We arrive at Wollemi National Park, driving through a series of rock tunnels which seemingly transport us into another world. Our guide explains the route ahead, before we set out through a landscape of tall eucalypt forest with Blue Mountains Ash, spectacular pagoda rock formations, vibrant ferns, canyons and streams.

We arrive at the entrance to a cave like tunnel, from here we walk under the mountain range, taking a fascinating short cut to the Wolgan Valley and the beautiful Gardens of Stone National Park. We descend into the darkness with our trusty torch in hand, stopping halfway to turn off our torches and be amazed by the thousands of Glow Worms which transform the tunnel into a starry night. Though natural looking from its exterior appearance, this tunnel is actually a disused railway line, which once descended into the Newnes valley, transporting oil shale.

Today, after a hearty breakfast, we take the historic Pipeline Track to the top of Pipeline Pass, where a lookout on the towering cliffs provides a majestic view over the wild Wolgan Valley and a great place for a well-deserved morning tea break. The steep and rugged track follows the route of an old oil pipeline that once ran between the shale mining communities of Glen Davis in the Capertee Valley and Newnes in the Wolgan Valley. Remnants of the pipeline can still be seen along the way. The first few kilometres of the walk meander beside the beautiful Wolgan River past some of the other industrial ruins of Newnes, but the final kilometre to the lookout climbs more than 300 metres from the valley floor to the top of the sandstone escarpment. On the way up and down this very steep section of track it is at times necessary to scramble with hands and feet. We return in time for lunch back in Newnes. Our 4WD vehicle then escorts us back to Katoomba.