This lesser known short walk in the Blue Mountains passes through a very atmospheric canyon, and can be extended along the bottom of cliffs used by rock climbers.
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.
