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.

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.

Three days in Wollemi gorge country