Lockleys Pylon/Du Faur Head Track, Blue Mountains NSW

The Lockleys Pylon Track offers really excellent views of the Grose Valley from the opposite side of the valley to the Blackheath walks, and the mostly heath vegetation means there are wide open views for much of the walk. Continue on a short while from Lockleys Pylon to Du Faur Head for more views.

Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains

We’ve done the Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head walk many a time. Walking through attractive heath vegetation allows for open views for the most part from start to finish, taking in the shear sided cliffs of the impressive Grose Valley from the opposite side of the valley to walks near Blackheath (such as walking to Pulpit Rock). Definitely a good scenery to effort ratio. 

There’s also walks starting at the end of Mt Hay Road up Mt Hay itself, on to Venus Tor, and also to Butterbox Point, all offering more excellent (albeit similar) views. I went up and over Mt Hay later in the day. There’s also an excellent walk to Fortress Ridge back up the road.

I had just bought a new mirrorless camera (actually a gift from my mother) when I did this walk in winter 2018, and when I tested it out in tricky winter lighting I realised I still had a lot to learn about how to get the best from this technology. The photos below are a mix of my phone and the mirrorless. Track notes at the end.

Lockleys Pylon/Du Faur Head Track: The Scenery

Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
At the start.
Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
Looking towards Lockleys Pylon.
Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
Cliffs near Lockleys Pylon. The background is overexposed: I still have a lot to learn about using my new mirrorless camera.
Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
Lockleys Pylon.
Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
Mt Hay. I walked up and over Mt Hay later on in the day.

Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains

Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
Cliffs between Lockleys Pylon and Du Faur Head.
Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
Looking back up at Lockleys Pylon.
Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
Near Du Faur Head.

I wonder whether you can tell which of the following two pictures was taken by my Panasonic Lumix Mirrorless and which by my Google Pixel. To be honest they’ve both been tweaked by Google photos so not a direct comparison. Both demonstrate how good the views are on this track.

Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
Looking down the Grose Valley.
Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
Looking down the Grose Valley.
Lockleys Pylon / Du Faur Head, Blue Mountains
Typical vegetation on this walk.

Track Notes

It’s a fun drive down the unsealed and bumpy Mt Hay Road to the start of this easy to moderate walk. The track is pretty straightforward, but here’s a few links to info and notes: NPWS, Wildwalks, and Bushwalking NSW. Lockleys Pylon can be reached on a mini-circuit by taking a left off the main track, and continue on down the main track and a short descent to reach Du Faur Head. It’s then possible to continue on just a bit for a left turn which takes you down into the Grose Valley and Blue Gum Forest (I’ll post on that walk at a later date).

Author: Edward Hathway

I'm a clinical psychologist and keen hiker.

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