Pigeon House Mountain Walk.
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| Snippets from the National Parks and Wildlife brochure Pigeon House Mountain Walk. |
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| Pigeon House Walk"...a remarkable peaked hill) which resembles a square dovehouse with a dome on top and for that reason I named it Pigeon House..ICaptain James Cook H.M.S. Endeavour - 21st April 1770. The climb to the summit of Pigeon House moun-tain is becoming an increasingly popular activity with upwards of 8,000 people making the effort each year.From the top of the mountain there are magnificent panoramic views of the rugged cliffs and gorges carved by the Clyde River and its tributaries. Dominating the view to the north-west are two elongated plateaux of Byangee Walls and theCastle. On a good day, coastline stretching from Point Perpendicular in the north to Mount Dromaderry in the south can be seen. The Pigeon House Mountain waving track is reached by taking the turn-off from the Princes Highway about three kilometres south of Burill Lake and then driving about twenty six kilometres to a picnic area at thestart of the track.The walk to the top of Pigeon House and return takes about 4 hours. This walk can be divided into 4stages. See map.Stage I A steep climb of 800m from the carpark to the first cliff line, follows a steep spur through a forest of Black Ash(Eucalyptussiebrij with an open understorey. The vegetation is well adapted to the dry soils of this steep exposed spur. The rock types of this first section are metamorphosed Ordvician sediments about 490 million years old. The first sandstone clif fline is early Permian, about 250 million years old.Stage 2 A Flat walk of lkm from the top of the first cliffline to where the track starts to climb again. The sandy shallow soils support woodlands and shrubby vegetation which are a haven for honeyeaters and other smallbirds. Many wildflowers can be seen in spring and summer. Common plants are the Wattle (Acaciaoblusifotia)the Hairpin Banksia (Banksiaspinuloga)and many heaths (Epacrisspp). Stage 3 A steep climb of 500m takes us to the base of the adders. Initially, the sandstone soils support heath and sedge but as the track climbs the soil gets deeper and clayier (derived from siltstone) allowing taller,denser vegetation to grow. Towards the top of this stage a wet forest grows where the Pigeon House cliff line provides shelter from the sun. Lyrebirds may be seen or heard here.Stage 4The summit of Pigeon House is reached by climbing a series of steel ladders attached to the cliff face. This peak is the southern most remnant of a once extensive sandstone plateau stretching north towards the Shoal aven River. The plateau has been dissected by streams to produce the grand mountainous scenery of the Budawang Range. From the summit the different layers of sandstone can be traced in the surrounding cliffs, eg. The Castle and Byangee Walls.These layers of sandstone were layed down in a shallow sea 250 million years ago. The upper layers were layed down over the lower layers and are therefore younger. The whole area was later uptifted. The vegetation on the summit includes Tea Tree(Leptospermumspp\} and the Pigeon House Ash(Eucaiyplustnflora) which is found only in the Budawang National Park. | ||||||||||||
| The first explorers of Pigeon House were the local Aboriginals of the Walbanja and Wandandian tribes who called it Dithol or Did-Dell. It had great significance for the Aboriginals because of its prorninence and proximity to one of their trading routes. From the coast to the tablelands. | ||||||||||||
| .They occupied coastal sites near here for 20,000years. The oldest known site near Pigeon House is 3,500 years old. Pigeon House was named by Captain Cook in 1770, it is a very prominent land-mark from the sea and was used by early mariners as a navigation aid. White people first set foot on Pigeon House in 1822 when Alexander Berry, Hamilton Hurne, and ThomasDavison sailed up the Clyde River to near Broom an then walked overland via Yadboro. The extension of logging roads in the 1950's and installation of the steel ladders in IS70, recently upgraded, has made it much easier. | ||||||||||||
| National Parks and Wildlife CodeThe preservation and protection of our natural areas depends on the cooperation of all who visit and enjoy your National Park's and Nature Reserves. Here are a few simple rules that everyone is asked to observe. Fire can destroy lives and property so be careful,especially during buushfire danger periods. Use only safe fireplaces and do not light fires during total firebans. Keep the area you use tidy - place rubbish in bins where provided, or take it home with you. Leave your pets at home - they can disturb and kill native wildlife and are often a nuisance to other visitors. Leave firearms at home. Do not disturb plants, animals or rocks. Rocks are important shelter for some animals and plants. Drive carefully and keep to roads and carparks provided. Please observe all signs. They are provided for your guidance and to assist vou to eniov vour visit. | ||||||||||||
| For further information please contact:Nowra District Office (02)44232170 Ulladulla Subdistrict (02)445S 3826 | ||||||||||||
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