Time: | 3 hrs |
Distance: | 6km |
Fitness: | E |
Skill: | E |
Ascent: | 490m |
Maps: | LPI Milton 8927-2N 1:25000 |
Introduction
Pigeon House Mountain is a distinctive peak in the southern part of Morton National Park. Captain Cook named Pigeon House Mountain as he sailed past in 1770 - "a remarkable peaked hill which resembled a square dovehouse with a dome on top and for that reason I called it Pigeon House".The local aboriginal tribe called it Didthol, a word meaning "woman's breast".
The climb to the top is not particularly long, but is steep. The rewards are views in all directions, from the ocean in the east to the major peaks of the Central Budawangs.
The walk is well signposted and the track is clear and obvious. It is best in the cooler months, particularly early spring when the wildflowers are out.
Access
Pigeon House Mountain is accessed by a drive of about 30 minutes from Milton, on the South Coast. The approach is on a mix of sealed and unsealed roads. The unsealed roads are in reasonable condition, and are negotiable by normal clearance 2WD cars in dry weather. They become quite slippery and muddy after rain, and an AWD or 4WD vehicle is recommended.
After passing south through the main shops on the Princes Highway at Milton, turn right into Croobyar Rd at the traffic lights, and reset your trip meter. Continue on as Croobyar Rd becomes Woodstock Rd and then Woodburn Rd. At the 16.0km mark, turn right (signposted to Pigeon House Mountain and Yadboro) on to Clyde Ridge Rd. From here to the Pigeon House car park the roads are unsealed. At 23.9km, turn right (again signposted to Pigeon House Mountain and Yadboro) on to Yadboro Forest Road. At 28.4km turn right off the Yadboro Forest Road to Pigeon House Mountain. The car park is reached at 29.6km.
Track notes
From 29 Aug 2010, last checked 29 Aug 2010
Head up the steep and eroded track out of the car park. The track climbs over 250m in the next kilometre, up the middle of the ridge, before traversing left to avoid some minor cliffs. This last section has seen the NPWS do a lot of track stabilisation, and there are steps and boards up most of it.
At the top of this section there are good views from the east side of the ridge, from the top of a rocky outcrop.
Beyond here the track is flat for the next 800m, and the walking pleasant and easy. The climb starts again after this, first gently, then getting progressively steeper until you reach a set of ladders at the first cliffline of the peak proper. From here to the summit - about 60m vertically - the ascent is almost all on steps and ladders. Some of these are quite steep indeed. Finally you reach the summit plateau, and a short walk around the edge brings you up to the summit proper, with the old trig station. There are great views to the north from here, to Byangee Walls, the Castle and Mt Talaterang. There are other points on the summit plateau which give you views in other directions.
After a break, retrace your steps back to the car park.