The Castle - Morton NP Question for Aegist

[Oxyroks]

Hey Aegist

I had a squiz at your 'My outdoor experience" tab and noticed you did the castle walk overnight staying in a cave.....

My girl and I are looking to do this walk over Easter we have a tent but do we need it if this cave is available?...... Any info you can throw our way would be grand......Cam

[Timmy Hills]

Hey Cam, I know it says "Question for Aegist" but can I please post? 

Actually I don't know of any camping caves below the Castle - last year we camped at the NWPS campsite below the saddle - but there are some long and well-used camping caves all the way around the other side of Mount Cole (near Trowalia Falls).

However, it's a real long day getting out there from the car park!  These caves are on the loop above Nibelung Pass: from Monolith Valley to Seven Gods Pinnacles, Trowalia Falls and then back via the edge of Mount Owen.

It's a cracker of a walk!  Anyway, um, over to you Aegist    I wanna know too so I don't have to lug my tent next time.

Timmy

[Aegist]

The cave we found was absolutely brilliant and you certainly won't need a tent if you find our cave. However we found our cave after losing the track, being benighted, and then scrub bashing up a steep hill to the bottom of the castle cliffline and luckily stumbling across this cave (not just an overhang, a real 'houselike' cave with a beautiful flat soft dirt floor.)

I don't know how common these caves are (we only found one!) but they certainly do exist. This one was on, excuse the bad directions here) on the 'left' side of the castle, as approached from the car park.

Also consider the landscape in the area would actually make it very hard to pitch a tent anyway I expect.

[Timmy Hills]

Ohhhh, dumb of me not to remember - I was only there last May    - but yes there is a massive cave beside the walking track on the way up to The Castle.

I don't know if this is the same one Aegist, but as you ascend it is on the left side (or west face) of The Castle's lower cliff line.  It's only metres away from a small creek coming off the mountain.

The cave has a small 'doorway' but opens up into quite a big cavern beyond. When I went in I was kinda surprised it wasn't wet inside because it seemed to back right up against that nearby stream. Mostly loose dirt floor.

The track's a bit rough and snaky around there, I guess it could be possible to bypass the cave on another route. Anyway, I've uploaded the only picture I have of it:

http://www.tdmskp.com.au/guide/index.php?title=Image:Castle_cave.jpg

When we went past, a party had already 'claimed' the cave with their packs. There's a stone fireplace outside so I'm guessing it's fairly popular.

Timmy

[Aegist]

Not certain, but that looks about right. And yeah, a small entryway into a very nice sized cave. Great campsite.