From a remote camp on the Wolgan–Capertee Divide, a day of pagodas, dense regrowth, hidden sandstone architecture and vast views leads to Blue Rock Gap.

On Kings Tableland, a sandstone formation first noticed in passing became the starting point for a deeper exploration of cliffs, ledges and hidden under-cliff passages.

Beyond two well-known walking tracks lies a longer journey through waterfalls, tidal shoreline, sandstone shelters and cliffs rising directly above the waterways of Ku-ring-gai.

A pale rock platform first noticed in aerial photography led to map-like sandstone markings, hidden overhangs and an exploration beneath the main cliff line.

A journey along one of the Gardens of Stone's most remarkable skylines, where changing pagoda landscapes, immense cliffs and sweeping valley views matter far more than the destination itself.

Rising alone from the Wolgan Valley floor, Donkey Mountain is topped by a maze of pagodas, slot canyons and sandstone chambers. In 2022, not long after the devastating bushfires, we spent a day exploring only a small part of this extraordinary mesa.

Large groups bring energy to the bush. But a brief period of silence can completely change the way a group experiences a place.

A modest sandstone outcrop beside McCarrs Creek Road led to an afternoon of overhangs, open woodland and unexpected discoveries in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Sometimes the quiet joy of small places is enough.

In 1931, a section of the Katoomba escarpment began to fail — a fissure widening for months before the cliff finally gave way. Nearly a century later, the scar is still there.

Across Pittwater, the cliffs give little away. A day along their base reveals what sits within them — and what is easy to miss.