West of the Blue Mountains Archives

Lost City West Viewpoints, Gardens of Stone Conservation Area NSW

Countless spectacular rock pagodas at Lost City West in Gardens of Stone, a little known alternative to the popular Lost City Walking Track.

This walk takes in countless spectacular and ancient looking rock pagodas for little effort, and you probably won’t see a single person all day. For sure the varied and tracked circuit between Lost City North and South is a must-do. But on that walk you’ll be joined by many others, which can detract somewhat from that sense of having discovered, well, a lost city. This alternative to Lost City West doesn’t take you down into the valley, and requires some (easy) off-track walking, but the pay-off is having the place all to yourself.

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Lost City walking track, Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area NSW

An easygoing walk through spectacular rock pagodas & atmospheric canyons in the Lost City area of Gardens of Stone Conservation Area.

Over the years I’d seen photos of rock pagodas in Gardens of Stone National Park, but didn’t know much about how to access these areas. In 2022 NSW added Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area to the mix, and within this boundary is the amazing Lost City. This must be one of the most concentrated areas of pagodas, and a newly constructed track takes you on an easygoing 6km greatest-hits tour. Apart from the rock pagodas there is a very atmospheric canyon network to walk through.

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Mount Cloudmaker from Kanangra Walls, Kanangra-Boyd National Park, NSW

Fairly remote walking on your way to Mount Cloudmaker (1164m), in Kanangra-Boyd National Park, with great views along the way.

This challenging day-walk to the summit of Mount Cloudmaker (1164m) offers a remote walking experience and excellent views. Most of the views are early on in the walk, but for a sense of adventure and to bag some peaks you’ll want to continue on to Mount Cloudmaker.

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Ferntree Gully Circuit, near Rylstone NSW

A great circuit walk through rainforest in Ferntree Gully near Rylstone, visiting a couple of good lookouts for views back down into the gully.

The circuit walk through Ferntree Gully Reserve passes through a scenic gully containing interesting rainforest vegetation. This includes various types of ferns as the name suggests, as well as vines and trailing roots reaching down over rocks to find the ground below. There are also good views from above the gully. It’s a short but rewarding walk that I recommend if you are in the region around Rylstone. Continue reading “Ferntree Gully Circuit, near Rylstone NSW”

Pagoda Lookout Track, Dunns Swamp, Wollemi National Park NSW

An excellent short walk on the Pagoda Lookout Track in Wollemi National Park, where there are views of rock pagodas & over the picturesque Cudgegong River.

The Dunns Swamp area is very picturesque, and a shortish drive from the also picturesque village of Rylstone, in NSW’s Mid-Western region. The short walk on the Pagoda Lookout Track passes along the foreshore of the dammed but still very attractive Cudgegong River, and takes you to the base of impressive rock pagodas. From there it’s a short but steep climb to the top of the rocks themselves. There are great views of the rocks and over the surrounding area. Definitely worth spending half an hour or so exploring the area around the lookout, and obsessively taking pictures (obviously). Continue reading “Pagoda Lookout Track, Dunns Swamp, Wollemi National Park NSW”

Waterfall Walk (Kalang Falls), Kanangra-Boyd NP, NSW

A very short (but steep) walk to the picturesque Kalang Falls. Worth doing if you are visiting the Kanangra Walls area.

A very short walk in Kanangra-Boyd National Park, starting at Kanangra Walls Lookout. The track drops steeply down to the picturesque Kalang Falls (otherwise known as Kanangra Creek Waterfall on Google Maps), and you can have a look down stream a bit if you like. Continue reading “Waterfall Walk (Kalang Falls), Kanangra-Boyd NP, NSW”

Plateau Walk & Cottage Rock Track, Kanangra-Boyd NP, NSW

Some of the best views in NSW on this easy enough walk in Kanangra-Boyd National Park in the south-west corner of the Greater Blue Mountains area. There are impressive cliffs, deep valleys, and karst landforms.

The views on this walk in Kanangra-Boyd National Park are some of the best in NSW. The impressive Kanangra Walls and deep Kanangra Valley are front and centre at a lookout near the start, and then the easygoing Plateau Walk passes along the edge of the Walls for more great views across the valley to Thurat Spires and into Kanangra Gorge. Continuing on to Cottage Rock through heath and forest means you can stretch your legs a bit more, and there are 360 degree views from the top of the rock of surrounding forested hills. Continue reading “Plateau Walk & Cottage Rock Track, Kanangra-Boyd NP, NSW”

Pipeline Track from the Wolgan Valley, NSW

Excellent views at the high point of the Pipeline Track, which runs between two spectacular valleys, the Wolgan Valley & Capertee Valley.

This walk on the Pipeline Track climbs out of the spectacular Wolgan Valley to a high point at Pagoda Lookout. It starts in Newnes Campground surrounded by high cliffs, and at first passes through mining relics from the early twentieth century. The track then climbs up through an attractive gully to excellent views back down into the valley. Continue reading “Pipeline Track from the Wolgan Valley, NSW”