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Home » Attractions and Side-trips Along The Botanists Way
9. Attractions and Side-trips Along The Botanists Way
One of the best ways to appreciate the significance of the Botanists Way within the mountains landscape is to take lots of side-trips along the way.
From this central route a series of short detours to either the north or south of the Bell Range can open up dramatically different landscapes and their associated variety of plants and animals.
Hawkesbury Valley
This vibrant rural valley once fed the young nation and has a long history as a base from which travellers can explore the wild country beyond the river.
Visitors can relax in a canoe on pristine waters cutting through dramatic sandstone gorges, browse amongst antique and craft shops, relax by the river, ride on a horse drawn cart or carry hurricane lanterns through convict cemeteries where ghosts of the past sing quietly.
Other attractions include local cafes and restaurants, hidden valley retreats and unique bed and breakfast accommodation.
Kurrajong area
This area takes its name from the kurrajong tree (Brachychiton populneus), which George Caley noted when he passed by in 1804 as ‘Currijon’ - the local Aboriginal word for the string-making fibre from the tree. Roasted kurrajong seeds are an Aboriginal food and were used by white settlers as a kind of coffee substitute.
Now ‘real’ coffee and can be found at the many cafes and restaurants in the old buildings and churches.
Other attractions include antique shops, galleries and the views from Bellbird Lookout.
Bellbird Lookout
This roadside viewpoint at the top of the eastern escarpment (7 km west of Kurmond on Bells Line of Road) gives expansive views over the rural lands of the Hawkesbury and world heritage bushland to the peak of Mount Yengo in the distant north. The chiming calls of Bell Miners can usually be heard from Mountain Blue Gums on the hillside below.
Wheeny Creek Picnic and Camping Area, Wollemi National Park
Wheeny Creek, a tributary of the Colo River, lies 14 km along Comleroy Road (4 km unsealed) from Kurmond on Bells Line of Road. The gravel road continues up the other side of the Wheeny Creek valley and north to Upper Colo (narrow winding gravel road) or west to Mountain Lagoon (4WD only).
Camping and picnicking sites are spread along grassy terraces beside the sandy creek and beneath tall Mountain Blue Gums. Nearby there are good cycling, walking and touring opportunities by car and 4WD.
Burralow Creek Picnic and Camping Area, Blue Mountains National Park
Burralow Creek, a tributary of the Grose River, can be reached from two directions. From Kurrajong Heights on Bells Line of Road, turn into Warks Hill Road then Burralow Road and follow the 4WD trail 7 km into the valley. Or further west on Bells Line of Road and one kilometre east of the ‘Fruit Bowl’, turn onto the Paterson Range Trail and follow it for 10 km.
The camping area lies on a grassy flat in the deep valley of Burralow Creek, surrounded by tall forests and small sandstone cliffs. The old clearings on deep alluvial soil date from what may have been the first attempt to grow rice in Australia, after George Bowen took up land there in 1848. The creek was used for irrigation until the venture failed, and traces of the canals can still be seen. The valley flats are ideal for quiet cycling and the Bulcamatta Falls Track is an easy short walk to a rainforest glen.
Mountain Lagoon
This small rural settlement is reached from Bell’s Line of Road. Take the Mountain Lagoon Road turnoff just east of Bilpin and follow it for 11.5 km (2WD). Mountain Lagoon can also be reached from Comleroy Road by 4WD only.
Mountain Lagoon is a very unusual landscape feature—a lake on a mountain top. It is not a volcanic crater, but a depression caused when movements of the Earth pushed up the Blue Mountains and created the eastern escarpment. The pressure on the layers of sandstone was so great that they fractured just behind the escarpment, forming the Kurrajong Fault. The escarpment continued to move up east of the fault, but to the west the plateau lagged behind. Today, the top of the escarpment through Kurrajong Heights is higher than the plateau just to the west.
Bilpin
The rich soils of the Bilpin area are home to orchards and produce stalls offering local stone fruit in summer and apples in autumn.
Other attractions include artisans’ galleries and numerous coffee stops featuring home made produce and local honey.
Accommodation ranges from self-cater cabins through to completely serviced in-the-home bed and breakfast.
