Patonga to Wondabyne via Pindar Cave
This is fairly well documented easy (nothing too technical) to medium (distance is pretty long at 30km) level track. We had planned to do it as an overnighter, but due to poor planning ended up spending two nights in the bush, not a bad thing! Some of the highlights include a great swim spot at Kariong Falls, campsite on Mount Wondabyne, the vast Pindar Cave and Falls nearby and Wondabyne train station, the only (single platform!) train station with no road access. The only downsides to this track to be aware of is a fair amount is on fire trail not bush and you pass the not so glamorous Woy Woy rubbish tip (which only lasts about 30 minutes of walking as you can view it in the distance). Day 1 involved walking from Patonga to Mount Wondabyne, great views from the top (and camping spots up high too). Day 2 we passes through the magnificent Kariong Falls, so after a great swim we continued to Pindar Cave. The route to Pindar Cave involved some fairly thick bush, so navigation definitely needed for this part (the rest was pretty clear going). The plan was to see the cave and get to Wondabyne Station to catch the train back to our car. However, we only reached the cave at 4pm, so ended up staying an extra night in the cave, which was amazing. Worth noting whilst the waterfalls are only 10 mins walk way, we nearly got lost in the overgrowth. Day 3 involved a relatively short walk (3 hours ish) to Wondabyne Station, where we swam in the lake before catching the (hourly) train. The station is worth the trip alone, but all in all this was a very scenic and fun track.
Starting at Patonga The views over Patonga quick tea break Flat going on day 1 Walking to Mount Wondabyne A cave on Mount Wondabyne Summit view Rocky Our campsite on the mountain Cold! Day 2 freshen up A swim at Kariong Falls Trek to Pindar Cave Holy moly! Views Pindar cave Back track to reach Wondabyne station Swim before catching the train Just me and the bull sharks lol