Budawangs Multi-Day Hike – Easter Long Weekend

Got no plans for the Easter long weekend (3-6 April)? Look no further than an epic multi-day walk through the Budawangs wilderness.

Four days – Three nights – 60km – Get hyped!

Sign-ups open: Wednesday, 18 March at 6pm

Before you sign up, make sure you know:

• We will be remote camping for three nights – some overnight hiking experience will be required
• You need to bring all your own gear
• You need to be fit and able to walk 15km a day on difficult terrain
• You need to bring your own food for four days
• There won’t always be a nice, well-groomed trail to follow – Get ready to do some exploring 🧭

Itinerary
Evening of Thursday, April 2nd: Carpool from Sydney to Wog Wog campground (3-4 hr)
Friday: Wog Wog to Burrumbeet Brook (15km)
Saturday: Burrumbeet Brook to Monolith Valley & The Castle (10-15km)
Sunday: Exploration, return to Burrumbeet Brook / Corang Arch (10-15km)
Monday: Burrumbeet Brook to Wog Wog (15km), drive back home

Long Gully campground and the “Castle Track” (between Long Gully and Cooyoyo Creek) are officially closed for renovation over Easter. However, the scramble up Meakins Pass to the top of the Castle, approaching from Monolith Valley in the west, is still open (I have confirmed this with NPWS).

Noah and I have planned a trip starting and finishing in Wog Wog campground. Along the way, we’ll pass by Corang Creek and Corang Arch, Monolith Valley, Mount Owen, and Shrouded Gods. On the second or third day of the walk, we will attempt to summit The Castle.

Check out the intended route here (wikiloc).

Shoutout to this blog post from Canberra Bushwalking Club for serving as skeleton track notes.

List of required gear

Asterisk* = available to borrow at the gear cupboard

Essential items

• Hiking pack* (minimum 50L)
• 3L water 
• Food (4x breakfast, 4x lunch, 3x dinner, and plenty of snacks)
• Sturdy hiking boots or hiking shoes
• Gaiters
• Head torch
• Emergency blanket (compulsory – $5 from gear cupboard)
• Toilet roll (in dry bag)
• Lightweight trowel
• Chocolate for the trip leaders (hidden question: in your sign-up comment, tell us how many kilos you’ll be carrying for us)
• Tent* (can be shared between 2-4 people to reduce weight)
• Sleeping mat*
• Sleeping bag*
• Thermal baselayers
• Sunscreen
• Deodorant (please)

Clothing (must be non-cotton and quick-drying)

• Long-sleeve shirt
• Long pants
• Warm jacket
• Beanie
• Raincoat
• 2-3 pairs of hiking socks
• Hat

Cooking

• Camp stove* (can be shared with a buddy)
• Waterproof matches or a Bic lighter
• Fuel
• Small rubbish bag
• Pot/pan
• Lightweight mess kit

Other stuff

• Phone + power bank
• Personal medication
• Toiletries / personal hygiene
• Insect repellent

Optional

• Trekking poles
• Sleeping bag liner (for extra warmth)
• Map, compass, GPS (the trip leaders will hopefully remember to take these)
• Camera
• Water filtration/purification 
• Swimmers for the creek

We will be doing a bit of bush bashing on this trip – please try to cover up as much as possible with a long-sleeve shirt, long pants, and gaiters. If you don’t, expect your shoes to fill up with dirt, and your arms and legs to be covered in scratches (not fun).

Sturdy gaiters like these will help protect you against snake bites.

See also: REI’s backpacking checklist

Reminder: Sign-ups open Wednesday, 18 March at 6pm

Key points: This is a long and difficult walk, totalling 50-60km with 2000m of elevation gain over the weekend, requiring a good level of physical fitness. It won’t all be on nice trails – There will be a focus on off-track exploring, so bring your adventurous spirit along with you. To reach the summit of the Castle, you need to be comfortable with exposure to heights and using a handline. You can expect your hiking pack to weigh 12-15 kg with everything on the required gear list packed, including water.

In your sign-up comment below, include:

1. your fitness level,
2. what gear you’ll need to borrow,
3. the name of the hardest walk you’ve completed,
4. if you have a car,
5. and your answer to the hidden question (mwahaha).

Be careful – if you leave anything out of your comment, you may be rejected 😢

(Pro tip: Write it down in your notes app so it’s ready now to paste in the box when signups open).

Message me or Noah on Facebook if you have questions about the trip!