Waratah Native Garden, Blue Mountains National Park
This secluded picnic site is reached from Bells Line of Road 7 km west of Bilpin. Turn into Valley Ridges Road and follow it for 2 km (sealed road) to the picnic area and The Gorge walking track.
Berambing Picnic Area, Blue Mountains National Park
A roadside area on the northern side of Bells Line of Road 10 km west of Bilpin and just before the road climbs up onto Mount Tomah.
‘The Mounts’ Mount Tomah, Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine are a unique part of the Blue Mountains, settled since 1827 and famous for their private gardens and beautiful forests on basalt soil.
Many of the finest gardens are open to the public during the Autumn Garden Festival in April and May each year.
The garden village of Mount Wilson inhabits a basalt top surrounded by Blue Mountains National Park. It was first settled in 1827 by George Bowen and soon became a place for wealthy gentlemen to build country retreats. Mount Wilson is reached from Bells Line of Road 14 km west of Mount Tomah. Turn north onto Mount Wilson Road and follow it for 6.5 km to the junction of The Avenue and Queens Avenue.
From this point, Wynnes Rocks Lookout is 1.3 km along Queens Avenue and Wynnes Lookout Road. The Cathedral of Ferns Reserve (Blue Mountains City Council) lies 3 km along The Avenue and Mount Irvine Road. To reach Du Faurs Rocks Lookout, follow The Avenue for 0.9 km and turn left at the bush fire brigade shed down a gravel road for a further 0.4 km.
Wynnes Rocks Lookout provides a view to the south over the valley of Bowens Creek to the Bell Range and also to the west. But the better western view, over the rugged pagoda and canyon country of the upper Wollangambe River, is from Du Faurs Rocks—named for an early conservationist who was also involved in the development of Mount Wilson. Eccleston du Faur was instrumental in establishing Sydney’s Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park and led an artists’ camp into the Grose Valley in 1875 to promote its delights.
Cathedral of Ferns Reserve has extensive picnic grounds and several short walks amongst rainforest and tall open eucalypt forest. The warm temperate rainforest on Mount Wilson and other basalt tops in the area is of a distinctive type, dominated by trees of Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras) and Possumwood (Quintinia sieberi).
Several other walking tracks explore the warm temperate rainforest and other environments.
Mount Tomah Botanic Garden
Tomah is a Darug word for treefern and the name for this prominent mountain on The Botanists Way. Interestingly, when George Caley became the first European to reach the summit, he also called it Fern Tree Hill.
Mount Tomah Botanic Garden is the cool-climate, Southern Hemisphere collection of the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens.
The garden, opened in 1987, lies on rich basalt soil at an elevation of 1000 metres.
On display along landscaped garden walks are over 5000 species of plants from the cooler parts of the world – including the Blue Mountains.
Many of these have been collected in the wild by garden staff and have not previously been grown in Australia.
The garden also offers you the chance to see the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) and other rare local plants, and stunning views over the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
Children’s holiday activities, exhibits, a gift shop and a restaurant are other attractions at the garden.
Mount Banks, Blue Mountains National Park
The prominent tabletop of Mount Banks (1034m) is a distinctive landmark along The Botanists Way.
Named for Sir Joseph Banks, the ‘father of Australian botany’ and George Caley’s mentor, Mount Banks was the furthest point of Caley’s 1804 exploration.
Turn south off Bells Line of Road 9.5 km west of Mount Tomah and follow the gravel road 1.3 km to the picnic area in a saddle at the foot of Mount Banks.
Good views into the upper Grose Valley around Blue Gum Forest can be seen from the roadside and from the picnic area a steep but rewarding walking track leads 2.5km (return) through open heath to the basalt summit.
Pierces Pass, Blue Mountains National Park
Turn off Bell’s Line of Road 11 km west of Mount Tomah and follow the gravel road one kilometre to a sheltered glade where the Pierces Pass and Rigby Hill walking tracks start. The Walls Lookout trackhead is at the start of the gravel road.
Clarence
The Zig Zag Railway Co-op Ltd is a rail preservation society running steam trains and rail motor tours from Clarence Station (between Bell and Lithgow).
The ‘Great Zig Zag’ took the first western railway down the escarpment into the Lithgow Valley over three magnificent sandstone viaducts. It was recognised as one of the great engineering feats of its time.
The Zig Zag Railway is open every day of the year except for Christmas Day.
