Looking for the ultimate Blue Mountains sunrise spot without the heavy crowds of Echo Point? Castle Head track delivers a million-dollar panorama for only a fraction of the footwork. Tucked quietly along the spectacular Narrowneck Plateau near Katoomba, this short but rewarding Blue Mountains hike steps out along a dramatic, narrow ridge line to serve up completely uninterrupted, front-row views over the Jamison Valley,Mount Solitary, and the Ruined Castle.
Castle Head
📍 BLUE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Distance4.3 km
Duration02:29 hrs
Elev Gain+171 m
Elev Lost-150 m
Date
14 September 2024
Starting Point
Narrowneck Drive - The Locked Gate
Difficulty
Moderate
Pace / Gear
4.5 km/h — Camera pack
Highlights
Castle Head
🗺️ Interactive Route MapPinch or use wheel to zoom
After a recent trip to Castle Head, I vowed to return armed with my camera and tripod to catch a sunrise from one of the best vantage points in the southern Blue Mountains. 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 effort – perfect for a pre-dawn excursion.
After camping close by in Katoomba, I arrived at the Narrowneck locked gate under the cover of darkness, ready to make the short hike to the lookout. To begin, the route is mostly along a fire trail before a sign marks the detour to Castle Head. This section is easy, even under the power of a head torch.
First light at the locked gate on Narrowneck Plateau
The first part of the hike follows the Narrowneck fire trail
The last of the stars before dawn
The path makes a 1.2 km journey towards the end of the ridge, passing a couple of viewpoints along the way. 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.
Jamison Valley
Approaching Castle Head
Mount Solitary
The lookout is located atop 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, 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 west, Cedar Creek is a wild valley framed by Mount Solitary and the continuation of the Narrowneck Plateau. There is also a rare glimpse of Lake Burragorang, the huge lake created by the Warragamba Dam that supplies water to Sydney though today, it was hidden under a layer of morning mists.
I spent a good hour at Castle Head watching the sunrise, casting a beautiful glow across the mountains. Here are a selection of some of my favourite images.
Ruined Castle and Mount Solitary
Mists fill the Coxs River valley
The Katoomba cliffs featuring Echo Point and Sublime Point
Mount Solitary and Cedar Creek
Ruined Castle and Mount Solitary
Ruined Castle
Mount Solitary
The leading line from Castle Head
As the sun rose higher, I decided to pull out my coffee-making gear that I had brought along with my camera and settled in to enjoy the changing colours of dawn from my own little spot.
Castle Head
Best brew with a view?
Narrowneck Plateau
Castle Head
Cedar Creek
Cedar Head
Katoomba, perched atop the cliffs
Malaita Point
Castle Head
I could have easily spent the whole day lounging at Castle Head, soaking up the sun and enjoying the view, but I had other plans on the other side of the national park. With the sun shining brightly overhead, I packed up my gear and retraced my steps toward the fire trail. After reaching the trail, it was a simple task to follow it back to the locked gate and the car park.
The Castle Head trig column
There's a prominent gully leading off Narrowneck
Jamison Valley
Castle Head Track
There were views of the Megalong Valley as I made my way back to the car park
Narrowneck fire trail
The locked gate and car park
Whether you are chasing the ultimate postcard composition of the sun breaking over Mount Solitary or simply looking for a peaceful sanctuary to brew a quiet morning cuppa, Castle Head punches far above its weight. For such a modest, straightforward walk, the payoff at this narrow terminal ridge is absolute magic—delivering some of the grandest, most uninterrupted vistas the southern Blue Mountains have to offer. It is a potent reminder that you do not always need to trek for days to find a million-dollar view; sometimes, all it takes is an early alarm, a head torch, and a quick pre-dawn stroll to have the theatre of the Jamison Valley entirely to yourself.
Looking for a world-class Blue Mountains day walk that trades the tourist crowds of Blackheath for pristine wilderness vistas? The Mount Banks summit track and spectacular Frank Hurley Head walk offer the ultimate double-header. Starting along the historic Bells Line of Road, this rewarding circuit skirts the dizzying 300-metre cliffs of Banks Wall to reveal jaw-dropping, uninterrupted views over Govetts Gorge and the iconic Blue Gum Forest. It is a walk of striking contrasts, tracking beneath soaring sandstone walls before climbing to a unique basalt volcanic peak that sits high above the depths of the Grose Valley.
