Montagu Thumbs Circuit

Thursday 31st October 2013

Cathedral Rock from Montagu Thumbs

I started the walk at a small car park beside the North West Bay River in Betts Road at about 0730. Previously I had walked to Cathedral Rock, Mount Montagu and Wellington Falls, but had not walked the circuit before.
The walk followed the North West Bay River for a time before linking up with an old fire trail which headed steeply uphill before flattening out somewhat. Soon the turnoff to Cathedral Rock was reached and I walked this to eventually reach Cathedral Rock 2 hours after I started. The track up to the rock is being eroded in places and is quite steep and rocky.
After a snack I headed off in the direction of Montagu Thumbs. It was quite blowy up here and I had to be careful walking along the narrow ridge. I would suggest that if one did not have a head for heights, then I would avoid this part of the walk as it is a very narrow ridge in places with steep drops on both sides. There are also a couple of tricky sections where long arms and legs are required, but other than that, it is okay. The track was easily followed.

Montagu Thumbs from Cathedral Rock

About 3 hours into the walk I reached a lookout point along the Montagu Thumbs and stopped for a short time to check out the view and take some photos. I continued on down, then up over the last hill and then down again to finally reach the old Montagu Fire Trail. I was now in familiar territory as I had walked this section when I visited Norris Hut about 6 weeks ago.
Four hours from the start I came across the turnoff to Wellington Falls and walked this track to the Falls. This section of track was quite poorly marked and hard to distinguish in places but I finally arrived at the top of the Falls after about half an hour. There was a reasonable amount of water flowing down the river and this proved to be an ideal spot for lunch. After a short break I crossed the river and connected up with the Wellington Falls track which I walked down to the Pipeline Track. From here I followed the Siphon Track down to the North West Bay River. This track was very steep and I had to walk sideways in some places to avoid slipping down. Needless to say, my knees were protesting by the time I reached the river.
Just as I was approaching the river, I came across a class of school children and teachers out on a day excursion. Lucky kids - I did nothing like that when I went to school those many years ago!! After a bit of a chat, I crossed the river and found the track which led back to the track I had taken earlier in the morning and walked back to the car.
This was a good walk although quite a tiring one. I think I must be getting old!!
Distance: 14.6 kms.
Time: 6"34"
Ascent: 1016 metres
Click here to download GPX track.

North West Bay River from Cathedral Rock

Collins Bonnet from Cathedral Rock

Montagu Thumbs

Mount Montagu

Above Wellington Falls

Montagu Thumbs from Wellington Falls Track

Cathedral Rock from Wellington Falls Track