Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is a deep gorge formed by a tributary flowing into Genowlan Creek. Huge pagodas adorn the cliff tops of the gorge.

We parked our cars just off the Genowlan Mountain firetrail just past the turnoff to The Grotto. When the firetrail is in good condition it saves a long walk up the hill.

For this walk we planned to walk to Genowlan Trig, turn east and work our way down to The Sphinx and Treasure Point at the end of the valley for lunch. From there it would be into the gorge and a walk up through the Valley Of The Kings on our way back to the car. I wanted to walk the entire valley so we would have to scramble up and around the canyon section in the middle.

We followed the firetrail and turned north along the track to Genowlan Trig. From the Trig Station we headed roughly east across the rocky outcrops for about 500m until we reached a Survey Marker at the southern end of a large pagoda.

After a short break for morning tea, examining the Survey Marker and exploring the pagodas we headed north-east and walked through open forest and pagodas for another 750m to another large cluster of pagodas. From here we turned north and towards Treasure Point and The Sphinx, some 800m furthr on.

Treasure Point is the high spot on the eastern cliff line where the Valley Of The Kings merges with Stringybark Valley. From certain angles the huge pagoda at Treasure Point resembles a sphinx, hence its name. The views from Treasure Point are amazing. It's a great place to stop for lunch.

There is a small reentrant on the south-west side of Treasure Point that allows access into The Valley Of The Kings.

The Valley Of The Kings is a lush rainforest with a small creek that flows after rain. There are a couple of sheltered spots where water remains in drier periods. The best is in a hidden overhang.

Near the half-way point the valley abruptly changes levels at a narrow canyon section. Bushwalkers have to find a way around this spot but it is worth while viewing it from the bottom and from above. There is a way up through the cliffs on the south-west side of the gorge.

The valley continues upstream of the canyon section. The valley is drier and more open here with the walls formed by high pagodas. We continued on for another 250m and found a spot where we could scramble up out of The Valley Of The Kings. A tape was required for this route. There was a rocky outcrop on the edge of the valley that allowed one last look down the gorge. From there we headed west for the short walk though the she-oak forest back to the firetrail and down to the cars.

It had been another lovely walk through the magic of Muggi Murum-ban SCA.