GUNUNG · Australia
Mount Solitary
Mount Solitary (nama Aborigin: Korowal)
Source
Mount Solitary (Korowal) dilihat dari Ruined Castle, Jamison Valley — Blue Mountains, NSW. Photo: source
—
- Feels like
- —
- Humidity
- —
- Wind
- —
Source: Open-Meteo
Information
- Elevation
- 950 m
- Country
- Australia (AU)
- Location / Range
- Blue Mountains (taji Great Dividing Range), Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales
- Mountain type
- Mesa (bukit berpuncak datar) dari batupasir Trias — batuan sedimen Cekungan Sydney, bukan gunung berapi
- Volcanic?
- No (non-volcanic)
- Coordinates
- -33.7833, 150.3167
- Difficulty
- Berat — jalur off-track dengan scrambling di punggungan Korowal Knife Edge, tidak ada sumber air, butuh navigasi dan kebugaran baik; umumnya ditempuh menginap 2 hari
- Best Season
- Musim gugur (Mar–Mei) dan semi (Sep–Nov) paling nyaman; musim panas panas dan berisiko kebakaran hutan, musim dingin dingin dengan kadang salju tipis di titik tinggi
- Permits & Rules
- Tidak perlu izin atau pemesanan untuk mendaki maupun berkemah; berada di Blue Mountains National Park (NSW National Parks). Berlaku aturan taman dan pembatasan api standar
- Hazards
- Tidak ada sumber air di gunung (bawa semua kebutuhan), banyak bagian terpencil dengan tepi tebing terbuka, scramble kasar tak-terformat di Korowal Knife Edge, tanjakan/turunan curam, dan risiko nyata kehilangan jalur — dua kasus SAR terkenal pernah terjadi di sini (David Iredale meninggal 2006, Jamie Neale tersesat 12 hari pada 2009)
Description
Mount Solitary — known by its Aboriginal name Korowal, said to mean “the strong one” — is the only mountain standing in the middle of the Jamison Valley in the Blue Mountains, about 100 km west of Sydney and just south of Katoomba. It is a long, flat-topped mesa of Triassic sandstone (Sydney Basin sedimentary rock) rather than a volcano; its summit ridge runs roughly 5 km and is cloaked in eucalyptus forest, with pockets of semi-rainforest in the moist gullies and a cluster of pines at the western end. The classic route passes the Ruined Castle rock formation and a sealed old coal-mine entrance, with the main campsite at a clearing that once housed the mining community. Because it is long, remote, waterless and demands a scramble along the Korowal Knife Edge, it is most often walked as an overnight or multi-day traverse rather than a day trip. Its 950 m height gives wide valley views from the southern side before the track drops to the Kedumba River and climbs to Kings Tableland near Wentworth Falls.
Gallery
Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.
Routes
Mount Solitary traverse (Golden Stairs → Ruined Castle → puncak Korowal → Kedumba)
Berat — scramble off-track di Korowal Knife Edge yang terbuka; butuh navigasi dan kebugaran kuatThe classic point-to-point traverse drops down the Golden Stairs, follows the Federal Pass past the Ruined Castle, then climbs the eastern end of the mountain and runs the length of the summit ridge before scrambling down the rough Korowal Knife Edge to the Kedumba River and out toward Kings Tableland. It is usually split over two days with a night camping on top or by the river. There is no water on the mountain, so walkers must carry everything they need.
SourceMount Solitary walking track (loop dari Katoomba)
Grade 5 (tersulit) — sangat curam, kasar, dan panjang; hanya untuk pendaki sangat berpengalamanNSW National Parks' signposted multi-day loop from Katoomba over Mount Solitary and through the Kedumba Valley, offering true bush camping and sweeping valley views. It covers demanding terrain across three days, with one stage of roughly 8 hours to cover just 9 km. Suited only to fit, well-prepared bushwalkers carrying all their own water.
SourceRuined Castle walking track (segmen pendekat)
Grade 4 — bagian curam dan permukaan tak rataA there-and-back walk along a historic mining route to the Ruined Castle rock formation on the ridge below Mount Solitary, passing old embankments, cuttings and the ruins of miners' cottages. It serves as the popular first leg toward the Mount Solitary summit and rewards walkers with valley views. Listed here as the shorter approach segment on the way to Korowal.
SourceClimbing Experiences
Trip reports for Mount Solitary almost uniformly frame it as one of the more serious Blue Mountains walks: down the Golden Stairs, along the Federal Pass past the Ruined Castle, then up onto the long summit ridge before the Korowal Knife Edge scramble. Creators repeatedly stress three things — the weight of carrying all your water because there is none on the mountain, the overnight camps on top or by the Kedumba River, and the sweeping Jamison Valley panoramas. Many do it as a 2–3 day loop out of Katoomba.
References
The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.