After trawling through some niche hiking forums, Pantoney’s Crown had been constantly reappearing. A further drive than my usual Blue Mountains, the promise of another mesa like Mount Solitary (one of my favourite places in the mountains) and the opportunity to put some cool new gear to the test was enough to entice me past Lithgow. A couple days of researching later and I was heading off with a friend I’d managed to convince to come along. 

Day 0 report: 

Following a luxurious 12pm start and a brief intermission to raid Aldi’s lollies and Nutrigrain supply, we were on the 3 hour drive out to the Wolgan Valley. After some spectacular highway views, we eventually turned off the dirt road to Baal Bone gap, travelling some recently graded dirt roads in a Mitsubishi 2WD, stopping at a fork in the road where it got too steep to be sure we could make it back out. Here, we set up camp on some of the hardest ground possible, enlisting some rocks nearby to stop our tents from blowing away. After trying and failing to cook some lamb koftas evenly on a campfire, we gunned it down the dirt road to a lookout we had spotted on the way up for sunset and got off to sleep for a big day ahead. 

Day 1 trip report 

After waking up bright and early, we shook the rain off our tents and packed up to race to that same lookout for sunrise, soaking in the views with Brekky to prepare ourselves for a big day ahead. 

We then said final goodbyes to the car and soon found ourselves in a spectacular valley along the fire trail, with a lovely and relaxing downhill walk to Baal Bone gap, where we got our first glimpse of the Crown.  

Leaving the safety of the fire trail to Baal Bone plateau rewarded us with a face full of just above head high scrub that had regrown after fires, making it a nightmare to reach the plateau. Despite an initial reprieve at the top, demoralising scrub bashing became the theme of the plateau, slowing our pace down to about 2 ks an hour. The journey, however, was made easier by the constant views of Pantoney’s crown and the surrounding Capertee valley as we traversed the cliff lines to Baal Bone point. 

Upon reaching the point, we gawked at the views for a second before dropping down into a steep chute, choosing to throw our packs down after us rather than getting the rope out of the front pocket of my bag. Following another cool cutout in the rocks, we were on the side of Baal Bone point. Spurred on by the looming presence of the crown in front of us and (mostly) better bush conditions, we made light work of the ridge and made it to a shaded spot at the middle of the saddle for lunch. 

Although the massive hills looming over during lunch had been intimidating, a beautifully open spur made the climb fly by, and before we could start thing about the following ascent up the rocky pass, we were staring at the base of the huge cliffs that are Pantoney’s Crown. After skirting around the base, we were at the pass known as ‘The Chimney’, a somewhat break in the endless cliffs. A quick YouTube refresher later, and we were confident of the route and our abilities. While very exposed, what followed was relatively easy climbing on nice rock up near-vertical faces. As the climbing was beyond our comfort zone with packs, some makeshift pulley systems were rigged up to lug our packs up the mountain.  

With plenty of breaks and online route checks, we eventually made it up the mountain, making a beeline to a sheltered campsite on the cliffs, where we made camp for the night. A relaxing afternoon of exploring the local rock pagodas and a Campers Pantry creamy chicken pasta later and we were ready to head to a view spot for sunset, making the most of the calmer weather before a Westerly hit and forced us into our tents for an early night. 

Day 2 report 

After waking up early for the sunset again it soon became obvious this time was futile, as we found ourselves enveloped in a cloud, with an icy wind forcing us to shelter. We eventually built up the courage to take off our thermals and pack down camp, downing some dry Nutrigrain to provide fuel for the big day ahead. Despite the weather and some immediate dense scrub, spirits remained high as we walked through panoramic views and spectacular windswept pagodas, eventually reaching the summit cairn.  

After enjoying 360 views of the surrounding valley and the ego boost of the last logbook entry being 2 years ago, it was time to set off again and look for a pass down the Northern end. 

Following much cross checking with the map, we spotted a beautiful rope that had been left behind at the start of the pass, signalling us to get going. While initially intimidating, this descent was far less exposed than the Southern end, and a further piece of climbing tape left on the other climbing section made for more peace of mind. Despite this, we still had to pack haul 2 sections to feel comfortable. Some fun but steep scree later and we reached the beautiful sight of the sandy cave that marks the end of the scrambling. 

After a break and some more Clif bars, it was back to the scrub we had come to know and love. At this point we had become desensitised to the bushfire regrowth, making a landscape of mostly dense scrub mixed in with some more open sections feel almost luxurious. When combined with constant views of both our start point and our goal, this section passed relatively quickly.  

With some careful (yet imprecise) navigation, we finally reached the spur we had planned to descend. Here it had begun to rain, and as I went to find somewhere shelter to don my rain gear, I almost stepped on a huge tiger snake also searching for shelter. We pushed on down the spur regardless, aiming to replenish our dwindling water supplies at the creek. Arriving at what had been described as a ‘guaranteed water source’, we found nothing but dry riverbed, and quite comedically, an animal skeleton to encapsulate how dry this bed had been. 