Lithgow
Steeped in industrial history and surrounded by nature, Lithgow is an ideal base from which to explore the many attractions of the western edge of the mountains.
The ‘Fire and Furnace Heritage Trail’ links a number of sites important to a rich heritage of coal-mining, steel-making and manufacturing, including the Blast Furnace Park and State Mine Heritage Park.
Other nearby features include the spectacular Wolgan Valley, the Glow Worm Tunnel in Wollemi National Park and the recreational waterways of Lake Lyell and Wallerawang Lake.
All services are available in this centre with a population of 14,000, including a wide selection of guided tours, accommodation, restaurants, licensed clubs, craft shops and galleries.
4WD tours
Burralow Creek . The 18 km drive through Burralow Creek from Kurrajong Heights to Bilpin makes a good 4WD excursion off Bell’s Line of Road. A highlight is the tall forest at the Kurrajong Heights end of the trail. Superb specimens of Turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera) and Smooth-barked Angophora (Angophora costata) tower over a moist understorey with Austral Grass-trees (Xanthorrhoea australis) and ferns.
Mountain Lagoon . From Comleroy Road between Wheeny Creek and Upper Colo, the 4WD Mountain Lagoon trail runs 11.5 km westwards to Mountain Lagoon. From points along the trail, Mount Yengo can be glimpsed away in the north. This trail can make a good circuit from Windsor if linked with the Burralow Creek drive. From Sams Way at Mountain Lagoon, the T3 trail leads 6 km into the bush of Wollemi National Park. The track passes through a rich variety of forest including a rainforest understorey at the head of one gully and, towards the end, massive Red Bloodwoods (Eucalyptus gummifera) with Burrawangs (Macrozamia sp.) and Austral Grass-trees (Xanthorrhoea australis) amongst the sandstone outcrops. From the end of the trail, a short walk onto a rock edge reveals a superb view into the Wollemi Wilderness, with Mount D’Arcy, Island and Parr South being the high points left to right in the middle distance, either side of the deep gorges of Tootie Creek and the Colo. Away in the distance, a few of the high volcanic peaks of north-western Wollemi National Park can be seen on a clear day, along with Mount Yengo in the north.
Walking tracks
Burralow Creek (difficult, 2 km return, 1 hr return). From the Burralow Trail east of Burralow Creek Camping Area, this track descends steeply to the valley. It is a more interesting way of approaching the area and combined with the Bulcamatta Track and exploration of the creek and valley makes an excellent day in the bush.
Bulcamatta Falls Track (easy, 3 km return, 1 hr return). The delightfully flat track is signposted on Burralow Creek on the western side of the camping flat. It leads along alluvial flats through tall forest with prominent clumps of Sawgrass (Gahnia sp.), beside deep, sedge-lined pools of Burralow Creek. A pit constructed from sandstone blocks (part of the original settlement) and a natural stone grotto are passed. The track then leaves the main creek to follow a smaller side-creek through increasingly moist vegetation. In a narrow gorge with a small waterfall at its head, shelter and moisture reach their peak to nourish warm temperate rainforest of Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras), Coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum), Lillypilly (Acmena smtthii) and Cedar Wattle (Acacia elata). Clumps of Umbrella Ferns (Sticherus flabellatus) grow on the shaded floor of the forest. This is a good example of the numerous rainforest gorges found throughout the sandstone country.
The Gorge (moderate, 2 km return, 1 hr return). From Waratah Native Garden, The Gorge track sidles around the hillside to overlook the deep mossy gully of a tributary of Hungerfords Creek. Koalas have been reported from this area, but you are more likely to hear the piercing mimicry of a lyre-bird. Return the same way.
Mount Banks (difficult, 2.5 km return, 1 hr return). From Mount Banks Picnic Area, a narrow track winds up the ridge to the 1062 metre basalt summit—the highest point in this precinct and the end-point of Caley’s 1804 explorations. At first the walking is through beautiful low heath of sedges and Dwarf Casuarina (Allocasuarina nana), with excellent views over the cliff-girt valley of the Grose River. The track steepens towards the summit where forest takes over, and then the basalt is reached. The ground becomes covered in grasses and herbs, contrasting with the typically bare ground of sandstone soils. The ‘montane basalt cap forest’ here is quite a rare community and includes Ribbon Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), Brown Barrel (E. fastigata) and Narrow-leaved Peppermint (E. radiata). Many Wombats are found in these rich, moist forests. There is an old picnic area in a slight clearing near the summit, but no views. An alternative but longer way back to the car lies down an overgrown vehicle trail to join the Banks Wall Trail (see below) and complete a circuit.
