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BLUE MOUNTAINS (NSW)
Katoomba Falls |
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Circuit distance : 1.5 km ; Time : 1 hour 30 minutes The Furber Steps walk is easy and very pretty. It has the advantage of being (almost) all downhill! I started at Scenic World, the hub for travelling on the Skyway, the Cableway, and the Cable Railway. It took me just over five minutes to walk back to the Katoomba Falls Kiosk, which is at the top of the Furber Steps Track
Near the kiosk there are several short trails, including a little loop to Reid’s Lookout from where there is a view of the Katoomba Falls ...
... and the Skyway (with glass floor!). The prominent rock formation is Orphan Rock.
Reid’s Lookout provides some minor vertical challenges.
Seeing this lyre bird nearby was a treat. It fossicked around quite happily, not worrying about interested observers.
So now to the Steps track ...
It winds down through a very pretty glen, just catching the morning sun.
We first come to Witches’ Leap (Fall) - nearly a dry run!
The track here is very easy, almost a walk in the park.
I took the side branch track to the left, coming out midway down the Katoomba Falls.
As usual, there is also a view out over the next drop.
These sandstone overhangs seem to be a feature of this area.
Along the way there is this almost ethereal view of the Katoomba Falls ...
... and of course the ubiquitous Three Sisters.
The easy life was too good to last. Here we are at the Furber Steps.
And more. In fact, not a very long section.
The track passes close to Vera’s Grotto. This is the Witches’ Leap stream flowing over a rock face into a quiet pool.
Continuing down, a more pronounced hangover.
And now I’m down on the valley floor – well, almost. I’m on the Federal Pass Track, reasonably level, but still a little way up from the bottom. I turn left towards the base of the Katoomba Falls. This tree is called a turpentine tree, but I can’t source the name.
The base of the Falls. There has been a heavy rock session here in the past.
And looking up ...
Retracing my steps along the Federal Pass Track and continuing, I soon come to the Cable Railway. This is very steep, and was originally used for transporting coal up out of the valley.
One of the old coal miners has been caught frozen in time.
There is a very good little historic mining display here. This was a furnace used to create an updraft to help ventilate the mine.
And a recreation of one of the mines ...
A short distance along a board walk (and in the company of a multitude of tourists) I caught the Cable Car - a much easier way of getting up the escarpment!
Scenic World has its own feeding spot for the cockatoos.
A very pleasant walk, and not hard. |
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