Valley of the Dinosaurs
Valley of the Dinosaurs
There are places where the name never quite fits, but here it feels inevitable. Stone pagodas rise and fall between the trees; beneath them lies a valley filled with ferns and filtered light. Nothing here asks for attention — yet everything holds it. This is Valley of the Dinosaurs.
Quick Details
Length: 1.9km (of the 3km circuit)
Elevation: 110m
Grade: Easy hike. Moderate for trail finding.
Best season: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Suitable for kids: Yes, but the pagoda lookout wouldn’t be suitable for young kids.
Starting the Trail
Our tale picks up where the last one left off — we had just seen Ultimate Slot Canyon and The Grotto and were now trying to find the entrance to Valley of the Dinosaurs. Like everything else on this trail, there were no signs. We were so distracted trying to get down a slippery hill that it wasn’t until we were at the bottom that we saw the rock cairn trail marker at the top of the hill, and had to climb back up.
We turned at the rock cairn and started walking into the bush. “You sure you know where you’re going?” said Logan nervously. The foot track was faint — like, can-barely-see-it faint. But I wasn’t about to tell Logan that — “Absolutely! The trail is right there, can’t you see it?”. Pretty soon though we wandered between stone walls and I was feeling quietly confident I’d led us to the right place. We stepped over a large fallen tree, and into a sea of ferns.
Valley of the Dinosaurs
The dry Aussie bushland had completely fallen away and we stood in a valley that time had forgotten. Stone walls, capped with pagodas, stood tall on either side of us and ferns covered the ground. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to be quiet so you don’t disturb the peace you’ve just walked into.
There were a couple of shady trees on the way through that were the perfect place to rest away from the heat and just take in our surroundings. There’s a gap between the walls in one spot that looks like it might hold a narrower canyon section — at least it looks that way on the map. We had every intention of checking it out, but once we were in the valley, we forgot all about it.
(Photo by Logan Spice Photography)
Maybe this is the dinosaur of the valley…
As we reach the end of the valley, there's one large pagoda-like rock formation that sits like an island of stone between the walls. It’s tall, and there’s a long overhang at the top. I suppose, with a little imagination, it could look like a dinosaur to some. Or maybe I just think that because it’s called “Valley of the Dinosaurs”.
Back to the Trail
The valley comes to an end not far from what we’re now calling the dinosaur pagoda. The trail, however, turns to the right to climb up to the ridge. We’d been dreading this part — the uphill section. Although we’re pretty sure we chose the best direction to hike around the circuit. If we had gone anti-clockwise instead, the uphill section would have been longer and steeper despite being on a fire trail. As we get closer to the top we walk through another narrow stone corridor.
The air was cooler here than out in the open. We stopped for a few minutes to enjoy it, knowing the rest of the hike would be pretty exposed to the sun. I think I’d really like to come back here on my own to explore more of these narrow corridors. It’s not that I don’t enjoy hiking with Jess and Logan — but there’s something about this place that just resonates with quiet solo exploration.
Once we were back out into the open, we took all of around 15 steps and a foot track crossed in front of us. To the left was the fire trail and the car park — we turned to the right to head down to the pagoda lookout over the valley first. We made the mistake of thinking the lookout was on the left, but really we just needed to keep walking straight, keeping the pagodas on our left until we reached the cliff edge overlooking the valley.
(Photo was taken after I realised we were in the wrong place, and had to turn back)
Pagoda Lookout
We loved the pagoda lookout and already have plans of coming back again for a sunset. You stand right over the top of Valley of the Dinosaurs and we could pick out the trail we took through the ferns. It’s surprising how far you can see from here and the views of the cliffs in the distance had us pulling out the map and working out how to get over there.
This is one of those places that goes viral on social media every couple of years. We will say that part of this is due to trick photography — from the angle the photo is taken, the top of the pagoda looks like a narrow spire. Where you climb up and stand though, is actually quite wide and flat — that being said, care still needs to be taken because you’re standing close to the edge of a cliff and it’s a long way down.
I wouldn’t be game to stand on the very top of the pagoda — especially because the wind was starting to pick up. I spent most of the time sitting down, and stood only when Jess was ready to take her photos. Even though where I was standing was quite wide and flat, and I still had some space between me and the edge, I was very much aware that there was a cliff edge right in front of me.
We ended up staying here for quite a while. Partly because of how beautiful it was, partly because the next stop was the car park to drive home. But eventually it was time to leave. We headed back up the hill, and along the faint foot track to bring us to the fire trail — already talking about when we could return… “Did you know there’s an old diamond mine over the hill?”
Getting There
The turn-off to Mugii Muram-ban is around 8km outside of Capertee on the Glen Alice Road. 2WDs will need to park at the bottom of the hill as the road up to the top is steep and rough, and 4WDs are recommended to reach it.
Tips and Tricks
The fire trails in this area are good, but there is little to no signage for the foot tracks to Ultimate Slot Canyon, The Grotto, and Valley of the Dinosaurs. Be sure to have an offline map of the area if you’re not confident following unmarked trails.
The pagoda lookout is unfenced and we wouldn’t recommend having young children here.
If you’d like to see more photos from this hike, be sure to check out Logan on Instagram.
You can also check out the first part of this hike, Ultimate Slot Canyon and The Grotto.