The Lost City 23-12-2024
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Route: South Lost City Lookout, Lost City Walking Track, Miners Link Track, Marrangaroo Creek, North Lost City Lookout, Lost City Walking Track
Date: 23/12/2024
From: State Mine Gully Road
Parking: Lost City Parking
Start Point: South Lost City Lookout
Finish Point: South Lost City Lookout
Region: Gardens of Stone National Park / State Conservation Area
Route length: 6.0 km
Time taken: 01:54
Average speed: 3.9 km/h
Ascent: 330m
Descent: 324m
Points of Interest: Miners Link Track, Marrangaroo Creek dams, The Lost City
Brand new for 2025 is the Lost City Walking Track, located in the Gardens of Stone National Park close to the town of Lithgow. And when I say new, I mean brand new. Unlike the Grand Cliff Top Walk (which recycles a host of existing tracks around Katoomba and Wentworth Falls), the National Park Service has constructed a new track linking two existing, but previously hard to reach lookouts, creating an interesting route through the pagodas of the Lost City.
The work comes as part of a multi-million dollar investment programme to build a new ecotourism and adventure destination, part of which includes gazetting the new Gardens of Stone National Park (formerly State Conservation Area) and creating hundreds of kilometres of new trails. As a sneak preview, the new walking track was temporarily opened over the Christmas period, so I laced up my shoes and set off in search of the Lost City.
Turns out it's not hard to find. Just 400m along a fire trail is an upgraded lookout which has a sweeping view of the rock towers that make up the Lost City. The unusual pagoda structures resemble an old, decaying city n the midst of the Australian bush — its name is very apt.
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| An information board near the car park outlines the route of the Lost City Walking Track |
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| A fire trail links the car park to the lookout |
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| Approaching the Lost City Lookout |
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| The view from the Lost City Lookout |
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| The Lost City |
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| The Lost City |
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| The Lost City |
The hike begins from the lookout, descending into the valley of Marrangaroo Creek down a series of steps and sloping rock slabs. In essence, the hike is an-out-and-back between the southern and northern lookouts on either side of the valley, with two options to reach Marrangaroo Creek. The first is the Miners Link Track and the second is the Lost City Walking Track. Both lead to the same location at the creek, and you can decide to tackle both over the course of the hike.
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| The new track at the beginning of the Lost City Walk |
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| There are ever-changing views of the Lost City |
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| At the top of the Miners Link Track |
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| Some interesting rock formations along the route |
I opted for the Miner's Link Track first, which descends steeply through the bush until it reaches a narrow gap between some large rocks. There is a short, easy scramble to get down through the gap before the path continues, emerging at Marrangaroo Creek.
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| The Miners Link Track |
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| Some carved steps help with the steeper sections |
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| Looking back up the Miners Link Track |
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| Miners Link Track |
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| You'll pass the remains of a dwelling on the Miners Link Track |
The path follows Marrangaroo Creek for a short distance before branching off along a small tributary leading to an old dam and pond. The dam, built in the 1900s, once provided water to the settlements of Marrangaroo and Lithgow before falling out of use in the 1980s. The entire region surrounding the Lost City is dotted with remnants from its mining past, including winching gears, wire cables, an air shaft, and a narrow gauge railway trolley.
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| Lost City Walking Track |
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| Lost City Walking Track |
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| Crossing Marrangaroo Creek |
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| Marrangaroo Creek |
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| Lost City Walking Track |
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| Lost City Walking Track |
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| The first dam |
From the dam, the path starts to climb, providing some wonderful views of the pagodas that tower over the creek. New steps built by the national park tackle the steeper sections before a more gentle zigzag rounds out the climb as the path meets one of the 4WD tracks that crisscross the area. It's a short distance to the Lost City North Lookout, tucked away behind one of the pagodas. It has a beautiful view across the Lost City and Marrangaroo Creek.
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| Lost City Walking Track |
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| The dammed water sits below a particularly prominent pagoda |
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| New steps lead away from the creek |
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| More climbing |
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| The views of the valley become more and more impressive as you climb |
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| The Lost City |
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| Heading along the rim of the valley |
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| Up close to one of the smaller pagodas |
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| Lost City Viewpoint |
Geologically speaking, the Lost City is formed by sheets of ironstone sandwiched between layers of sandstone, laid down by a vast river delta some 250 million years ago. The two rock types weather at different rates, leaving behind the dramatic, conical rock pagodas, each with its own unique character.
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| The Lost City |
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| The Lost City |
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| The Lost City |
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| The Lost City |
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| The Lost City |
From this northern lookout, the hike returns all the way to the foot of the Miner's Link Track before continuing on (this is the alternative route I mentioned earlier). The track follows Marrangaroo Creek to another old dam. Some metal steps take you up alongside the dam wall, where you'll get some nice views of the rocky Marrangaroo Creek gorge.
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| Starting back towards Marrangaroo Creek |
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| There are some views of the new path which give the pagodas some scale |
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| The Lost City |
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| Back at the first dam |
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| Signage along the track |
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| Marrangaroo Creek |
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| Marrangaroo Creek |
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| At the bottom of the Miners Link Track |
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| Marrangaroo Creek |
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| The second dam |
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| Steps lead you above the dam wall |
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| The second dam |
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| Marrangaroo Creek valley |
The path quests further along the valley, twisting and turning along the valley until it begins a more serious climb up some beautifully constructed sandstone steps — you'll get some more views of the interesting valley and pagodas of the Lost City. After the climb, the path emerges at the top of the Miner's Link Track and one final effort is required to reach the lookout, the fire trail and ultimately, the car.
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