Date: 18/10/2026
Trip leader: Jeffrey
Party: Ferdinand, Tuguldur, Yessentay
Since a number of years ago, I had wanted to tackle Russells Needle which Paul Griffiths recommended as a challenging day hike.
Under a crew of four, we set off just after 9am, walking down the fire trail and quickly arriving at the start of Slott Way.
Beyond the creek, the track quickly disappeared, leaving only a faint footpad despite Tom Brennan’s track notes describing blue markers.
We battled endless fallen trees, branches and vines, making the overgrown track almost impossible to follow.
Struggling to find the route, I decided to drop into the creek and follow it towards the junction of the Nattai River.
(Un)fortunately, we encountered a juvenile red-bellied black snake, that was in cahoots with a leech that latched onto my leg and I screamed a lot as I tried to flick it off.
Before long, Yessentay came to the rescue and yanked the leech off with brute force.
When we reached the Nattai River at 12.30pm, we took a quick break before continuing towards Russells Needle.
Sticking to my trusty map and compass because I call GPS “cheating”, following the river was easy due to the low water levels.
Unfortunately, my somewhat inaccurate opentopomap, compass needle and itch of exploration led us up one spur too early.
By checking his recorded GPS track, Yessentay confirmed our mistake and quickly corrected our direction.
We then tackled a steep climb through a lot of prickly trees and pollen-waxed leaves before reaching a difficult rockface around 3pm, when we were all tired.
Scrambling carefully up the vertical rockface, Ferdi and I managed to climb the challenging section through careful bouldering.
Understanding that the others needed an easier route, I searched for another way up while Yessentay stayed below to enjoy a well-earned break.
By then, Ferdi had already climbed up and back down, so I took Tuguldur up to the logbook.
We enjoyed the nice view and remarked that Tuguldur was probably the first Mongolian to reach Russells Needle.
Starting our return after 5pm, we were running out of daylight when we encountered a river crossing that required some creative thinking.
Unusually, all four of us had different approaches, with Yessentay continuing until he found an easier crossing, while I hopped straight across the water.
By taking off his shoes, Tuguldur crossed the river differently, while Ferdi constructed his own crossing with rocks and made it over without falling.
Wanting to avoid bushbashing in the dark, we agreed to detour via Starlight Trail, which Yessentay had completed only a few weeks earlier.
Secure in our knowledge that the alternative route was suitable, we relied on Yessentay’s GPS track to get out quickly.
Ultimately, we arrived back at the car at 9.30pm after almost 12.5 hours, well beyond my maximum estimate of 10 hours.
By 10.30pm, we had reached the busy kebab shop in Campbelltown, some of us ready for a late meal after our exhausting adventure.
While the hike proved longer and more challenging than expected, it was an enjoyable day filled with a lot of bush-bashing through nature with not a single other human being in sight.
