Date: 27 – 29 April, 2018
Description/Location: Six Foot Track – Katoomba to Jenolan Caves
Leader: Eric Caswell
Report: Berni Aquilina
Images: Glen Hill & Hans Staub
Maps: Six Foot Track (Crown Lands Map scale approx. 1:62500) is the map we used. Topographic series (scale 1:25000) Katoomba 8930-1S, Hampton 8930-4S, Jenolan 8930-3N would provide more detail.
Members on walk: 6
Distance: 46km
Comment:
Six intrepid bushwalkers decided to go on a multi-day bushwalk in the Blue Mountains – the historic Six Foot Track that goes from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. We travelled down the previous day in two vehicles and shared a 6 bed dorm at the Katoomba YHA, and a hearty meal at the Carrington’s Old City Bank bar in knowledge of dehydrated rations to come.
Next morning we parked at the track head, near the Explorer’s Tree, donned our packs and began a steep descent, down widely spaced wooden steps and through thick rainforest, into Nellie’s Glen. The track route follows an 1884 heritage horse track that serviced Jenolan Caves, and they must have been plucky animals to handle that descent.
From Nellie’s Glen the track flattened and widened to a fire trail through scribbly gum forest that took us through to the site of the old Megalong Village, now a horse paddock but which had up to 200 residents at its peak in the 1890s when kerosene shale was being mined.
After stopping for morning tea at the old Megalong Cemetery, we walked on across rolling farmland and back into bush as we approached Coxs River, where we lunched amidst sandstone boulders and considered the alternative routes – whether to cross on the suspension bridge or ford the river at nearby Coxs camping area.
Bowtells Swing Bridge won the day and we swayed across, one by one, watching our feet and snatching glances up and down the river as we went. It wasn’t far to the camping area, but cars were already parked, it was Friday afternoon and more were likely, and the facilities weren’t pristine, so we decided to walk on another four kilometres to the lesser used Alum Creek Camping Ground, which a passing backpacker told us had new facilities including a water tank.
This last segment entailed a steep climb and made the day’s walk 20 kilometres with large packs so, as you can imagine, we were pleased to arrive and have the camp ground to ourselves. We pitched tents and lightened our packs by eating our heaviest food, then slept well under an almost full moon.
Day 2 began with a slight descent then a steep and later steady climb through tall and misty eucalypt forest to Black Range camp. Along the way we enjoyed seeing mushrooms and bracket fungi, banksias and grasstrees. We passed grey kangaroos and wallaroos; and were accompanied by bellbirds serenading in the valleys and black cockatoos squawking and creaking from the tree tops. We set up camp mid afternoon, ate early and some of us were in our tents by 6pm. At 1200m, this was our highest elevation, considerably higher than 400m at Coxs River, and significantly cooler.
Our final day was across the plateau then down into the limestone kaarst landscape of the Jenolan Caves. Some of us had a guided tour of the Caves while others were happy to rest before the bus took us back to our cars. Apart from sore muscles and minor wear and tear, we had no injuries and hope to make further multi-day walks in future. Along the way, we had the chance to check out other people’s equipment and are no doubt all aiming for smaller and lighter packs next time.
