pantoneys crown

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pantoneys crown

Postby dingelberry » Mon 29 Dec, 2014 6:07 am

Hi I have been looking at doing this walk up pantoneys crown in the gardens of stone national park but can not seem to find a great deal about it.

Has anybody done this walk .Where did you start from whats the best way up the crown and how long did it take and whats the road like to get in do you need 4wd ?
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby juxtaposer » Mon 29 Dec, 2014 1:50 pm

The only time I've been there we approached from the north east, having asked permission to go through a property I think was called "The Crown". The owner let us drive to the back of the property. However, he kept asking us if we were "greenies from National Parks", and if we were we weren't welcome. He didn't like the fact the area had been declared a Nature Reserve not long before. We feigned not to know anything about this. We did the route up and back comfortably in an afternoon.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby dingelberry » Mon 29 Dec, 2014 2:15 pm

Thanks juxtaposer.
Its hard to find any real track notes on this walk most sites that ive been to have plenty of pictures but not a lot of information about a track or lack of.A lot of it looks like its just up to you which way you go and most seem to spend the night on top.Thanks for the info will look at my maps about coming in from the north east.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby DaveNoble » Tue 30 Dec, 2014 12:23 pm

Have you tried using Google to search the web? I just put in "Pantoneys Crown" and it came up with quite a number of trip reports - with sufficient detail for you I would think. Best done as a 2 or 3 day walk - this will enable you to do a loop and see some of the other features in the area. Good camping on top.

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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby mountwilsonwanderer2 » Tue 03 Mar, 2015 6:19 am

There is a road approx. 13kms on the right as you go to Glen Alice from Capertee, you can't see it as you drive along the bitumen - you need to check out any area where you can get off the bitumen and be safe, the dirt road drops off the main road's ridgeline fairly steeply - but I have done it several times in a standard car when it was dry, it goes out a few klms over a track that in places has fairly stoney / sharp volcanic (granite) rocks on it (one time a lady bushwalker on a Yarrawood Bushwalking Club trip to the Crown got a puncture in the low profile tires she had on her car), you can park at the top of the hill above Airly Creek or (as we have done many years later to the Yarrawood trip, go down the hill to the creek in a 4WD. I have done the thru / traverse trip - maybe 4 times and the last trip (some years ago now) was done using the access route from the Southern end, which when viewed from the base of the cliffline - looks impossible but is actually not too difficult at all - recommend a 15 to 20mtr 8mm safety line as a minimum of gear and should have reasonable confidence with rock scrambling / heights / exposed drops. Best done within a week of rain in the area as water on top can be elusive - drainage that flows to the West of the Crown has provided the best option when there on long week-ends etc.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby DavidBW » Thu 31 Dec, 2015 6:20 pm

Hi,

I'm looking to spend 2-3 days in early-mid Jan to go from Baal Bone Gap to Pantoneys Crown. Do any of you have trip reports or advice for the walk? I heard navigation is straightforward but the drive to Baal Bone Gap is quite rough.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby LachlanB » Sun 03 Jan, 2016 12:45 pm

Getting into Baal Bone Gap from Ben Bullen was pretty straightforward (nicely graded), but that was a few years ago, and I was in a 4WD. Coming up from Wolgan Rd is more difficult; there's a few rocky steps that are difficult to navigate, even with a 4WD.
Edit: This looks like the place; not fun going either way-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvIYNf26zag
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby DaveNoble » Sun 03 Jan, 2016 2:35 pm

Most walkers I think get to Baal Bone Gap, via driving up the fire trail that leaves the Wolgan Road not far past the Angus Place Coal Mine. It goes up the Coxs River and joins a road along the western rim of the Wolgan Valley. It is 2WD as far as the top of the hill down towards Baal Bone Gap (where another branch goes out to near Cape Horn). The walk from that point to Baal Bone Gap would be around 2.5 - 3 km.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby DavidBW » Tue 05 Jan, 2016 10:11 am

Thanks for the comments. I was just reading your Pantoneys Crown trip reports, Dave.

I'd like to do the popular Baal Bone Gap - Baal Bone Point - Pantoneys Crown [camp a night] - Crown Creek and Point Cameron - Baal Bone Gap 2-day walk. I haven't done any compass + topo map navigation before and have only read on the internet about how to interpret a topo map and use a compass. How clear are the tracks on this circuit?

From what I've read, it's about 5km (~2.5hrs) from Baal Bone Gap to Baal Bone Point and another 3km (~1.5hrs) to Pantoneys Crown. Is this correct? How long would the walk from Pantoneys Crown back to Baal Bone Gap via Point Cameron be and roughly how long would the walk take?
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby tom_brennan » Tue 05 Jan, 2016 2:04 pm

dingelberry wrote:Its hard to find any real track notes on this walk most sites that ive been to have plenty of pictures but not a lot of information about a track or lack of.


There is plenty of info in the various trip reports and photographs on the internet. Detailed track notes often encourage people to try and visit places that are beyond their experience.

DavidBW wrote:I haven't done any compass + topo map navigation before and have only read on the internet about how to interpret a topo map and use a compass. How clear are the tracks on this circuit?


There aren't any tracks. There are some places where there are foot pads, for example, from Baal Bone Point to the saddle below. But you need to be able to navigate and route find. Also, the passes at both ends involve rock scrambling, and exposure at the southern end.
Bushwalking NSW - http://bushwalkingnsw.com
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby DaveNoble » Tue 05 Jan, 2016 2:16 pm

I would add that the navigation is not all that straightforward as well. Eg once down the north side of Pantoneys (and the pass is not that obvious or even marked) - it is hard to pick up the correct ridge that you want to follow, as there is a steep talus slope, and the ridges are very vague at first. Also the maps are a bit general - and the contours do not show every little gully. You need to be aware of this, and it is something you pick up with experience.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby Webguy » Fri 12 Feb, 2016 8:22 am

OK, been nearly 10 years since I did it, but here is the very basics of where we went...
Image

Pink is the road in, can be rough at times.

