The Bungonia Gorge Red Track might only be 3.8km long but it delivers awesome views and challenging terrain to make for a memorable hike.
Bungonia Gorge Red Track
Bungoia National Park is located in the Southern Tablelands of NSW and its closest major town is Goulburn. At around 150km from Canberra and 200km from Sydney, the park makes for an excellent day trip and an even better weekender. The camping area is a classic NSW parks bush campground, with above average facilities like hot showers and a cooking area. The sites nestle into the surrounding Eucalypts and camping platforms with parking abound. I’d recommend bringing a mallet for your tent pegs as the camping platforms can be rock hard.
The Red Track itself is a short drive from the camping area (or walk if you have the time) and is clearly signposted. Signage at the trailhead suggests completing the hike clockwise and we were happy to follow this advice as it was our first time on the trail. As you follow the markers away from the car park, the trail meanders over a short rise before you are faced with the start of a scrambling, scree covered descent into the gorge. The descent is steep and challenging as you drop around 350m elevation over 1km. The views on the way down, however, are spectacular as you glimpse severe cliff walls through gaps in the trees, so its worth looking up once in a while. We also spotted several lyrebirds during our hike into the gorge.
Reaching the bottom of the gorge, we paused for a breather and some water as the day was warming up even in the shade of the gorge. We were hiking the trail during a particularly dry patch, but I’ve seen photos from other hikers that have experienced a very different trail after heavy rain and were wading through waist deep water at the bottom of the gorge, so it’s important to be mindful of the conditions and be prepared.
Hiking the Gorge
To begin with, the gorge was an easy sandy trail, but before long the sand transitioned to a gaint boulder field and our only option was to rock hop and scramble our way through. The boulders, which seemed small from a distance, were actually enormous, towering many metres high. Picking our way over, under and around the boulders was a super fun highlight of the trail.
Following the boulders, we were met with a more sandy trails, scrubby trees and a shallow creek. Without a definied trail to speak of, we picked our way along the gorge as best we could, following our noses with mixed success and occasional backtracking.
Before long, we came across a large water hole and a signpost indicating the end of the gorge trail with a steep looking climb to our right. As the day was hot, we decided to take a quick wild swim to cool off and make the most of the quiet beauty of the gorge, before hiking back up to the top.
The Hike Out
Once we were properly cooled from our swim, there was only one thing to do, get hot and sweaty again. by tackling the steep and very challanging trail out of the gorge. Around a kilometre long and climbing nearly 400m, this trail is nothing to be sniffed at. Luckily, when you inevitably stop for a breather, the views back down and across the gorge are increasingly rewarding, showing just how steep the trail has been.
Before long, we emerged back at the top of the trail, following a small section of the White Track back to your car.
Overall the Red Track at Bungonia Gorge was an enjoyable morning out, delivering the perfect combination of challenge and interest to keep us interested throughout. With a few more trails in the area, I’ll definitely be back to this hidden gem of a national park.
Trail Notes – Red Track Bungonia Gorge
- Distance: 3.8km
- Duration: 5 hours
- Location: Bungonia National Park, 1.5hours from Canberra, 2hours from Sydney