Banks Wall (moderate, 11 km return, 4 hrs return). The Banks Wall Trail (management track) leads from Mount Banks Picnic Area, around the side of Mount Banks to the very brink of the Grose Valley cliffs. It winds around, dipping in and out of numerous gullies coming off the slopes of the mountain to maintain an even grade. The track passes through open woodland of Hard-leaved Scribbly Gums (Eucalyptus sclerophylla), grassy heath and other communities before emerging onto a narrow ridge-crest of low heath at the edge of the Banks Wall cliff. A small foot pad leads onto the top of Frank Hurley Head, named for the great Australian photographer who went to Antarctica with both Shackleton and Mawson and also photographed the Blue Mountains. The spacious vista looks out over the tall tree crowns of Blue Gum Forest, 500 metres below, and straight up the Govett Gorge arm of the Grose Valley towards Katoomba. To the right, the multi-tiered ochre cliff of Mount Banks curves away. This largest cliff in the Blue Mountains, 400 metres high, cuts through the complete sandstone sequence from the top of the Permian slopes—Burra Moko Sandstone at the base, then Banks Wall Sandstone to complete the Narrabeen group, with some remnant Hawkesbury Sandstone just below the capping basalt. Layers of siltstone show as bushy terraces that separate the main layers.
Walls Lookout (moderate, 3 km return, 1 hr return). From the parking area at the top of Pierces Pass Road, the track leads over stony ground to the edge of the Grose Valley, first through open woodland of Silver-top Ash (Eucalyptus sieberi), Hard-leaved Scribbly Gum (E. sclerophylla) and Sydney Peppermint (E. radiata), then low heath. It is best to take in the view from one of the rises well back from the edge of the cliff, which is overhanging and unfenced. Heath is not widespread in the Greater Blue Mountains, favouring places where thin, stony soil and exposure to strong winds prevent the growth of trees. Here on the windswept cliff-tops of the Grose Valley, heath covers large areas. This also reflects the fire history, with frequent burns exposing the ground to the blast of wind and rain which further depletes what little soil there is.
Rigby Hill (moderate, 1.5 km return, 1 hr return). From Pierces Pass Picnic Area, a steep track leads to the top of Rigby Hill, another heathy, windswept viewpoint over the Grose Valley.
Pierces Pass (difficult, 5 km return, 3 hrs return). Pierces Pass is a relatively gentle way into the Grose Valley, but still involves many steps and a steep and long descent and ascent. Once called Hungerfords Track, it was used to get stock into and out of Hungerfords lease at Blue Gum Forest—which was purchased by bushwalkers in 1932 to ensure the forest was protected forever. Being a natural breach through the cliffline, the pass was almost certainly used by Aboriginal people long before the arrival of white man’s cattle. The track winds down into the delightful rainforest gorge of Hungerfords Creek before emerging suddenly at the base of the main cliffline with views over the valley. Old coal adits in this area suggest that the track may be associated with exploration of the coal seams that lie at the top of the Permian sediments. The descent to the river down the friable Permian slopes passes through tall forests nourished by the better soils and higher availability of moisture. Mountain Grey Gums (Eucalyptus cypellocarpa) are common here, and Waratahs (Telopea speciosissima) sometimes flower along the track in spring. At the Grose River, cross carefully to the other side to reach the rough track that goes upstream to Victoria Falls Lookout (about 4 hours) and downstream to Blue Gum Forest (2 hours). These unmarked routes require a topographic map and navigation skills.
Mount Wilson Several short walks explore the forests and views around Mount Wilson. See the booklet Mount Wilson Walks by Elizabeth Raines. A highlight is the Waterfalls Walk which includes a cascade over a basalt cliff.
Cycling
Mountain Lagoon-Burralow Circuit . A varied and strenuous days’ ride links the Wheeny Creek and Burralow camping areas through Kurrajong and Mountain Lagoon along sealed highways, gravel roads and 4WD trails. A side-trip to the T3 Lookout from Mountain Lagoon is worthwhile.
