NEWNES
Going up and down Donkey Mountain for the first time can be very unnerving. The road is at best a car and a half wide - so be aware of a car coming in the opposite direction and sometimes there are 3 white goats on the road - all the curves are blind so keep as close as you can to the edge of the road - although I have an automatic car I use second gear in this area to give me more control and as a result I do not overheat the brakes. After breathing a sigh of relief at the bottom you may hold your breath again as you negotiate the graded dirt road - you will shake your teeth loose on the ridges, keep a sharp eye out for the potholes which leap out at you from the shadows - the road edges are loose dirt which can cause the car to fishtail if you happen to get too close to the edge - be aware that the corners are blind - there are several cattle grid gates which are on blind curves - these grids only allow one car through at a time. NONE OF THE BLIND CURVES, CATTLE GRIDS OR NARROWING OF THE ROAD ARE SIGNED. There used to be cattle on the road but these have gone since the government sold their freehold land to a slick real estate agent who chopped it up into very over priced 100 and 200 acres farms. The only creature you may see on the road now is a snake or monitor lizard.
When you think you are never going to get there you turn the corner and there is the old Newnes Hotel, this is privately owned. In summer the gentleman will sell you supplies and has a few National Park maps of the area. Keep going past the old train carts - now the potholes will really challenge you until you come to a creek. This creek looks a lot deeper than it is - the entry and exit can be churned up depending on how many 4 wheel drive vehicles have been through - I tend to put the car into first gear and drive in a sort of half circle around the edge - if you keep at an even pace you get through with no problems. The man who owns the Hotel told me, on my first visit, that he does not have a tow rope or a vehicle capable of pulling a car out if it gets bogged. You can camp on the other side of the river if you have a 4 wheel drive. The crossing is just after the hotel - it is sandy and the water is shallow - I have not been brave enough to try it in a 2 wheel drive although I have seen some 2WDs in the camping section over the river.
I always camp at Little Capertee camping area. It is a huge grassed area surrounded by sheer sandstone cliffs which were once under the ocean. The camping area is along side the Wolgan river - this river is wide but usually only 2 to 4 centimetres deep - the brochures tell you not to drink this water - I have been drinking it for years with no ill effects. There is one pit toilet, no showers or water. Take your rubbish with you - you can drop it off at the garbage tip at the top of Donkey Mountain.
If you sit quietly you will be able to observe the satin bower birds (they make a whirring sound), assorted parrots, a monitor lizard who does the rounds of the camping area every day and from dusk until dawn the local wombats. There is a large colony of very healthy wombats at Newnes. Please remember this is their home and you are the visitor.
There are lots of walks at Newnes. You can cross the river and walk around the ruins of an old shale mine. The return walk is 4 - 5 hours you need to allow another couple of hours to look around - each trip, I find a new place. Cross the Wolgan River at the ford where the cars cross then turn left, you will pass the Newnes railway station or what is left of it - it was built in 1907 - the railway closed in 1932 - continue past the camping areas - the path forkes so you can go either way, I suggest uphill first - there are coke and coal mines, coke ovens, the works reservoir, shale storage bins, wax production area, paraffin sheds, retaining walls 20 metres high - it is very strange to be walking along and be suddenly confronted by a massive wall. A lot of these areas are in ruins - if you obtain the National Parks brochure Newnes and the Glow Worm Tunnel it has a map of the area and you can get a better idea of what everything is.
The Pipeline Track runs from Newnes to Glen Davis. It follows the old pipeline. It is very hard, 18 kilometres return and is an overnight hike camping at Glen Davis (which has showers and toilets) before returning the next day. The National Parks has erected new signs which makes it very easy to see which way to go (I have been lost on several occasions) The track starts at a sign post and steps, you do not have to cross the river just hop over a bit of a creek. The track rises 340 metres in the first kilometre - boy do your heart and lungs know it - there is a huge rock at the top where you can sit and catch your breath and admire the view. When you catch your breath and have a drink of water you can continue down Green Gully to Glen Davis. You return by the same route unless you can con somebody into driving to Glen Davis to pick you up this is nearly 200k return.
Glow Worm Tunnel Track - you can walk to the glow worm tunnel from Newnes - cross the ford and turn right and follow the track. It is unmarked but distinct. It is a return trip of 8 - 11 kilometres depending on which brochure you read. Remember to take a torch to walk into the tunnel - when you get to about the middle, stand still and switch off the torch - magical fairy lights will appear all around you. You can also drive to the Glow Worm Tunnel by taking the Bells Line Road at Mount Victoria and following the signs to the Zig Zag Railway - turn into the Zig Zag Railway but veer right and follow the dirt logging road to the very end. You will come to the old coach road DO NOT TAKE THIS ROAD keep driving the car park is 3km further on - the road goes through a train tunnel - switch on your lights and blow your horn a few times as this tunnel is on a curve - keep going until you come to the car park. The Glow Worm Tunnel is about 1km from the car park.
