I arrived at Katoomba Falls Kiosk around 8am expecting to beat the crowds, but there were already quite a few people out and about. My plan was to head out to Ruined Castle, but before that I wanted to do some exploring on and around Furber Steps. It was a clear morning and there was another decent frost, particularly heavy around the top of Katoomba Falls. Overall it has been an unseasonally mild winter so far though.
Never having done the Round Walk before, I started by heading towards Vaniman’s Lookout and then enjoyed the wonderful views from Juliet’s Balcony, a gorgeous sunny spot at this time of day. I was keen to find the old track to Orphan Rock, one of the shortest lived tracks in the Blue Mountains. It was closed in the 1950s due to fears of its imminent collapse, and it is not hard to see why. The centre of the rock is completely hollowed out, providing a uniquely framed view of Katoomba Falls.
Despite its apparent instability, Orphan Rock has remained in much the same state as it was several decades ago. However, the wooden ladders leading to the top have partially rotted away and are now quite dodgy, with several missing steps. This made for a slightly hair-raising ascent, but the views from the top of Mt Solitary shrouded in cloud were spectacular. Ruined Castle, my destination for today, is the small bump between the orange cliffs of Mt Solitary and those of Narrowneck. It is just to the right of centre in the picture below.
Most of my trips down Furber Steps have been with my kids, so we’ve not really explored the side tracks, but rather tried to keep it as direct as possible. This time I wanted to investigate the tracks to the base of the first and second drops of Katoomba Falls. My old guidebook from the 1980s describes the first of these as unsignposted, but it is a very well-used track these days, known as the Underfalls Walk. I’ve seen many images of this spot (such as this gorgeous photo by Tom Brennan) but didn’t realise it was so readily accessible until now.
A little further on, after negotiating the Furber Steps, I took a side track to Vera’s Grotto. The formal track ends at Witches’ Leap, which is a tributary of Kedumba Creek, but I followed an old, overgrown track most of the way to Katoomba Falls. I was starting to feel like I wanted to get a move on though, and decided I’d done enough exploring for one day. So I turned around and started in earnest my walk to Ruined Castle.
Although officially after the Scenic World opening time, I walked through the tourist area without seeing another soul which is a very rare occurrence. This area has some amazing history. Coal mining started in the Jamison Valley in the 1870s and while it looks like a pristine wilderness these days, there was a huge amount of infrastructure built in the valley to support the mining industry, and great swathes of land that were previously cleared. After passing through Scenic World, I noted the faint footpad heading down to the valley floor, which follows the route of the old aerial ropeway.
The ropeway was an ambitious project, built to haul buckets of oil shale from the mines around the Ruined Castle back to the incline railway at Katoomba. Although built at great expense, the ropeway only lasted in operation for a total of nine months. It collapsed due to the great strain caused from steep angles at the northern end of its operation. Since then it has slowly been reclaimed by nature, but many artefacts remain, buried in the undergrowth. A comprehensive survey of the Bleichert Ropeway was recently conducted and more information on its fascinating history can be found in the 2014 survey report.
Another point of interest along the track is Rennies tunnel, which was built underneath Narrowneck to provide access to the Glen shale mine in the Megalong Valley. It is easy to locate the entrance from the orange sludge oozing onto the track at this point. I’ve been curious about investigating this tunnel, and a colleague has offered to take me though, but I have to admit it looks very unappealing! When I crouched down near the entrance I could feel warm air blowing on to my face which is always a good sign though.
As I continued along the Federal Pass, I followed another part of the area’s mining history, with this originally being built for a horse-drawn tramway. As a result it is beautifully flat and easy walking through a Tolkienesque forest, with lots of mosses, ferns, lichens and orchids clinging to the rocks.
Just before reaching the Golden Stairs I emerged into sunshine and suddenly the forest was transformed completely. The filtered light through the trees cast a bright and airy feel to the forest, complimented by a lovely chorus of bellbirds. There are some great little campsites here which we are thinking about for our first overnight family walk one day soon.
Another half an hour or so brought me to the base of the Ruined Castle, where I found new steps leading upwards. Despite all my pfaffing around near Katoomba Falls, I was the first to reach the top this morning, although there were many others arriving as I was leaving. I enjoyed the views of Mt Solitary as I had a quick bite to eat. There were just a few puffy balls of cloud remaining in the valley. My favourite view from here would have to be this one though, looking back towards Castle Head.
Feeling rushed, I walked quickly back the way I had come, jogging in parts. I was half-tempted to catch the train back up, but decided I needed the exercise. And in the end it only took 23 minutes to walk from the base of Furber Steps back to my car. Definitely quicker than waiting for a train and making my way through the hoardes of people at the top! All in all it was a very enjoyable day out.