Banks Wall . The Banks Wall Trail is an excellent and rewarding short ride.
From this central route a series of short detours to either the north or south of the Bell Range can open up dramatically different landscapes and their associated variety of plants and animals.
Hawkesbury Valley
This vibrant rural valley once fed the young nation and has a long history as a base from which travellers can explore the wild country beyond the river.
Visitors can relax in a canoe on pristine waters cutting through dramatic sandstone gorges, browse amongst antique and craft shops, relax by the river, ride on a horse drawn cart or carry hurricane lanterns through convict cemeteries where ghosts of the past sing quietly.
Other attractions include local cafes and restaurants, hidden valley retreats and unique bed and breakfast accommodation.
Kurrajong area
This area takes its name from the kurrajong tree (Brachychiton populneus), which George Caley noted when he passed by in 1804 as ‘Currijon’ - the local Aboriginal word for the string-making fibre from the tree. Roasted kurrajong seeds are an Aboriginal food and were used by white settlers as a kind of coffee substitute.
Now ‘real’ coffee and can be found at the many cafes and restaurants in the old buildings and churches.
Other attractions include antique shops, galleries and the views from Bellbird Lookout.
Bellbird Lookout
This roadside viewpoint at the top of the eastern escarpment (7 km west of Kurmond on Bells Line of Road) gives expansive views over the rural lands of the Hawkesbury and world heritage bushland to the peak of Mount Yengo in the distant north. The chiming calls of Bell Miners can usually be heard from Mountain Blue Gums on the hillside below.
Wheeny Creek Picnic and Camping Area, Wollemi National Park
Wheeny Creek, a tributary of the Colo River, lies 14 km along Comleroy Road (4 km unsealed) from Kurmond on Bells Line of Road. The gravel road continues up the other side of the Wheeny Creek valley and north to Upper Colo (narrow winding gravel road) or west to Mountain Lagoon (4WD only).
Camping and picnicking sites are spread along grassy terraces beside the sandy creek and beneath tall Mountain Blue Gums. Nearby there are good cycling, walking and touring opportunities by car and 4WD.
Burralow Creek Picnic and Camping Area, Blue Mountains National Park
Burralow Creek, a tributary of the Grose River, can be reached from two directions. From Kurrajong Heights on Bells Line of Road, turn into Warks Hill Road then Burralow Road and follow the 4WD trail 7 km into the valley. Or further west on Bells Line of Road and one kilometre east of the ‘Fruit Bowl’, turn onto the Paterson Range Trail and follow it for 10 km.
The camping area lies on a grassy flat in the deep valley of Burralow Creek, surrounded by tall forests and small sandstone cliffs. The old clearings on deep alluvial soil date from what may have been the first attempt to grow rice in Australia, after George Bowen took up land there in 1848. The creek was used for irrigation until the venture failed, and traces of the canals can still be seen. The valley flats are ideal for quiet cycling and the Bulcamatta Falls Track is an easy short walk to a rainforest glen.
Mountain Lagoon
This small rural settlement is reached from Bell’s Line of Road. Take the Mountain Lagoon Road turnoff just east of Bilpin and follow it for 11.5 km (2WD). Mountain Lagoon can also be reached from Comleroy Road by 4WD only.
Mountain Lagoon is a very unusual landscape feature—a lake on a mountain top. It is not a volcanic crater, but a depression caused when movements of the Earth pushed up the Blue Mountains and created the eastern escarpment. The pressure on the layers of sandstone was so great that they fractured just behind the escarpment, forming the Kurrajong Fault. The escarpment continued to move up east of the fault, but to the west the plateau lagged behind. Today, the top of the escarpment through Kurrajong Heights is higher than the plateau just to the west.
Bilpin
The rich soils of the Bilpin area are home to orchards and produce stalls offering local stone fruit in summer and apples in autumn.
Other attractions include artisans’ galleries and numerous coffee stops featuring home made produce and local honey.
Accommodation ranges from self-cater cabins through to completely serviced in-the-home bed and breakfast.
Waratah Native Garden, Blue Mountains National Park
This secluded picnic site is reached from Bells Line of Road 7 km west of Bilpin. Turn into Valley Ridges Road and follow it for 2 km (sealed road) to the picnic area and The Gorge walking track.
