Pantoneys Playground GARDENS OF STONE NATIONAL PARK

“Would you like to come on a three-day hike at Pantoneys Crown in September?”

This was the message I received upon regaining cellular reception at the end of July in Peru, having spent a month off the grid.

“Sure.” I had no idea where we would go or what the walk would entail, but why not?

Having returned to Australia, I was still of the belief the trip would be somewhere near my new home town (Newcastle, NSW), but after beginning to research logistics I discovered Pantoneys Crown is located in the Gardens of Stone National Park – a four-hour drive away. As a relatively new arrival to New South Wales, I’d never heard of it before. I now know Gardens of Stone is situated north of the Blue Mountains and constitutes part of the World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains Area.

Eight of us met up early one Friday morning to drive down together. Apparently