The weather forecast was not good for this day. It was supposed to be cold and very windy. Bob was keen on a daywalk, and so we decided that it would be better to walk in the Lower Blue Mountains.
I had walked through Glenbrook Gorge a few times recently, but had never climbed up to Mt Portal and nearby Tunnel View Lookout. They seemed to be worth visiting, and also from there it is not far to Euroka. Tracks and fire roads link all these places.
We set off from the National Parks Visitor Centre at Glenbrook and soon were on the track leading down to Glenbrook Gorge. Fifteen minutes later we were in the gorge. It was cold but not windy.
It easier to walk down Glenbrook Gorge for most of the way if you stay on the true right bank. There are long sections of open rock slabs and between these you can follow a faint pad or footprints in the sand. It is mostly easy going. To stay on the true right, you do need to scramble once or twice. At a nice swimming hole, you need to mantle up to a higher ledge to keep your feet dry, and a little further down – you need to scramble on rocks in a cave with a pool below. Not too hard.
Further downstream, is a large cave with the walls covered in graffiti. You can climb through the cave and then at the end, you can chimney down a drop of a few metres.
Not far past this, look out for an old built up road/track formation a little higher on the true right bank. A short way along this is a cairn that marks the start of the track up to Portal Lookout.
It is a steep but easy climb to the lookout. Near the cliff line you need to scramble a bit, climbing up a log with footholds cut in it and then a rope assist and further up a steel ladder.
Once on top, there are extensive views of the Nepean River and the Cumberland Plain. It was clear enough to see a distant Centrepoint Tower. After taking a few photos we walked along the fire road to Tunnel View Lookout. This provides a great view of Glenbrook Gorge. Perhaps better than the lookout above the railway line on the other side?
We then continued along the fire road to the Euroka turn-off. From there we could follow a walking track to Euroka, about ten minutes away. We walked through the clearing to the track that takes you to the Nepean River. This is another 15 minutes or so away. At the river, there was not too much to see, so we walked back to Euroka for lunch. “Euroka” is aboriginal for a sunny place, and it sure was nice sitting in the sun while we had lunch. None of the forecast winds had arrived where we were.
We then retraced our steps up the track, crossed the Mt Portal Rd and continued on another track that leads back towards to the Causeway in Glenbrook Creek just below the Visitor Centre. On the way, we spotted some Aboriginal sharpening roves in a creek bed.
We also had plenty of time to spare, so we visited nearby Aboriginal art cave. This contained quite a few hand stencils.
More photos can be viewed on my website here.