the footpad to Gadara Point. Even if you are not going all the way to Mount Talaterang, this is well worth a stroll as the track mostly sidles along the cliff edge with fantastic views. People who know their Budawang topology will be easily able to identify Folly Point, the peaks clustered around Monolith Valley, Pigeon House, The Castle and Byangee Mountain, as well as Hollands Gorge and the peaks further north in the range.

At Gadara Point, a narrow pass leads down to the wooded ridge that joins Gadara Point and Mount Talaterang. A little scrambling is involved but most competent bushwalkers will manage without any kind of hand-line. The 600 metre prominence on the ridge leading to Pallin Pass has a vague track skirting it on the west side, that emerges at the next saddle.

Pallin Pass is found just to the east side of the first sharp escarpment encountered as you walk uphill towards Mount Talaterang. This provides easy access to the remainder of the ridge walk to the second set of cliffs guarding the summit plateau. There is a 30 metre descent before you begin the final walk up to the summit plateau and at this point the way may be starting to feel long, but the top is only one kilometre away.

At the second and final set of cliffs, we had a vague footpad leading around the west side for a couple of hundred metres until we came upon a large cairn and an easy scramble up blocks to take the final steps to the top. The 779 metre high point is hidden, as is usual for these peaks, in dense scrub, but we made sure we touched that spot before retreating perhaps 10 metres to a large summit cairn and logbook for a late lunch.

This is perhaps my favourite Budawang day trip to date. Unlike The Castle and Byangee Mountain - similar day trips - this one feels somewhat more remote than trips in via Kalianna Ridge out of Long Gully. There are plenty of opportunities to make this an overnight trip but finding water, unless you go soon after rain, could be challenging.

A selection of previous Budawang trips can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.