5/4/17 Another day , another hike

 Today sees us head down Bylong Road , over the bridge we saw the other day and into another glorious river valley - the Goulburn River - yes another Goulburn River , the NSW version .
 The bridge looks good up close , almost camouflage paintwork , maybe needs some tender loving care ???

 About 10 klms down the road we find James Estate Winery , so we head on in . The tasting rooms are beside the processing plant , and we are met by a young lady . There's a hike up the hill behind the winery , and we have to sign a waiver before going up the hill , 1st time we've had to do that !! We were greeted by Sally - someones dog - who turned out to be our guide for the hike . She would wander off up the track , making sure we were following , then wait at the turns to make sure we were going the right way . She did this all the way up , and again all the way down , she's a beautiful staffy .

 A little pink flower caught my eye as we went upwards .

 There are 3 distinct levels as you climb up , and there are lookouts at each level , this one overlooks the vineyard and Mt Dangar in the distance .

  There were showers coming through as we climbed further , fortunately there was a cave we could shelter in , it was fairly large with a sloping floor , and has been eroded by wind over many , many years .

 Outside and around the corner from the cave we climbed up this -

 Then this -

 Before getting to the top and looking back down on this -

 Yes that's Lyn climbing up !!
Then we got some more rain showers , and there aren't any caves to shelter in up on top , so we stopped under some low trees . The views are great .

  With more impending showers , we made our way back down to the cave and sat out another shower. That turned out to be the last shower for our hike back down , the clouds parted and the sun came out and warmed and dried us . The gum trees have colourful bark and are a treat to look at .

  We farewelled our guide , Sally enjoyed a good back rub , and headed off toward Bylong . The road taking us beside the Goulburn River for a fair way , more horses , but this time some cattle as well . This is the northern end of Wollemi National Park , and there are many sandstone cliffs and walls that seem to line the valley .

 Stopping at Honeysuckle Creek rest area for some lunch , we watched the road and had 4 motorbikes, 2 caravans and a work truck . There's quite a bit of traffic on this road to Belong & Mudgee , including semi trailers .
 Not much further down the road was Bylong , which consists of a general store ,  a church & cemetery , and a sports ground , playground and hall , as well as a few properties .

 With that , we headed back to Sandy Hollow , day done !! A map link :- https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nEvEz0PELWLVZGUBG58Exkqwzl8&usp=sharing