Red dot is the campsite we camped at on the sat night and left the cars at.

Green is....

First green is walk along fire trail to where we left the road. (Green dot)
Next green section is trackless and find your way up and onto the plateau, you will know you are there because if you go any further you WILL fall off and die. Here you will find a defined walking track that goes to the end or back towards Baal Bone gap.

Orange section - At the end on the right, there is a pass down a tree in a stone section, then a walking track down to the valley floor.

Track peters out (Or did back then)

We aimed at the more gentle slope on the left of the crown and came across a foot pad that goes almost tight to the climbing gully up to the top.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby polas » Sun 21 Feb, 2016 9:23 pm

Are there any water sources between baal bone and the crown? I assume there is no water at the top but there should some creeks on the way there.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby DaveNoble » Mon 22 Feb, 2016 8:07 am

The only reliable water is at Baal Bone Gap - from the pressure reducing station. No water from there to Baal Bone Point (except from rock pools on the pagodas just after rain), then no water from there to Pantoneys Crown - since you walk across a saddle. I usually carry water up onto the Crown, sufficient for the night and next morning. But on many trips - I do find rock pools on top. There is (probably) permanent water on the top in pools in a small canyon - but this is a bit out of the way to get to.

You can get water from the main creek below the Crown - near the road that goes down from the Gap. But not always. These creeks seem to dry up very quickly and also they do flow through a limestone area (The Blue Rocks) - and the water flows underground.

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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby polas » Mon 07 Mar, 2016 8:35 pm

thanks Dave for the info.

for anyone heading that direction is seems that Baal Bone is on fire. There is not much info about it online atm.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby jonnosan » Wed 09 Mar, 2016 9:16 am

I was out at Baal Bone gap yesterday, no sign of a fire.

We started out coming in from Ben Bullen in a subaru forester, but baulked at the top of a very roughly cut up descent about 6KM from the gap. Continuing past that point would need a real high clearance 4WD, not an AWD I think.

We then drove around Angus Place, and took the road that goes along the Coxs River, parking at the top of the hill where the road forks down to Baal Bone Gap and right to Cape Horne. Just below that point the road gets really bad (per the youtube link above) and even a real 4WD will have some challenges, although I have previously seen 4WDs descend that spot in convoy with winches.

So my take on current situation:
in low clearance vehicle it's going to be a long walk
in a high clearance AWD, best bet is via Angus Place, and park 3KM from Baal Bone gap.
in a 4WD, you should be able to drive all the way from Ben Bullen to Baal Bone Gap
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby polas » Wed 09 Mar, 2016 11:08 am

jonnosan wrote:I was out at Baal Bone gap yesterday, no sign of a fire.


the fire was on Baal Bone Point as far as I know.
thanks for the report on the state of the roads!
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby DaveNoble » Wed 09 Mar, 2016 11:25 am

jonnosan wrote:in low clearance vehicle it's going to be a long walk
in a high clearance AWD, best bet is via Angus Place, and park 3KM from Baal Bone gap.


I have been out to the top of that steep hill many times in 2WD vehicles (small ones too) - the road is not that bad, except perhaps after a lot of rain.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby DaveNoble » Wed 09 Mar, 2016 11:27 am

polas wrote:the fire was on Baal Bone Point as far as I know.


Nothing shows up on the rfs - fires near me website.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby polas » Wed 09 Mar, 2016 11:45 am

DaveNoble wrote:
polas wrote:the fire was on Baal Bone Point as far as I know.


Nothing shows up on the rfs - fires near me website.


It did two days ago. It was marked blue as "under control"
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby paul8 » Wed 12 Apr, 2017 11:07 pm

For what it is worth, we, a group of 12, started from a private property east of Carpertee. 7 hours of walk for a return trip. Not hard.
Needless to say, you'll need to seek permission from the property owner to walk cross his property.
Details of the trip is in http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/09/pantoneys-crown-gardens-of-stone-np-nsw.html
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby Grabeach » Thu 13 Apr, 2017 11:11 pm

Probably late 1980s. Turned into the Baal Bone Colliery 4km north of Cullen Bullen. Although the mine was operating at that stage, it was a Sunday and there was nobody about. We had an unintended tour of the surface workings - I figured something was amiss when I started driving down the incline. Eventually drove out of the mine area on the eastern side. From there it was basically a straight line north east to BBG. No hills of note and a good enough surface for a Mitsubishi Colt with four on board. Without the tour BBG is only 8km from the main road by this route.

In Feb. 2015, Glencore had the mine on care and maintenance and up for sale. I don't suppose they left the gate unlocked?

For the record, the walk was down the road and a north to south traverse. Thought about heading south to the point, but having started late we didn't want to be caught in the dark across the top, so down to the valley and out via the road.
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Re: pantoneys crown

Postby rcaffin » Fri 14 Apr, 2017 8:17 pm

Pantonys Crown is a nice day walk.
We took the road which goes S of Airley. There's a fire trail going S somewhere. We parked at the end of that where it got 'interesting'. Down into the limestone creek below (CoCo Ck?), down that a bit, turned right up a side creek beside PC, then climbed up to the S end. Up there (you might need a rope and a climber), across the top, down at the N end, back into the limestone creek and back to the car. You would need to be able to navigate w map & compass, and to be able to travel fairly fast.
Lot's of goats around.

Cheers
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