Bushwalk Australia

I was up in Wentworth Falls on the weekend and took the opportunity to do a couple of walks. One was the recently re-opened National Pass which was really excellent. Normally I stay clear of tourist tracks like this but really it is very good. It is worth doing just for the beautiful stone work in the track reconstruction. Perched on an intermediate shelf with steep cliffs above and below the walk has great views just about the whole way. Strongly recommended.

I also took on a walk down the Jamieson Ck. valley past Hippocrene Falls to the junction with Valley of the Waters. This also was very good but not a tourist track by any means. Only a feint pad with markers lower down. the walk back up and out via Vera Falls is steep but very worthwhile. The track here is clearer to follow. All in all a good reminder on how good these supposed tourist areas really are.

K.

i'm also not big into the 'tourist' tracks close to civilisation but you've just given me the inspiration to check it out one of these days. cheers
the hippo/vera falls loops is nice one especially during/after rain!! (har har)

I've done National Pass twice now since the restoration and thoroughly enjoyed both trips for pretty much the same reasons as kanangra.

National Pass is a nice walk Kanangra. I agree there are a number of good options around the Valley of the Waters, best after decent rain to see the waterfalls at their peak. You can make up various combinations of tracks and it's often possible to change your mind on the fly, returning via a different route to what you'd planned (making sure that you've left advice at home about that possibility). Likewise my favourite is the Vera Falls/Hippocrene Falls circuit via Jamison Creek. I've always done it anti-clockwise. Needs a little nav/observation down the bottom not to lose the track (one day I plan to walk further down the creek and have a look). Sometimes I've returned via National Pass, sometimes Wentworth Pass and/or started from up near Edinburgh Castle Rock and come down past Lillians Bridge. Slacks Stairs is good fun if feeling energetic. Now and then I've also started on Charles Darwins Walk and come into VoW that way.

Another option worth considering would be continuing downstream on Jamieson Ck until you cut the old road into the sewerage treatment works. Fortunately they are now closed. It would then be possible to walk back via the road. At one point it comes very close to one of the walking tracks from Katoomba to Leura. Dardanelles Pass I think it is called. a short bash through the scrub and you could pick up the foot track which you could then follow back to Leura. Even though very close to civilisation these walks aren't half bad.

k.

kanangra wrote:Another option worth considering would be continuing downstream on Jamieson Ck until you cut the old road into the sewerage treatment works. Fortunately they are now closed. It would then be possible to walk back via the road. At one point it comes very close to one of the walking tracks from Katoomba to Leura. Dardanelles Pass I think it is called. a short bash through the scrub and you could pick up the foot track which you could then follow back to Leura. Even though very close to civilisation these walks aren't half bad.

k.

Excellent suggestion k. Would be a fairly long day I think. Further downstream along Jamison Creek, through Prince Regents Glen etc, is an unknown quantity (for me). Once, from near the start of the Federal Pass at the Leura end, I walked down the old sewerage plant road past the helicopter landing area and down to Leura Falls Creek (warning signs there not to drink the water). The road is not a great place on a hot day. You can see the road just downhill at one point along the Federal Pass (Dardenelles Pass joins it either end at Leura Forest/Giant Stairway and sits above and further back towards the escarpment). Added to my 99 year plan .

John,

If you follow that road on it joins up with the Kedumba Pass rd. This makes a circuit of the Jamieson Valley possible by returning via Mt solitary.

K.

I started a walk there one Saturday at 7am. It was magic. The crowds didn't start to appear for at least a couple of hours.

I am lucky enough to live only 10min away. I took the good wife on the National Pass after work the other day. We have lived in the area for over 30 years and I was amazed when she said that she had never seen waterfalls so beautiful in the Blue Mountains before. I had no idea she had never done the National Pass before. We spent just under 3 hours doing the circuit and made it back to the car about half an hour before dark. Being a weekday we only saw about 4 people on the whole walk. During the weekend in fine weather it can get very busy indeed.