Bob and myself had gone up the mountains and were wondering what bushwalk would be best. It was wet and misty and more rain was forecast during the day. I suggested the walk at Blackheath – through Centennial Glen, then along Colliers Causeway and back up to the tops via Porters Pass. I knew this walk offered plenty of shelter, in overhangs along the way. Bob had not been along the Causeway before and thought it sounded OK, and I was keen to photograph the waterfalls in Centennial Glen.
We started from the trail that goes around the Christian School at Blackheath. A path through their grounds has been signposted for bushwalkers to follow. It soon leads down to Fort Rock. On the way, through the mist, we could see another track that led to Fort Rock from the direction of the top of Porters Pass. We thought it may be a better way to return rather than walking along some of the back streets of Blackheath.
From Fort Rock, we followed the old historic steps down to Centennial Glen. After passing the rock climbing area, we stopped at Centennial Glen Falls while I took some photos.
Centennial Falls
We then continued along to where the tracks turn off to Walls Ledge. We continued down to the short canyon in the lower part of Centennial Glen – The Grotto.
The Grotto
Here, we walked up a side track to the almost the waterfall at the end – Grotto Falls. Chiselled areas on the canyon sides show where an old dam had been and the bottom turned into a swimming pool at an earlier time.
Grotto Falls
We returned to the main track and followed it down the spectacular descent down the side of the lower waterfall – Slippery Dip Falls.
Slippery Dip Falls
We then crossed the creek and kept going on the track around to Colliers Causeway. This starts with a benched track that soon climbs up to the base of the cliffs and then through a series of overhangs. The last part of the track is slower – no more caves, just steep banks, where you need to watch your footing as you traverse. The track is much rougher here and was slippery due to the rain.
We soon arrived at the base of Porters Pass. Here the track improves a lot. At the start of the ascent, there is an old water trough carved into the rock of a small creek. Perhaps a bit polluted to drink now?
We continued up the pass, and stopped in a nice dry cave near the base of Celebrity Crag (climbing area). It was starting to rain heavier now.
After much, we walked up to the top of Porters Pass and deviated to the nearby lookout.
Then back and up the track to near where it meets the road at Burton Street, but before that we turned off and traversed along a nice scenic track to Fort Rock. From there, it was a short walk back to Bob’s car.
This spectacular area of the Blue Mountains is not at present in any national park – and has been included in the proposed Stage 2 additions to Gardens of Stone National Park.
More photos of this walk are online here on my website.