Glentui - Knowles Top - Ashley Gorge Picnic Ground

Sunday 8 Oct 2023

Dan scoffed at the prospect of scattered drizzle inland as the radio weather forecast was telling us and he was right. We had a clear cool day for this 500m climb from Glentui to Knowles Top. We parked near the Diamond Way Buddhist Retreat Centre, moved one car to Ashley Picnic Ground and set off up a vehicle track, past numerous bee hives amidst the flowering gorse and to the edge of the beech forest where we stopped beside a hut/bach for a break. Vesna found a reasonable path through the beech before we emerged onto tussock 500m short of the top—Knowles Top. There was a cool breeze up high. so we walked a little way west to the forest margin for an 11.30 early lunch, out of the wind.

A fallen tree blocked the usual entrance to the ridge track, but sawn trees marked a new, adjacent way in. The whole ridge track has been cleared recently with chainsaw and brush cutter, making this section an easy walk. The down-hill to the waterfall track is still clear but for a few gorse patches. Broom is threatening the lower part of the down-hill spur. Walking on the waterfall track we passed lots of people and dogs on this last day of school holidays.

This was an enjoyable through-trip though Heather made the point that we could have met in town at 8:30am so we arrived on Knowles Top around noon.

We were: Karen Fincham, Dorota Giejsztowt, Heather Hughes, Kyung Sang Lee, Vesna Mojsilovic. Dan Pryce, Joy Schroeder, Sha S G, Jessie Pajwani and Kerry Moore. [KM]