Castle Head, Federal Pass & Furber Steps - Blue Mountains National Park

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Route: Cedar Street, Cliff Drive, Narrow Neck Lookout, Glenrapael Drive, Castle Head Track, Castle Head, Glenraphael Drive, Golden Stairs, Bottings Lookout, Federal Pass, Scenic Railway, Furber Steps, Lynes Point, Underfalls Walk, Katoomba Falls, Juliet's Balcony, Katoomba Falls Round Walk, Vanimans Lookout, Prince Henry Cliff Walk, Cliff Drive, Cedar Street

Date: 09/04/2023
From: Narrow Neck Lookout

Parking: Cedar Street
Start Point: Narrow Neck Lookout
Finish Point: Cedar Street
Region: Blue Mountains National Park

Route length: 15.2km
Time taken: 03:46
Average speed: 5.0km/h
Ascent: 653m
Descent: 651m

Points of Interest: Castle Head, Furber Steps

It is likely that more people have seen Castle Head than visited it, despite it having some of the most impressive views in the southern Blue Mountains. Visitors to Echo Point will undoubtedly have gazed upon Mount Solitary and Ruined Castle with Castle Head forming part of the same backdrop. Truth be told, it's taken me three years to venture out to Castle Head having arrived in Sydney in 2019.

While Castle Head appears to be a solid tableland, it is, in fact, a narrow ridge that protrudes into the valley. At its terminus, it is only a few metres across. Getting to Castle Head is very straightforward and requires only a modest amount of effort.

In the past, hikers venturing onto Narrowneck Plateau will have driven along the fire trail to the parking area at the top of the Golden Stairs, however, the access road has been severely damaged by storms in 2020 (though has since been fully repaired). To compensate, the National Parks Authority has built a new hikers path that links the Narrowneck Lookout parking area to the plateau, avoiding the damaged section of the road. A word of warning - the parking area has a limit of 2 hours, imposed by the Council so if you are considering this hike, it's best to park on the streets nearby.

The Glenraphael Drive landslide (March 2022)

Starting from the lookout (having parked elsewhere) I ventured down the new steps to the fire trail on Narrowneck Plateau, Glenraphael Drive. It's an easy hike along the 'road' towards Castle Head, passing the top of the Golden Stairs and a couple of valley lookouts along the way. There is one very steep section of the road that has been concreted but it only lasts for a short while and the views over Megalong Valley make frequent pauses all the more appealing.

The new track makes its way through the bush towards Narrowneck Plateau

There are views over Megalong Valley to the west

The magnificent Boars Head

Glenraphael Drive

Partway along the fire trail are some superb lookouts with views along Causeway Creek

The panorama from the landslide (left) to Castle Head (right)

The top of the steep concrete section of the fire trail

The turn-off for Castle Head is marked by a sign, around 20 minutes of hiking from the end of the concrete section of the fire trail. The sign used to be a more rustic affair but has been replaced by a metal post by the national park authority, I'm guessing after the bushfires that ravaged the park in 2020. The path makes a 1.2km journey along the finger of land to Castle Head.

The Castle Head turnoff

A handful of flat platforms give a good view to the east

Maliata Point, Echo Point and Sublime Point all project into the valley

The track to Castle Head

Just before the track reaches the lookout at Castle Head, it passes an old trig station, marked by a metal post and a black disk. While the trig has a commanding view of its own, it pales in comparison to the views from the edge of the cliffs, only a short distance further.

The trig station at Castle Head

The lookout is located at the cliff face at the end of the ridge, overlooking a vast sweep of the southern Blue Mountains. Ruined Castle and Mount Solitary dominate the view directly ahead and it's possible to spot most of the area's famous attractions including the Three Sisters, Sublime Point and Kings Tableland.

Castle Head

Ruined Castle and Mount Solitary

The incredible view from Castle Head

Castle Head, along with Ruined Castle and Mount Solitary, split the valleys of Cedar Creek to the west and Causeway Creek to the east. Both creeks eventually join Coxs River on the opposite side of Mount Solitary. To the east is the line of cliffs below Katoomba, no doubt thronged with visitors enjoying the views from Echo Point and the Three Sisters.

The course of the Kedumba River

Echo Point, Sublime Point and Kings Tableland

The Three Sisters

Cedar Creek, to the west, is a wild valley framed by Mount Solitary and the continuation of Narrowneck Plateau. There is also a rare glimpse of Lake Burragorang, the huge lake created by the Warragamba Dam that supplies water to Sydney. 

Cedar Creek

Ruined Castle and Mount Solitary

A distant Lake Burragorang

After soaking up the view, I retraced the route back along Narrowneck to the parking area at the top of the Golden Stairs which start their descent to Federal Pass immediately from the car park. They are a little rougher than the more popular Giant Stairway but no less spectacular. 

