This was a nice walk around the cliffs of Leura and Katoomba. My main purpose was to take photos of Leura Cascades.
I started from Leura Station and walked down the main street and then along a side street or two, to arrive at Lyrebird Dell and the track leading to Gordon Falls. A little down the creek lies the Pool Of Siloam. This was attractive but would be better in higher water.
Next port of call was Gordon Falls Lookout. From the lookout, its hard to get a good view of the falls themselves – they are covered by trees. What you can see is a nice amphitheatre of cliffs. I have seen then falls from below – on the Lindeman Pass Track. I have wondered if anyone has been down them on a canyoning type descent?
I continued along the clifftop track towards Leura Cascades. This is part of the Prince Henry Walk that goes right along the top of the cliffs to Katoomba. The Leura section was burnt out in a bushfire a year or two ago – and there are many blackened trees and shrubs. One section of the track has been closed and you need to detour around it (not hard to do). There are many fine lookouts – all offering similar views of Mt Solitary and the Jamison Valley.
In one place I found an interesting rock formation. Good for photographs, but I had to climb over the track railing to get to it. Not far along is another interesting rock. And it has a name – Tarpeian Rock, named after an ancient Roman place of execution. Unfortunately, this rock has been badly vandalised – by officialdom. It has been fenced off as yet another lookout. Metal railing poles have been drilled into what is a most interesting rock formation covered in swirls and rills. A shame!
One more viewpoint, Bridal Veil Lookout is a bit more of a side trip – but is well worthwhile. It gives a good view of Bridal Veil Falls, the first of Leura Falls that follow on from Leura Cascades.
Then, it was not far down to Leura Cascades. I had been hoping for some nice soft light to photograph the cascades. Unfortunately it was a bright sunny day and the sunlight was far too harsh. I had to find small parts of the cascades that the sun wasn’t shining on. A bit tricky and restrictive.
The track continues on around the cliffs and winds down to the bottom of the Bridal Veil Falls.
I then continued down to Leura Forest, another interesting place.
My route then followed Dardenelles Pass to The Giant Stairway and up to The Three Sisters and back along the Prince Henry Walk to Leura Cascades. From there I followed signposted route (track and back streets) to Leura Station.
This is a very nice area that I hadn’t been to for many years.
More photos are on my website here.