Wentworth Falls

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Route: Jamisons Lookout, Wentworth Falls Lookout, Fletchers Lookout, Queens Cascade, national Pass, Rocket Point, Weeping Rock

Date: 19/01/2019
From: Wentworth Falls

Parking: Wentworth Falls Lookout
Start Point: Wentworth Falls Lookout
Finish Point: Wentworth Falls Lookout
Region: Blue Mountains National Park

Route length: 1.4 miles (2.2km)
Time taken: 01:03
Average speed: 1.3mph
Ascent: 118m
Descent: 114m

Points of Interest: Wentworth Falls, National Pass, Weeping Rock

After some benign conditions in the last few weeks, the risk of bushfires in the Blue Mountains has eased slightly which has led to the re-opening of a few select areas that have been closed for several weeks.

Currently, much of the western and northern areas remain closed but, after a few days of heavy rain, the dramatic cliffs surrounding Wentworth Falls have been deemed safe enough for visitors and we wasted no time heading over from Sydney. The Wentworth Falls area is home to the National Pass which is one of the most impressive of the hand-cut cliffside tracks in the Blue Mountains and I was keen to check it out.

The day was forecast to be grey and showery which, given the dry spell New South Wales has been facing, is a welcome relief, especially to the firefighters of the RFS. That said, as we arrived in Leura in the early afternoon, the rain was falling with great enthusiasm and a venture out onto the cliffs was not especially appealing. We wasted some time exploring the shops and cafes of the village before making our way to the Wentworth Falls car park.

Our plan extended to little more than a visit to the Rocket Point lookout, only 2km along some of the tracks around the waterfalls. Rocket Point has arguably the best view of the main Wentworth waterfall which we hoped would be in full flow given the rain that had fallen.

We left the car prepared for the rain and quickly took in the sights of the two car park lookouts; Jamison Lookout and Wentworth Falls Lookout. Despite the rain, the surrounding cliffs were looking impressive with the wispy clouds floating around the rock face. We could also see a tantalising glimpse of the top of the waterfall, many metres below.

Jamison's lookout

The top of Wentworth Falls

Cliffs of the Kings Tableland

Descending the first steps along the Wentworth Falls Track

Fletchers Lookout

The falls are seen from Fletchers Lookout

The Wentworth Falls Track passes Queen's Cascade, another small waterfall, this time directly above the main Wentworth Falls. Sympathetic stone blocks allow you to cross the stream, even after heavy rain while a fence stops you from straying too close to the 100m drop of Wentworth Falls. Once past the cascades, the track becomes the famed National Pass, one of several paths which join routes beneath the cliffs of the Blue Mountains.

Descending to the top of the waterfall

Crossing the top of the waterfall

The top of Wentworth Falls

Queens Cascade

National Pass is probably the most spectacular of the Blue Mountains passes thanks to its precipitous location on a ledge high up on the cliffs. It was built by a team nicknamed ‘the Irish Brigade’ for the cost of £430, using picks, shovels and dynamite. Sadly, much of the pass is currently closed due to a rockfall but, the most interesting parts remain accessible, starting with the Grand Staircase.

The top of National Pass

Sara and I on National Pass

National Pass

National Pass

Wentworth Falls from National Pass

National Pass

National Pass

We had a look around the upper section of the pass (which is the most impressive and photographed part) before returning towards Queen's Cascades. The view of Wentworth waterfalls is good from National Pass but Rocket Point looked more promising.

Visiting Rocket Point involves a short circuit with a bit of a climb. The path is far more overgrown, leading up to the Rocket Point lookout. The railed viewpoint has a picture-perfect view of the waterfall and today it was looking at its very best.

The cliffs above Wentworth Falls

Wentworth Falls seen from Rocket Point

We completed the Rocket Point circuit, returning back to the Queen's Cascades. A final, short detour before returning to the car took us up past Weeping Rock. The small waterfall on Jamison Creek was roaring and a soggy set of steps took us around the side to the top. Here we picked up the Wentworth Falls Track once again, returning to the car - wet, but happy to finally get back out into the mountains.

Weeping Rock

Weeping Rock

Weeping Rock