An off-track loop through the pagoda country above Bungleboori Creek, weaving between sandstone walls, narrow slots and spring time heath in Newnes State Forest.

A long fire trail across Genowlan Mountain in Mugii Murum-ban passes through fern gullies, pagoda country and soaring cliffs before reaching the edge of the Capertee Valley.

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.

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.