Date/Time
Date(s) - Sat, 8 Mar 2025 - Mon, 10 Mar 2025
All Day
Categories
Title: | Day Walks in the Blue Mountains (Canberra Day Long Weekend), then continuing to Wollemi NP |
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Description: |
A long weekend of day walks in the Blue Mountains. Map references below are for paper maps. People may just use their preferred app. People who’ve walked in the Blue Mountains before, but not recently, will find a few things have changed. Sadly, the fabulous walks at Wentworth Falls – National Pass and Wentworth Pass – are both closed, possibly permanently due to landslides involving fatalities. Landslides have also temporarily closed the walk out to the Ruined Castle (rocks, not an actual castle!) and currently, interrupt the new cliff walk from Wentworth Falls to Katoomba. There are some lovely sections on the new walk but some interruptions that involve road walking (not busy, but a road in suburbia) plus it involves a car shuffle. The other thing to be aware of is that weekends can be busy especially on the most well-known walks. The following are suggested itineraries but all tentative, and dependent on participant’s preferences and the weather. Saturday Morning to mid-arvo. There are two options for the morning, both of which are in Wentworth Falls and accessed via Tablelands Road which is a left turn off the highway, travelling west just after a ceramic pot shop. From the turnoff, drive for @ 10 mins to an old cluster of buildings behind wire mesh fence labelled ‘Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital’ on the map. It’s obvious and there is a dirt road turning off to the right (leads to Kedumba Valley walks). The road ahead leads to Lion’s Head walk (see below for those walk options). Maps: Katoomba from the campground to part way along Tablelands Road (you don’t need a map for this, just FYI) then Jamison for the walks detailed below. Option 1: Lions Head. This is a walk of about 4 hours there and back including a lunch break. It is not often that one bumps into other walkers on it. The walk has ups and downs but does not descend to the valley floor. It has great views over the Kedumba valley, and out west towards Jenolan. The track start is not obvious until you know where it is but it is exactly 4.7 kilometres, on the right, from the Queen Vic hospital. There are a couple of small pull-in bays just before it for parking. Or along the road a bit further if needed. Option 2: Kedumba Valley This is much steeper (@ 700 m elevation). From Queen Vic hospital, turn right, drive @ 10 mins to a locked gate. The walks start here and the first part is a fire trail but once you start to descend it runs alongside old growth forest and has great views part way down. When you reach a fork, turn right (will be signposted Leura or Sublime Point) and then @200 metres along, there’s a single-file track on the left that descends to the Kedumba River (more a creek). It is signposted for Mt Solitary and may say ‘closed’ as the full Mt Solitary walk is closed due to a landslide on the other side. The creek is great for lunch. @5 ½ hours there and back including lunch but varies quite a bit depending on people’s fitness. Mid – late arvo option After completing one of the above walks, anyone who fancies a bit more spectacular viewing and/or a bit more walking could head around (by car) to the Wentworth Falls proper. Only @15 mins drive from Queen Vic hospital to the Wentworth Falls Picnic area for afternoon tea. Go back to the highway, turn left, and then left at the lights in Wentworth Falls (it will be signposted to the falls). If you want to pick up something for afternoon tea, in the Wentworth Falls township (on the right of the highway, before the left turn to the falls), you can find some cafes including the Patisserie Schwarz which has delicious pastries and cake plus pies etc (open 6am to 5 pm, 7 days pw). Walking options: From the picnic area, there are some great lookouts including Princes Rock which is only 20 mins return from the carpark, or a steep walk down to the bottom of the falls @ 1 hour – 1 ½ hours but it depends on fitness and knees, or a 1 ½ -2 hour circular walk called the Overcliff-Undercliff – good track, some great views. There’s also a pleasant café called the Conservation Hut which can be reached on the ‘short-cut track’ (no views) @ 20 mins each way. There’s plenty of scope for people to do their own thing here. You can see these on the Katoomba map. Note: This is a very popular tourist and walking area but hopefully later in the afternoon the crowds will have died down. Sunday Lockley’s Pylon & Du Faur Head walk off Mount Hay Road with a possible extension to Blue Gum Forest for those who wish. An out-and-back route. Maps: Katoomba for Lockley’s Pylon. For those going beyond Lockley’s (even just 20 mins gets to a great lunch spot at Du Faur Head overlooking the Grose Valley) and down to Blue Gum, also the Mount Wilson map. Getting there. Drive to Leura, take the slip road off the highway to Leura, 3rd exit at the roundabout then right onto Victory Lane, straight on to Churchill St, then left onto Mt Hay road and follow this to signposted track start. Note: this is a dirt road and the condition can deteriorate after heavy rain. Penny will check the road conditions the week before. The walk: To Lockley’s Pylon and back is only a couple of hours of undulating walking along the tops. Great views, especially if you continue on to Du Faur Head (another 20-30 mins). Can be busy, recommend an early start. From here, people can then return to the car or opt to go on to descend to Blue Gum Forest. This section has a couple of minor scrambly bits and steep sections (all up, the elevation if going on to Blue Gum is @700 metres. All Trails indicates that it’s 900 metres. Either way, there are steep bits). Allow 6 hours for the full walk. But depends on people’s fitness. If people choose the shorter option but would like to fit some more walking in, there is an 8 km circuit option in Lawson (Empire Pass and Frederica Falls). Lawson is on the way back to the campsite. Monday There will be fewer visitors to the area on Monday (this walk is very popular) as NSW doesn’t have a long weekend, so this would be a good day to do the Grand Canyon walk at Blackheath. It is a terrific circular walk and at the top, rewards with excellent views over the Grose. It’s about 6kms but includes an elevation gain of about 300m. It is just east of Blackheath township and 45 mins from the campground to the start at Neates Glen parking area on Evans Lookout Road. This road is a right turn off the highway. Map: Katoomba There are some good cafes in Blackheath and those going on to the Wollemi would be heading in the right direction for these: it is about a 2-hour drive from Blackheath to Dunns Swamp. For those returning to Canberra, it is marginally quicker, and also much nicer, to go the same way and keep driving west from Blackheath to return to Canberra on the inland route via Oberon rather than go back on the highway systems M4, M7 etc. Camping in the Blue Mountains Camping spots have been booked for the group in the Blue Mountains National Park for the Fri, Sat & Sun nights and there is also overflow camping if we need it. Members will be emailed the location. If anyone wants to stay in a caravan park to be close to town amenities and facilities, Katoomba would be best. It is about the same distance to the day 1 walks and closer to the day 2 and 3 walks. https://www.katoombatouristpark.com.au/ Camping in Wollemi National Park Some club members are planning to stay longer and continue north to Wollemi National Park, camping at the Dunns Swamp camping ground on the Monday and Tuesday nights. Dunns Swamp offers great opportunities for camping, canoeing and bushwalking, and its spectacular pagoda rock formations offer great views over Wollemi. People will need to book their own campsites at Dunns Swamp via the NPWS website. |
Leader: | See Member’s Page |
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