The top of the Golden Stairs

The route was originally used by miners who worked the shale deposits near the Ruined Castle. The track negotiated some small cliff faces using a series of ladders and chains before they were replaced by modern steps. The name is apparently derived from a hymn sung by members of the Salvation Army who conducted services in the Jamison Valley for the mining communities that lived and worked below the cliffs. The hymn was called "Walking Up The Golden Stairs".

Descending the Golden Stairs

Near the top of the Golden Stairs is Bottings Lookout, named after Walter Botting, a trail maker from the Katoomba area. The fenced lookout has a superb view of the 1931 landslide which is believed to have been the result of old mine tunnels weakening the face of the rock after their props were removed.

Bottings Lookout

The 1931 landslide

After Bottings Lookout, the track descends further through a narrow gully and beneath a small overhanging cliff where the edge is fenced off. Following is a series of metal and stone staircases taking the path to Federal Pass. Along the way, there are excellent views of Mount Solitary and Castle Head.

Golden Stairs

The Narrowneck cliffs

Ruined Castle and Castle Head

The Three Sisters

Descending the Golden Stairs

The famed sandstone cliffs of the Blue Mountains

The Federal Pass, to give it its full title, is one of the longer tracks in the Blue Mountains tourist area, joining the town of Leura in the east to the Ruined Castle in the west via the base of the cliffs. It was initially built by the Katoomba community, from Leura Forest to Katoomba Falls, before being extended along an old horse-drawn coal tramway line. The whole track is typically very level and provides a swift route through the mountains.

Federal Pass

Federal Pass

Federal Pass

Some of the sections have been affected by landslides

After the junction with the Golden Stairs, Federal Pass makes its way in a wide arc around the head of Causeway Creek until it emerges beneath the 1931 landslide. The slip claimed everything in its path, including the Federal Pass and the trees. Now, Federal Pass picks its way through the debris of the landslide with a couple of short climbs before it reaches the bush again. The open area has good views across the valley back towards Narrowneck and Castle Head.

Beneath the 1931 landslide

Some huge blocks litter the hillside

The landslide debris

Causeway Creek

Once past the landslide Federal Pass heads around Malaita Point to reach Scenic World, the popular Blue Mountains tourist attraction, a sort of outdoors theme park home to a cable car (the Scenic Skyway) and the world's steepest passenger railway - the 52-degree Scenic Railway. Federal Pass makes its way straight through the Scenic Railway station - it's always worth stopping on the bridge to watch the carriages climbing the steep track.

Old steel cables from the areas mining days still lie across Federal Pass

The Three Sisters

The valley station for the Scenic Railway

As it is a private enterprise, the rainforest area that belongs to Scenic World is separated from the national park with swinging metal gates (the gates do not impede access to the national park). After passing through the gate and back onto Federal Pass, it is only a short distance to the base of Furner Steps, my means of getting back atop the cliffs.

The bottom of the Furber Steps

The Furber Steps were constructed in 1908, replacing the bush pole steps of the original Federal Pass. The name 'bush poles' sounds precarious on its own, let alone down the side of a sandstone cliff. Thomas Furber, a Lands Department surveyor with an interest in conservation, was mainly responsible for obtaining a government grant of £140 for the work and the steps now bear his name.

The first section of Furber Steps passes beneath some interesting overhangs

The climb gets a little more serious

Of all the constructed stairways in the Blue Mountains, Furber Steps are my favourite as they have some of the best views to accompany the climb (or descent) alongside Katoomba Falls, with the Three Sisters standing proud across the valley. There are also ample opportunities to pause and soak up the scenery.

The Three Sisters

Below the Scenic Skyway

Furber Steps

The full height of Katoomba Falls

The middle terraces of Katoomba Falls

Near the top of Furber Steps is a branch along the Underfalls Track, which is well worth the extra distance, taking you to the middle terrace of Katoomba Falls. Along the way, you will find numerous little waterfalls trickling beside the path

Katoomba Falls - the same terrace as shown in the photo above

Looking out to Mount Solitary from Katoomba Falls

After returning from the Underfalls Walk, the final section of Furber Steps takes you to the Katoomba Falls Track. There is a small, informative platform that describes the features of the rainforest. Taking a left onto the Katoomba Falls Round Walk which climbs to two superb lookouts at Juliet's Balcony and then Vanimans Lookout a bit further on.

Vanimans Lookout

The Three Sisters

Katoomba Falls

Eventually, I made it to the Prince Henry Cliff Walk which leads back towards Scenic World where I had parked the car earlier in the day. I was surprised by how good Castle Head is - it is arguably one of the best views anywhere in the southern Blue Mountains and doesn't require a great deal of effort to get there. It merits a trip in its own right and would make a superb place to catch a sunrise - something I'd like to see in the not-too-distant future.