Wentworth Falls, Wentworth Pass & Valley of the Waters

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Route: Queens Cascade, National Pass, Giant Stairway, National Pass, Slacks Stairs, Wentworth Falls, Wentworth Pass, Valley of the Waters, Flat Rock Falls, Lodore Falls, Empress Falls, Empress Lookout, Overcliff Track, Wentworth Falls Lookout

Date: 07/01/2021
From: Wentworth Falls

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

Route length: 3.6 miles (5.8km)
Time taken: 03:10
Average speed: 1.2 mph
Ascent: 407m
Descent: 393m

Points of Interest: Wentworth Falls, National Pass, Valley of the Waters

Wentworth Falls is a popular area of the Blue Mountains and is the perfect place to spend a grey, drizzly day thanks to the towering waterfalls which always look better after a bit of rain. That said, it's the middle of the summer holidays which had brought many people out to the epic scenery of the national park, so much so that the large Wentworth Falls car park was full when we arrived and we ended up parked on the streets of suburbia. 

After grabbing our modest selection of kit we left the car and quickly made our way to the first of many viewpoints; Jamison Lookout, which has a superb view across the Jamison Valley towards Mount Solitary. The Wentworth Falls track, which would take us to the base of the waterfall, starts close by.

A gloomy day at Wentworth Falls

The very top of Wentworth Falls

The enormous Kedumba Walls

The Wentworth Falls Track descends to reach the Queen's Cascade, a pretty waterfall directly above the main Wentworth Falls. Sympathetic stone blocks allow you to cross the stream, even after heavy rain, while a metal rail stops you from straying too close to the 180m drop of Wentworth Falls. Once past the cascades, the track becomes the famed National Pass, one of the many tracks that link routes above and below the cliffs of the Blue Mountains.

Weeping Rock is a short diversion from the main path to Queens Cascades

Jamison Creek disappears over the edge of the cliff

Queens Cascades

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. The entire track was the brainchild of a Scottish sea captain, James Murray. Rumour has it that Captain Murray was lowered over the cliff in a bosun’s chair’, in order to survey the cliff and access the ledge to construct the track. Sadly, much of the pass is currently closed due to a rockfall but, the most interesting parts remain accessible, starting with the Grand Stairway.

The top of Wentworth Falls from National Pass

The famous ledge on National Pass

Kedumba Walls

Wentworth Falls

Looking down the Grand Stairway

The Jamison Valley

Descending the Grand Stairway

Dubbed 'Australia's Tallest Staircase', the Grand Stairway descends below the cliffs, snaking steeply down a set of hand-railed steps that require you to wait for people moving up and down them as they are so narrow. National Pass descends very steeply down the cut sandstone steps, switchbacking occasionally until it levels out towards the base of Wentworth Falls. 

Here, the fine, misty water descends into a large pool - perfect for a summer swim. Beyond this, the National Pass extends out onto a ledge beneath a low overhand requiring you to crouch down to avoid banging your head. The ledge opens up slightly and has a tremendous view of the twin drops of Wentworth Falls.

Wentworth Falls in fine voice

Wentworth Falls

The top of Wentworth Falls

Wentworth Falls and the lower pools

National Pass

Showers congregate in Jamison Valley

Kedumba Walls

Looking across to the Grand Stairway

The famed ledge of the National Pass

Wentworth Falls

Jamison Valley

After the ledge, we reached the place along the pass where it has been closed due to rockfall - a locked door, not unlike the entrance to a building site, bars the way (sadly, an NSW contractor lost his life during the rockfall so the pass remains closed until it is deemed safe to reopen). Fortunately, Slacks Stairs can be used to bypass the closed section of the National Pass. 

Negotiating Slacks Stairs

Slacks Stairs is one of the most interesting and surprising routes I've ever come across. After squeezing down a narrow chasm between the rocks, a series of enclosed ladders snake their way almost vertically towards the rainforest below. So steep are the ladders that the safest way to negotiate them is facing towards the rocks, as you would do on any normal ladder. 

Slacks Stairs

The final obstacle is a short rock step that is aided by a few bolted iron rungs. Slacks Steps were so named to recognise Isaac Platt Slack, Parramatta Real Estate Agent and Auctioneer, who was Chairman of the Wentworth Falls Group of the Blue Mountains Sights Reserve Trust. The stairs were first constructed in the 1930s to link National and Wentworth Passes. 

There are two tracks along the base of the cliffs; Hippocrene Falls and Wentworth Pass. We opted for the easier Wentworth Pass which skirts the base of the cliffs towards the Valley of the Waters (the Hippocrene Falls track is much more challenging as the path is indistinct). Wentworth Pass (and the falls) are named after William Charles Wentworth, an Australian explorer and one of the leading figures of early colonial New South Wales. 

Wentworth Pass

Wentworth Pass undulates along the base of the cliffs for a few kilometres until it opens up towards the western end, approaching the Valley of the Waters. This valley is aptly named, instead of the single fall like Wentworth or Govetts Leap, the creek here makes its way down the cliffs in a series of spectacular, smaller waterfalls. The path up the valley, using boulders, steps and, handrails, gets you close to the action. The highlights along the climb are Sylvia Falls and Empress Falls (the latter of which is a popular abseiling spot - one that I have done).

An opening in the trees along Wentworth Pass

The dense Australian bush

Valley of the Waters Creek

Britannia Falls

Flat Rock Falls

Lodore Falls

The track above Lodore Falls

Sylvia Falls

Empress Falls - complete with abseilers

The pools below Empress Falls

The Valley of the Waters track makes a final dash to the top of the cliffs via a series of wooden steps, finishing at the lookout which peers back down the valley. Here we joined the Overcliff Track which has recently reopened after some renovation. As the name suggests, the path runs across the top of the cliffs though much of the view is hidden behind a screen of trees and bushes.

Empress Lookout

Valley of the Waters

Clouds swirl over Kedumba Walls

Showers encroach once again

Mount Solitary swallowed by the drizzle

Shortly after joining the Overcliff Track, we deviated once again, taking the shortcut back towards the car park at Wentworth Falls. Despite only clocking up a short distance, this loop is pretty tough thanks to the two extremely steep routes in and out of the valley. Back at the car park, we took a few moments to revisit the views from the morning before setting off back to Sydney - another fine Blue Mountains outing in the bag.