Berambing Picnic Area, Blue Mountains National Park
A roadside area on the northern side of Bells Line of Road 10 km west of Bilpin and just before the road climbs up onto Mount Tomah.
‘The Mounts’ Mount Tomah, Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine are a unique part of the Blue Mountains, settled since 1827 and famous for their private gardens and beautiful forests on basalt soil.
Many of the finest gardens are open to the public during the Autumn Garden Festival in April and May each year.
The garden village of Mount Wilson inhabits a basalt top surrounded by Blue Mountains National Park. It was first settled in 1827 by George Bowen and soon became a place for wealthy gentlemen to build country retreats. Mount Wilson is reached from Bells Line of Road 14 km west of Mount Tomah. Turn north onto Mount Wilson Road and follow it for 6.5 km to the junction of The Avenue and Queens Avenue.
From this point, Wynnes Rocks Lookout is 1.3 km along Queens Avenue and Wynnes Lookout Road. The Cathedral of Ferns Reserve (Blue Mountains City Council) lies 3 km along The Avenue and Mount Irvine Road. To reach Du Faurs Rocks Lookout, follow The Avenue for 0.9 km and turn left at the bush fire brigade shed down a gravel road for a further 0.4 km.
Wynnes Rocks Lookout provides a view to the south over the valley of Bowens Creek to the Bell Range and also to the west. But the better western view, over the rugged pagoda and canyon country of the upper Wollangambe River, is from Du Faurs Rocks—named for an early conservationist who was also involved in the development of Mount Wilson. Eccleston du Faur was instrumental in establishing Sydney’s Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park and led an artists’ camp into the Grose Valley in 1875 to promote its delights.
Cathedral of Ferns Reserve has extensive picnic grounds and several short walks amongst rainforest and tall open eucalypt forest. The warm temperate rainforest on Mount Wilson and other basalt tops in the area is of a distinctive type, dominated by trees of Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras) and Possumwood (Quintinia sieberi).
Several other walking tracks explore the warm temperate rainforest and other environments.
Mount Tomah Botanic Garden
Tomah is a Darug word for treefern and the name for this prominent mountain on The Botanists Way. Interestingly, when George Caley became the first European to reach the summit, he also called it Fern Tree Hill.
Mount Tomah Botanic Garden is the cool-climate, Southern Hemisphere collection of the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens.
The garden, opened in 1987, lies on rich basalt soil at an elevation of 1000 metres.
On display along landscaped garden walks are over 5000 species of plants from the cooler parts of the world – including the Blue Mountains.
Many of these have been collected in the wild by garden staff and have not previously been grown in Australia.
The garden also offers you the chance to see the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) and other rare local plants, and stunning views over the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
Children’s holiday activities, exhibits, a gift shop and a restaurant are other attractions at the garden.
Mount Banks, Blue Mountains National Park
The prominent tabletop of Mount Banks (1034m) is a distinctive landmark along The Botanists Way.
Named for Sir Joseph Banks, the ‘father of Australian botany’ and George Caley’s mentor, Mount Banks was the furthest point of Caley’s 1804 exploration.
Turn south off Bells Line of Road 9.5 km west of Mount Tomah and follow the gravel road 1.3 km to the picnic area in a saddle at the foot of Mount Banks.
Good views into the upper Grose Valley around Blue Gum Forest can be seen from the roadside and from the picnic area a steep but rewarding walking track leads 2.5km (return) through open heath to the basalt summit.
Pierces Pass, Blue Mountains National Park
Turn off Bell’s Line of Road 11 km west of Mount Tomah and follow the gravel road one kilometre to a sheltered glade where the Pierces Pass and Rigby Hill walking tracks start. The Walls Lookout trackhead is at the start of the gravel road.
Clarence
The Zig Zag Railway Co-op Ltd is a rail preservation society running steam trains and rail motor tours from Clarence Station (between Bell and Lithgow).
The ‘Great Zig Zag’ took the first western railway down the escarpment into the Lithgow Valley over three magnificent sandstone viaducts. It was recognised as one of the great engineering feats of its time.
The Zig Zag Railway is open every day of the year except for Christmas Day.
Lithgow
Steeped in industrial history and surrounded by nature, Lithgow is an ideal base from which to explore the many attractions of the western edge of the mountains.
