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Paul Dudley | profile | all galleries >> Other places near Sydney >> Blue Mountains and beyond (21 sub-albums) >> Mount Banks, Mount Wilson and the Grose Valley tree view | thumbnails | slideshow | map

Red Hands Cave | Megalong Valley | Woodford Academy Heritage Building | Valley Heights Rail Museum | Wentworth Falls and National Pass | Glen Davis and the Capertee Valley | Empire Pass | Waterfalls near Hazelbrook | The Carrington Hotel | Nepean River and the Lower Blue Mountains | Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Mount Tomah | Mount Banks, Mount Wilson and the Grose Valley | Katoomba - Leura - Mt Hay | Newnes, Deep Pass, and the Glow Worm Tunnel | The Everglades at Leura | Towards the Colo / Bob Turner's Track | The Gorge Track | Walls Lookout Track | Two secret waterholes | Jenolan Caves | Picnic at Cox's River Campground

Mount Banks, Mount Wilson and the Grose Valley

Another place – like Mount Tomah, and on the same road – that I tend to revisit to recharge my cerebral batteries. One hour by car from home, and then two hours with a camera.

Mount Banks is a peak, or rather a rounded bump, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. There's a car park 1 Km off Bells Line of Road, and then a rough and steepish track to the summit. Because of a geological oddity, the best views are from half way up, where the vegetation is low and scrubby because it's growing on sandstone. But Mount Banks has a basalt cap; the vegetation up there is comparatively lush; lots of trees and ferns, and therefore no views. And a trig point not visible until you are close. Strange, that.
Autumn in a garden
Autumn in a garden		 Swordgrass Brown
"Swordgrass Brown"		 At the change of soil type
At the change of soil type		 Not identified
Not identified		 Bursaria spinosa, I am told
Bursaria spinosa, I am told		 On the south slope of Mount Banks
On the south slope of Mount Banks		 Trig point on Mount Banks
Trig point on Mount Banks
Different vegetation on the basalt cap
Different vegetation on the basalt cap		 Ferns near the top of Mount Banks
Ferns near the top of Mount Banks		 Lambertia formosa
Lambertia formosa		 Darwinia fascicularis
Darwinia fascicularis		 Rainwater on sandstone
Rainwater on sandstone		 Sandstone rock formation
Sandstone rock formation		 Oronga Gully
Oronga Gully
Looking back along the track
Looking back along the track		 That pool revisited
That pool revisited		 Sandstone jigsaw piece
Sandstone jigsaw piece		 Oronga Ridge
Oronga Ridge		 Looking east
Looking east		 Oronga Valley
Oronga Valley		 Oronga Gully from the Mount Banks track
Oronga Gully from the Mount Banks track
Upper Grose Valley
Upper Grose Valley		 Currawong
Currawong		 Oronga Ridge
Oronga Ridge		 Upper Grose Valley
Upper Grose Valley		 Typical vegetation on sandstone ridge-top
Typical vegetation on sandstone ridge-top		 Rocks on a ridge-top – 2
Rocks on a ridge-top – 2		 Rocks on a ridge-top – 1
Rocks on a ridge-top – 1
Mount Hay in the distance
Mount Hay in the distance		 A sideways look at a small waterfall
A sideways look at a small waterfall		 Govetts Leap
Govetts Leap		 Rock face
Rock face		 Pulpit Rock
Pulpit Rock		 Grose Valley from Govetts Leap Lookout
Grose Valley from Govetts Leap Lookout		 North slope of Mount Banks
North slope of Mount Banks
Isopogon
Isopogon		 DuFour Rocks
DuFour Rocks		 DuFour Rocks
DuFour Rocks		 Mount Banks
Mount Banks		 Giant Brown Barrel tree
Giant Brown Barrel tree		 Distorted Sandstone
Distorted Sandstone		 Du Faur Rocks, Mount Wilson
Du Faur Rocks, Mount Wilson
Pool, Mount Banks track
Pool, Mount Banks track		 Behind Mount Banks
Behind Mount Banks		 Mount Banks track
Mount Banks track		 From Mount Banks Track - 1
From Mount Banks Track - 1		 From Mount Banks track - 2
From Mount Banks track - 2		 From Mount Banks track -3
From Mount Banks track -3		 From Mount Banks track - 4
From Mount Banks track - 4

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