Mountains of Sydney - Mount Wareng

The little brother to the taller Mount Yengo to the south. Mount Wareng is an imposing mountain with a very "basalt" feel to it. The top 200m is on basalt soil. When I visited, the experience was somewhat marred by the amount of weeds covering the basalt soil. The climb up the mountain is very steep, but the open vegetation makes it a relatively easy walk.

Driving directions

From the Colo River bridge, drive north along Putty Road. The turnoff onto Howes Trail is 92km north of Color River bridge, or 4km north from the MacDonald River crossing. Park on the side of the road and go through the closed gate. There should be a national parks sign marking Howes Trail.

Directions to the summit

1. From Putty Road, walk 4.5km along Howes Trail. This is a public road through private farmland. There are 3 gates to cross on the way. Leave all gates as found. You could also ride this section on a mountain bike or drive a 4WD car.

2. The easiest approach is via the second, wider spur, to the North East of the summit. Start by heading west straight up the steep hill.

3. At the top of the first steep climb, the vegetation suddenly changes as you reach the basalt soils. There are fig trees, kurrajongs, and when I was there, a lot of weeds. From here on the summit ridge is very obvious. Keep following it up.

4. At the top of the climb you reach a cairn of rocks. This is not actually the summit. The summit is another 200m further along the ridge. Have a look around the summit, There are some views of Mount Yengo from the southern side of the mountain. Return the way you came.