The ‘Fire and Furnace Heritage Trail’ links a number of sites important to a rich heritage of coal-mining, steel-making and manufacturing, including the Blast Furnace Park and State Mine Heritage Park.
Other nearby features include the spectacular Wolgan Valley, the Glow Worm Tunnel in Wollemi National Park and the recreational waterways of Lake Lyell and Wallerawang Lake.
All services are available in this centre with a population of 14,000, including a wide selection of guided tours, accommodation, restaurants, licensed clubs, craft shops and galleries.
4WD tours
Burralow Creek . The 18 km drive through Burralow Creek from Kurrajong Heights to Bilpin makes a good 4WD excursion off Bell’s Line of Road. A highlight is the tall forest at the Kurrajong Heights end of the trail. Superb specimens of Turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera) and Smooth-barked Angophora (Angophora costata) tower over a moist understorey with Austral Grass-trees (Xanthorrhoea australis) and ferns.
Mountain Lagoon . From Comleroy Road between Wheeny Creek and Upper Colo, the 4WD Mountain Lagoon trail runs 11.5 km westwards to Mountain Lagoon. From points along the trail, Mount Yengo can be glimpsed away in the north. This trail can make a good circuit from Windsor if linked with the Burralow Creek drive. From Sams Way at Mountain Lagoon, the T3 trail leads 6 km into the bush of Wollemi National Park. The track passes through a rich variety of forest including a rainforest understorey at the head of one gully and, towards the end, massive Red Bloodwoods (Eucalyptus gummifera) with Burrawangs (Macrozamia sp.) and Austral Grass-trees (Xanthorrhoea australis) amongst the sandstone outcrops. From the end of the trail, a short walk onto a rock edge reveals a superb view into the Wollemi Wilderness, with Mount D’Arcy, Island and Parr South being the high points left to right in the middle distance, either side of the deep gorges of Tootie Creek and the Colo. Away in the distance, a few of the high volcanic peaks of north-western Wollemi National Park can be seen on a clear day, along with Mount Yengo in the north.
Walking tracks
Burralow Creek (difficult, 2 km return, 1 hr return). From the Burralow Trail east of Burralow Creek Camping Area, this track descends steeply to the valley. It is a more interesting way of approaching the area and combined with the Bulcamatta Track and exploration of the creek and valley makes an excellent day in the bush.
Bulcamatta Falls Track (easy, 3 km return, 1 hr return). The delightfully flat track is signposted on Burralow Creek on the western side of the camping flat. It leads along alluvial flats through tall forest with prominent clumps of Sawgrass (Gahnia sp.), beside deep, sedge-lined pools of Burralow Creek. A pit constructed from sandstone blocks (part of the original settlement) and a natural stone grotto are passed. The track then leaves the main creek to follow a smaller side-creek through increasingly moist vegetation. In a narrow gorge with a small waterfall at its head, shelter and moisture reach their peak to nourish warm temperate rainforest of Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras), Coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum), Lillypilly (Acmena smtthii) and Cedar Wattle (Acacia elata). Clumps of Umbrella Ferns (Sticherus flabellatus) grow on the shaded floor of the forest. This is a good example of the numerous rainforest gorges found throughout the sandstone country.
The Gorge (moderate, 2 km return, 1 hr return). From Waratah Native Garden, The Gorge track sidles around the hillside to overlook the deep mossy gully of a tributary of Hungerfords Creek. Koalas have been reported from this area, but you are more likely to hear the piercing mimicry of a lyre-bird. Return the same way.
Mount Banks (difficult, 2.5 km return, 1 hr return). From Mount Banks Picnic Area, a narrow track winds up the ridge to the 1062 metre basalt summit—the highest point in this precinct and the end-point of Caley’s 1804 explorations. At first the walking is through beautiful low heath of sedges and Dwarf Casuarina (Allocasuarina nana), with excellent views over the cliff-girt valley of the Grose River. The track steepens towards the summit where forest takes over, and then the basalt is reached. The ground becomes covered in grasses and herbs, contrasting with the typically bare ground of sandstone soils. The ‘montane basalt cap forest’ here is quite a rare community and includes Ribbon Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), Brown Barrel (E. fastigata) and Narrow-leaved Peppermint (E. radiata). Many Wombats are found in these rich, moist forests. There is an old picnic area in a slight clearing near the summit, but no views. An alternative but longer way back to the car lies down an overgrown vehicle trail to join the Banks Wall Trail (see below) and complete a circuit.
