Mount Jellore is a steep, quiet summit hike just out of Mittagong, and I had the entire mountain to myself. Not a single other person all day. If you want a Southern Highlands walk that actually feels like a climb, and you want it quiet, this is a great one.
It sits in Jellore State Forest, around 1.5 to 2 hours from Sydney with the trailhead off Soaps Flat Road. Give yourself 3 to 4 hours for the walk. The drive in is fine in a 2WD but there are potholes along the way, so take the last stretch slowly.
It starts off mostly flat along fire trails. These branch a few times, but there's signage at the junctions to point you the right way. Eventually the fire trail turns into a path that descends steeply into a valley. There used to be a rope at one section to help you down, but they've upgraded the trail since and now there are stairs leading down through the ferns. It's a really beautiful section. From the bottom it's a steep climb up the other side of the valley to the ridgeline, where you pick up another fire trail that leads you to the base of Mount Jellore. From there the track zigzags up the side to the top, and that final stretch is short but steep and loose, all gravel and rocky underfoot.
Download your maps offline before you go, always. I had reception at the top but it was patchy the whole way up, so don't count on it. It wasn't wet when I went either, though I can imagine it getting quite muddy after rain, so maybe give it a few dry days if there's been weather about.
Don't stop at the summit cairn, it's surrounded by trees. Keep going the short distance to the lookout and that's where it all pays off. From up there the Nattai wilderness drops away below you, the Blue Mountains sit right along the horizon, and on a clear day you can pick out Sydney's skyline in the distance. Having that whole outlook completely to myself made it even better.
I'd absolutely do this one again. It's the kind of hike you do when you want to feel like you've earned the top, and having the mountain to yourself is rare for something this close to Sydney.
