Devils Hole Track, Katoomba, Blue Mountains NSW

The spectacular New South Wales Blue Mountains sit on the western edge of the greater Sydney area. They are easily accessible by car or train from the neighbouring metropolis of over 5 million people. More of a plateau, they gradually rise from the Sydney basin to over 1100m of elevation. The area’s largest town of Katoomba is perched high up at 1017m.

These upper sections are justifiably famous for their deep cut valleys lined by sandstone cliffs, as well as lush forests, impressive waterfalls and windswept heathlands. Thankfully this dramatic and rugged scenery has remained largely unaffected by urban or agricultural development. And since 1959 it has been protected in the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park.

This walk near Mt Victoria offers some of the best views of typical Upper Blue Mountains scenery, but is relatively unknown so you’ll be able to enjoy the serenity without the crowds. The tracks visit some excellent vantage points on the edge of rather precipitous cliffs with views over the spectacular Grose Valley, and there’s also a few patches of treeless grassy plains (the swamps I presume) that make for a nice change of scenery in this heavily forested area. Add to this a handful of rocky outcrops along the way, some interesting trees, and a worthy side trip to visit a small historic mine. All this for less than 10km of flattish walking.   (more…)

Butterbox Point is a shortish walk from the car park at the end of Mt Hay Road, but the views on offer are extensive, and there’s a few rocky outcrops that add to the experience. You can also do the walk up nearby Mt Hay in the same outing; we did on this day but because it was so misty we went back up Mt Hay two days later when it was gloriously sunny.  Views are of the Grose Valley and the cliffs that line it.  (more…)

Two reasonably easy going walks here on Narrow Neck Plateau in the Blue Mountains at Katoomba. They both offer sweeping views over the famous landmarks of the Jamison Valley from a different angle than the more famous vantage points, and there’s also views of the Megalong Valley. (more…)

This was another new walk for me in the Upper Blue Mountains that exceeded expectations. It starts on the edge of town, and passes steeply through a narrow and deep canyon (actually a gap in the cliffs) called the Devils Hole. As you drop down you can take a short side trip to the left for views of the cliffs lining Narrow Neck Plateau. At the bottom of Devils Hole you turn left to view a scenic waterfall, and can then continue on along the bottom of cliffs used by rock climbers.

The track eventually peters out at a spot where I managed to get a clear photo of the Devils Hole and surrounding cliffs. Going this far is a moderate walk, and turning back at the waterfall makes it pretty easy, so long as you don’t mind steep and possibly slippery terrain. We used track notes in the guide book Blue Mountains Best Bushwalks. You start opposite 261 Cliff Drive Katoomba…

Devils Hole Track: The Scenery

Forest at the start.

This was at the top of the Devils Hole.

Descending into the canyon.

Quite green in places. I imagine this walk would be slippery in the wet.

There was a boulder wedged between the cliff walls.

The view from a short deviation from the Devils Hole, exiting to the left as you descend. I think these cliffs are on Narrow Neck Plateau.

The photo below shows where you leave the Devils Hole for the above views…

I’d asked Sophia to come back to where the side track leaves the Devils Hole for views of cliffs lining Narrow Neck Plateau.

I liked this shot looking back up through the Devils Hole.

Forest at the bottom of the Devils Hole.

More in my series of ‘bark photos of interest only to me’. This was a bit rougher than the usual bark I see in Australia. Not sure what the tree is.

At the base of the waterfall.

It’s possible to walk behind the waterfall, which we did on the way back, but here we are walking through it. Its been dry so there wasn’t all that much water.

Great colours in this section that was kept moist by water dripping from above. It almost looks like two photographs joined together.

Looking back at the waterfall: easier to see it in the sunlight.

This area is called Waterfall Cave I think.

Flowers growing out of rock.

The clearest shot I could get of the cliffs above me.

Old steps up onto the plateau. The bottom had been removed but somebody attached rope to allow access. The ladder looked a bit rusty so I didn’t try them out.

These overhangs were evidently used by climbers, as there were things stuck in the wall and ‘ceiling’ of the overhang.

This was a new flower for me.

Same flower as before I think but not yet opened.

You can see the Devils Hole in the centre bottom of the cliff face. This was the only spot in the walk with a clear view back towards the canyon.

A couple of crimson rosellas were hanging out at the end of the walk when we were stretching…

A crimson rosella.

A crimson rosella. Some of the wing feathers were green.

Nearby Walks

There are heaps of really good walks in the Blue Mountains, and I’ve done a lot of them. You can read about my favourite Blue Mountains walks in a blog post I wrote, or browse through a list of all the walks I’ve done below.