Banks Wall (moderate, 11 km return, 4 hrs return). The Banks Wall Trail (management track) leads from Mount Banks Picnic Area, around the side of Mount Banks to the very brink of the Grose Valley cliffs. It winds around, dipping in and out of numerous gullies coming off the slopes of the mountain to maintain an even grade. The track passes through open woodland of Hard-leaved Scribbly Gums (Eucalyptus sclerophylla), grassy heath and other communities before emerging onto a narrow ridge-crest of low heath at the edge of the Banks Wall cliff. A small foot pad leads onto the top of Frank Hurley Head, named for the great Australian photographer who went to Antarctica with both Shackleton and Mawson and also photographed the Blue Mountains. The spacious vista looks out over the tall tree crowns of Blue Gum Forest, 500 metres below, and straight up the Govett Gorge arm of the Grose Valley towards Katoomba. To the right, the multi-tiered ochre cliff of Mount Banks curves away. This largest cliff in the Blue Mountains, 400 metres high, cuts through the complete sandstone sequence from the top of the Permian slopes—Burra Moko Sandstone at the base, then Banks Wall Sandstone to complete the Narrabeen group, with some remnant Hawkesbury Sandstone just below the capping basalt. Layers of siltstone show as bushy terraces that separate the main layers.
Walls Lookout (moderate, 3 km return, 1 hr return). From the parking area at the top of Pierces Pass Road, the track leads over stony ground to the edge of the Grose Valley, first through open woodland of Silver-top Ash (Eucalyptus sieberi), Hard-leaved Scribbly Gum (E. sclerophylla) and Sydney Peppermint (E. radiata), then low heath. It is best to take in the view from one of the rises well back from the edge of the cliff, which is overhanging and unfenced. Heath is not widespread in the Greater Blue Mountains, favouring places where thin, stony soil and exposure to strong winds prevent the growth of trees. Here on the windswept cliff-tops of the Grose Valley, heath covers large areas. This also reflects the fire history, with frequent burns exposing the ground to the blast of wind and rain which further depletes what little soil there is.
Rigby Hill (moderate, 1.5 km return, 1 hr return). From Pierces Pass Picnic Area, a steep track leads to the top of Rigby Hill, another heathy, windswept viewpoint over the Grose Valley.
Pierces Pass (difficult, 5 km return, 3 hrs return). Pierces Pass is a relatively gentle way into the Grose Valley, but still involves many steps and a steep and long descent and ascent. Once called Hungerfords Track, it was used to get stock into and out of Hungerfords lease at Blue Gum Forest—which was purchased by bushwalkers in 1932 to ensure the forest was protected forever. Being a natural breach through the cliffline, the pass was almost certainly used by Aboriginal people long before the arrival of white man’s cattle. The track winds down into the delightful rainforest gorge of Hungerfords Creek before emerging suddenly at the base of the main cliffline with views over the valley. Old coal adits in this area suggest that the track may be associated with exploration of the coal seams that lie at the top of the Permian sediments. The descent to the river down the friable Permian slopes passes through tall forests nourished by the better soils and higher availability of moisture. Mountain Grey Gums (Eucalyptus cypellocarpa) are common here, and Waratahs (Telopea speciosissima) sometimes flower along the track in spring. At the Grose River, cross carefully to the other side to reach the rough track that goes upstream to Victoria Falls Lookout (about 4 hours) and downstream to Blue Gum Forest (2 hours). These unmarked routes require a topographic map and navigation skills.
Mount Wilson Several short walks explore the forests and views around Mount Wilson. See the booklet Mount Wilson Walks by Elizabeth Raines. A highlight is the Waterfalls Walk which includes a cascade over a basalt cliff.
Cycling
Mountain Lagoon-Burralow Circuit . A varied and strenuous days’ ride links the Wheeny Creek and Burralow camping areas through Kurrajong and Mountain Lagoon along sealed highways, gravel roads and 4WD trails. A side-trip to the T3 Lookout from Mountain Lagoon is worthwhile.
Banks Wall . The Banks Wall Trail is an excellent and rewarding short ride.
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