Uloola Falls 14-06-2020
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Route: Waterfall, Waterfall Oval, Uloola Fire Trail, Callaghans Tor, Uloola Swamp, Uloola Falls, Uloola Track, Gurrumboola Ridge, Robertson Knoll, Engadine Track, Kangaroo Creek, Bottle Forest, Bottle Forest Track, Kangaroo Creek, Karloo Pool, Karloo Track, Heathcote
Date: 14/06/2020
From: Waterfall
Parking: N/A
Start Point: Waterfall
Finish Point: Heathcote
Region: Royal National Park
Route length: 18.7km
Time taken: 04:30
Average speed: 3.3 km/h
Ascent: 518m
Descent: 580m
Points of Interest: Uloola Falls, Robertson Knoll, Kangaroo Creek, Karloo Pool
Despite it being the middle of winter, the odd day here and there can still reach the mid-20s. As a Brit, this is perfect hiking weather, and today was one of those days. I decided to head back to Royal National Park for an extended day of hiking along some of the park’s lesser-trodden interior routes.
One of the great advantages of the area is the train line that runs along the park’s western fringe, making it easy to devise a wide range of one-way hikes. Mine would be a south–north journey along Gurrumboola Ridge through the heart of the national park, linking several highlights along the way.
Though I often sing the praises of the train, the line to the town of Waterfall was closed for track work. Instead, I hopped on the replacement bus from Sydney’s main station, arriving in Waterfall a little later than planned but still with plenty of time for a long winter hike.
The walk begins right at the station, where a bush track leaves from the back of the car park and heads straight into the national park. It’s probably also worth pointing out that it’s the middle of winter here in Sydney, yet today reached a heady 22 degrees — my kind of winter.
The first objective was Uloola Falls, around 6 km away via the Uloola Walking Track. The route is mostly a fire trail, easy to follow as it meanders through the picturesque highlands of the national park, passing Uloola Swamp before eventually reaching the Uloola bush campsite—little more than a patch of cleared ground among the trees. Uloola Falls lie just beyond the campsite.
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| From the station car park, the adventure begins |
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| A short section of path links the station to the Uloola Fire Trail |
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| Rains from previous days had flooded a few parts of the path |
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| Waterfall Oval — supposedly this is maintained as a cricket pitch during the summer |
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| The Uloola fire trail |
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| The adjacent bush along the fire trail |
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| Uloola Fire trail |
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| The fire trail at Uloola Swamp |
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| Uloola Fire trail |
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| Approaching the campground |
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| Uloola Falls campground |
The falls themselves are fairly impressive, though getting a clear view is difficult thanks to the trees that surround them. I suspect it’s possible to scramble down to their base, but the route wasn’t immediately obvious. The most obvious track leaving Uloola Falls heads toward Karloo Pool—a destination earmarked for later in the day. Instead, I continued along a lesser-trodden section of the Uloola Track, climbing up onto Gurrumboola Ridge.
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| Uloola Brook at the campground |
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| Looking down Uloola Falls |
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| The top of Uloola Falls |
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| Uloola Falls |
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| Uloola Falls |
Once again, it’s a long haul to the next destination at Robertson Knoll, but the ridge remains engaging throughout, with a mix of dense bush and more open, rocky sections. Along the way are several curious whale-back rocks to cross, as well as a fine lookout near Mount Ball that offers sweeping views across the national park.
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| The Uloola Track heads away from the campground, climbing the Gurrumboola Ridge |
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| Gurrumboola Ridge |
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| Gurrumboola Ridge |
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| The whale-back sandstone rocks along the Gurrumboola Ridge |
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| Looking north along the ridge |
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| The Sydney skyline is visible on the horizon |
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| Gurrumboola Ridge |
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| Royal National Park |
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| Panorama from the Uloola Track |
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| The bark of a scribbly gum tree |
From the lookout, the path continues along the ridge toward an area known as Audley—a small hub in the centre of the national park where Kangaroo Creek and the Hacking River join forces. Instead of dropping down to the rivers below, the track holds its elevation, winding steadily onward and hinting at what’s to come, before finally arriving at the viewpoint at Robertson Knoll.
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| Uloola Track |
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| The Hacking River at Allambie Flat |
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| Robertson Knoll |
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| Robertson Knoll |
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| Robertson Knoll |
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| Leaving Robertson Knoll |
The path winds down below the knoll, linking up with the Engadine Track, another of Royal National Park’s notable routes, which connects Engadine village with the visitor centre at Audley. From here, a steep and entertaining descent—at times making use of a series of metal steps—drops into the bush and down to the beautiful Kangaroo Creek.
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| Descending the Engadine Track |
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| Engadine Track |
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| Descending the Engadine Track |
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| The Engadine Track |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
The Engadine Track crosses Kangaroo Creek, but when I arrived, there was no obvious crossing point. After a bit of searching, I decided to ditch my boots and wade across to the other side—boots in hand, of course.
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
Once safely across the creek, the Engadine Track begins a stiff climb away from Kangaroo Creek, following the course of Tuckawa Rill and leading out of the valley. It emerges into an impressive wooded area known as the Bottle Forest, popular with mountain bikers thanks to the network of tracks winding through the trees. As I strolled through the woods, I decided to extend the walk by looping back to Kangaroo Creek via the Bottle Forest Trail.
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| The Engadine Track |
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| Bottle Forest |
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| Descending the Bottle Forest Trail back to Kangaroo Creek |
While it’s possible to hike along Kangaroo Creek itself, some quick research earlier in the day revealed the route was far from appealing—there was no track to speak of and a tremendous amount of bush-bashing to contend with. That’s why I opted for the more direct, though steeper, route through the Bottle Forest, before descending back down to the creek. From there, a makeshift path follows the creek upstream.
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
After an hour of adventurous hiking along the shaded Kangaroo Creek, I arrived at Karloo Pool—the main reason I had decided to extend the walk. The pool itself is roughly 20 m long and 10 m wide, with a small waterfall cascading into it, making for a beautiful spot tucked among the bush. Although the water is clear, it has an emerald-green sheen that stands out beautifully against the darker foliage surrounding it. Swimming here is definitely encouraged—perhaps better saved for the warmer summer months.
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| Karloo Pool |
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| Kangaroo Creek |
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| Karloo Pool |
The time had come to start making my way back to a train station and leave the national park before dark. Rather than following my original plan to head toward Engadine, I took the Karloo Pools Track, which leads back to the nearby village of Heathcote. The thought of another climb wasn’t particularly welcome, but the gradient eased after a steep initial ascent.
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| The Karloo Track climbs out of the valley |
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| Karloo Track |
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| The Heathcote Brook valley |
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| Above Heathcote Brook |
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| Engadine Track |
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| Last light of the day |
Once out of the valley, the Karloo Pools Track is a delight, winding along the steep sides of Heathcote Brook. The late afternoon sun made the experience even more enjoyable. At the head of the valley, the track crosses Heathcote Brook and finally emerges back into civilisation, beside the Sutherland Communications Centre of the Rural Fire Service. Like Waterfall, the Heathcote train station sits right on the edge of the national park, making for an easy and satisfying exit after a long day of hiking.
uckily, it wasn’t long before I was back on the replacement bus to Sydney, enjoying the sunset while being ferried around for once, rather than driving. There are still a few more walks I’d like to tackle using the train, with the jewel in the crown of the national park—the Coast Track—definitely high on the list. Keep your eyes peeled for that one.
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