Disappointed by this finding, we chose to walk upstream a little bit and search further for water. Here we found a puddle that had clearly seen some use by the local wombats and had been sitting stagnant for a while. Deciding against this water, we cut our losses and decided to push up the fire trail to Baal Bone gap for water. Soon after setting off though, we ran into what appeared to be a bit of running water in the creek. This seemed safe enough, so we busted the filters out for the first time and had lunch in the mostly dry riverbed. 

With our packs now full of water, we pushed up what appeared to be an open-ish spur, although soon turned into a nightmare of just-above-head-height firs. With the goal of Point Cameron in sight, however, we pushed on, expecting reprieve when we reached the plateau. This we did not receive, though, as firs turned into a tangle of lawyer vine and a myriad of other spiky bushes. Almost an hour of this later, and we hadn’t even made it a kilometre. We eventually reached a point which appeared physically impossible to get through without growing wings and flying over. When combined with a constant rain that had wetted out all our gear and meant we were both absolutely soaked to the bone and freezing, this resulted in the easy decision of turning around and heading back to the fire trail, a journey we weren’t too keen for either.  

Our way back was made easier by a beautifully open riverbed, which guided us back to the safety of the trail. On the trail we just about pentupled our average pace, moving with a renewed sense of purpose to reach a campsite we had spotted the previous day. Despite some very steep sections, this fire trail felt like an absolute treat when compared to the conditions of the previous bush sections, even offering up some great views of the valley we’d come from. 

After finally reaching Baal Bone gap again, we walked another kilometre to the campsite and spent a good hour trying to get camp set up and get fully dry and warm before digging into a hard-earned Real Meals beef stroganoff for dinner. 

Day 3 trip report 

Any hopes of a reprieve in the weather were soon dashed as we woke up to the familiar sound of water on polyester. We opted to give up on our idea of walking back out to the Capertee valley, rather choosing to sleep in and prepare mentally for the short-yet exposed pack up and hike back to the car. After some more dry Nutrigrain for courage, we chucked all our layers on and threw caution to the wind with the promise of a warm, dry bed waiting at home. Soon enough, we were back on the wide-open trail, which was now looking more like a river than our water source from earlier. 

Only the sight of 2 lyrebirds also running from the weather and the gorgeous cliffs either side of the fire trail were enough to slow our pursuit of the warmth that the car promised. Apart from wondering how a Suzuki Swift we had seen on the first day got up the hills we were climbing, this small section of trail absolutely flew by, and soon enough the beautiful sight of the Mitsubishi revealed itself from within the fog. 

An eventful dirt road drive of trying to both stay straight in the deepening mud and dodging endless wallabies later, and we were back on the sealed Wolgan Road. It was then straight to Lithgow for the obligatory Maccas meal and debrief, attracting some weird looks from the locals. 

Summary 

This trip was ultimately a contradictory trip of incredible views and stimulating hiking mixed with soul-draining scrub bashing and consistently awful weather. Despite this, it was a hugely rewarding hike. At current conditions, I do not recommend this hike to people without significant off-track and navigational experience in heavy scrub, as well as steep scrambling/climbing with exposure comfortability. 

Gear Highlights 

Wallaroo 40L Pro: 

This was the piece of gear I was most excited to test out this trip, having loved the Wallaroo 55L Pro I was able to test out on a previous trip. My first impressions after seeing the bag were ones of intrigue, particularly around the unique strap designs. Despite the excellent materials used, I was still keen to see how the bag held up to the incredibly strenuous test I was about to put it to. Having completed this, I can say that the pack held up remarkably well and somewhat annoyingly, other than some charcoal, ended up looking exactly how it was when I got it.  

In using it, I found that my favourite features were the strap system first and foremost, which I found distributed the weight nicely (even with 2 full days of water). The pockets were also very functional, providing easy access to both water and snacks, especially the shoulder strap soft-flask pockets. Finally, the frame worked effectively to tie the whole thing together, resulting in a very comfortable carry, and something I’d be keen to see how far I could take. 

Neve Waratah -2 6’: 

This quilt was a very safe bet, being extremely light, cheap, durable, and great to use. I hadn’t really tested this quilt yet to its limits, so it was great to see how it performed in some unexpectedly cold conditions on the second night. Luckily, it kept me toasty warm, particularly when the pad straps and neck collar were deployed. This quilt will continue to be a staple of my kit for a long time. 

Hydrapak Ultraflask 500ml: 

I hadn’t bought in to the running vest and soft bottle craze yet, so this was a big step for me. After a couple of teething problems with trying to figure out the best ways to fill up the bottle, I found this very helpful, providing infinitely more convenience than a bladder or traditional bottles, as well as being the perfect size for my electrolyte sachets. I’ll be using this again soon. 

Nitecore Nu27: 

Was this a bit overkill for just being at camp? Definitely. Was it still worth bringing? Also definitely. This has become my go-to headtorch, having great battery life and power for such a small weight/package. Served me well after I got lost trying to get back to camp from our sunset rock. 

Nitecore NB10000 Gen3: 

On the same vein, the NB10000 is another great and reliable piece of kit, doing everything it needs to do well, and nothing more than that, something I can appreciate. With all that battery life for just 150g, this is another item that impressed me this trip.