Ironstone Mountain and Bastion Bluff circuit
Posted: Sun 17 Nov, 2013 8:46 amI did this walk as a quasi overnight walk starting from Smoko Creek at 3pm one day and arriving back at the car at 9am. All up I walked for approximately 8 hours with an overnight pack so this could easily be done as a day walk. From the Smoko Creek car park to the final creek crossing the bubbling stream is magnificent, it seems like there is a waterfall around every corner. This was my second time on this track and I had almost forgotten how beautiful it is.
After getting to the top of the treeline the scenery is very 'Central Plateau', I was hoping that there may be some Scorapia in flower but unfortunately not. I plodded on up to the plateau of Ironstone and pulled out the GPS to determine where the summit was, bugger! 1.2km away. I dumped my pack a scurried off across the open walking to the top. I returned to my pack as the sun was starting to get quite low on the horizon and I continued on my merry way to Bastion Bluff, wandering over the top and dropping down to near the descent gully to the Dell where I had planned to camp. As hoped I found myself a perfect bit of waterfront real estate as the sun was setting.
I was up early the next morning and on my way shortly after sunrise. I had the usually early morning stumbles across the boulders, became temporarily spatial disorientated from time to time but soon finding the track again. I wandered back down the lovely creekside track including the log over Chasm Falls enjoying the thought that I would have done a 3 hour walk before most people would have finished their Cornflakes on a Saturday morning. When I got back to the car a group had just arrived and were busily packing their gear, they must having wondered what I was doing getting back to the car at that time at the start of the weekend!
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After getting to the top of the treeline the scenery is very 'Central Plateau', I was hoping that there may be some Scorapia in flower but unfortunately not. I plodded on up to the plateau of Ironstone and pulled out the GPS to determine where the summit was, bugger! 1.2km away. I dumped my pack a scurried off across the open walking to the top. I returned to my pack as the sun was starting to get quite low on the horizon and I continued on my merry way to Bastion Bluff, wandering over the top and dropping down to near the descent gully to the Dell where I had planned to camp. As hoped I found myself a perfect bit of waterfront real estate as the sun was setting.
- Ironstone summit plateau
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- Real Estate
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I was up early the next morning and on my way shortly after sunrise. I had the usually early morning stumbles across the boulders, became temporarily spatial disorientated from time to time but soon finding the track again. I wandered back down the lovely creekside track including the log over Chasm Falls enjoying the thought that I would have done a 3 hour walk before most people would have finished their Cornflakes on a Saturday morning. When I got back to the car a group had just arrived and were busily packing their gear, they must having wondered what I was doing getting back to the car at that time at the start of the weekend!
- Chasm Falls crossing #look mum no hands!
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