Frank Hurley Head & Mount Banks
📍 BLUE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Distance12.5 km
Duration03:25 hrs
Elev Gain+437 m
Elev Lost-435 m
Date
18 August 2024
Starting Point
Mount Banks Picnic Area
Difficulty
Moderate
Pace / Gear
4.5 km/h — Light day pack
Highlights
Frank Hurley Head, Mount Banks
🗺️ Interactive Route MapPinch or use wheel to zoom
Mount Banks dominates the background views of the Grose Valley, particularly if you visit the popular lookouts near Blackheath. Its distinctive domed shape is its defining feature, resulting from ancient volcanic lava flows forming a tough layer of basalt overlying the surrounding sandstone.
A track leading to the summit of Mount Banks can be found in the quieter northern area of the Blue Mountains. It is accessed along a short unsealed road branching off Bells Line of Road (the unusual name stems from the fact that the route was surveyed by Archibald Bell in 1823—it is Bells Line of Road).
At the base of Mount Banks, there’s a small parking area where a gate restricts vehicle access to a fire trail. This trail, known as the Mount Banks One Trail, creates a route around the base of Mount Banks to Frank Hurley Head. The trail meanders pleasantly for 2.5 km through the high Eucalyptus bushland of the Blue Mountains, passing a sign indicating the route to Mount Banks’ summit — I'd be returning this way later in the day.
The Mount Banks One Trail
Entering the Grose Wilderness
Mount Banks
The summit track — to be tackled later
The trail curves around the head of a small valley, one of the countless creeks that create a maze of valleys throughout the Blue Mountains — most of which remain pristine and largely inaccessible. In the Wollemi area of the national park, there is a spot that harbours an exceptionally rare tree species. This species was believed to be extinct until its discovery in 1994 in a secluded series of narrow, steep-sided sandstone gorges.
Termite mound
The track passes beneath some interesting rock formations
Mount Banks One Trail
Mount Banks One Trail
After 2 km you will emerge from the taller trees below Banks Ridge where the track skirts the edge of the 300-metre cliffs of Banks Wall, offering a breathtaking view of Govetts Gorge and the Grose Valley.
Mount Banks One Trail
The Blue Gum Forest and Govetts Gorge
Lockleys Pylon and Fortress Ridge
Lockleys Pylon and Fortress Falls
Taylor Griffith Wall and Pulpit Rock
Blue Gum Forest in Govetts Gorge
Govetts Gorge
Govetts Gorge and Grose Valley, split by Docker Head
I continued a short distance over a rise at the edge of Frank Hurley Head to another point on the cliff tops, gaining a different view of the valley and the tall cliffs at Butterbox Point.
The rim of Banks Wall
Mount Banks Road
Approaching Frank Hurley Head
Lockleys Pylon and Fortress Ridge
Grose River
Butterbox Point
Grose Valley
Edgeworth David Head
After savouring the views, I retraced my route back along the fire trail to the sign I mentioned earlier, beginning the climb to the summit of Mount Banks. This route back gives you an interesting view of Mount Banks itself, as well as that sensational panorama over the Grose Valley.
The interesting face of Mount Banks
Mount Banks Fire Trail
Mount Banks is part of the Explorers Range, which forms the northern arm of the Grose Valley. Many of the peaks along this ridge are named after the renowned explorers who documented the range in the 1800s. Standing at over 1,000m, Mount Banks is no small peak, yet the total ascent to the summit is relatively modest, around 150m.
Climbing Banks Ridge
You'll glimpse some views through the trees
Golden Wattle
Banks Ridge
The mountain was named after Sir Joseph Banks by George Caley, an English botanist and explorer who was the first European settler to reach the summit of Mount Banks in 1804. Joseph Banks, an English naturalist and botanist, had employed George Caley as a botanical collector in New South Wales at the end of the 18th century.
After the climb, you’ll reach the summit marked by a trig pillar with a metal ‘lollipop’ on top, although the views are obscured by trees. The basalt at the summit creates fertile soil that supports rich vegetation, distinct from other parts of the Blue Mountains, hence the dense vegetation on the summit.
Mount Banks
Mount Banks
Dense vegetation caps the summit
A path departs from the summit heading north, initially traversing the slopes near the hilltop before descending towards the parking area. As the trees thin out, the path offers sweeping views of the Greater Blue Mountains wilderness on the way down to the car park.
Mount Banks Road snakes off into the distance
Mount Bell
The Blackheath Walls above the Grose Valley
Docker Head
The north ridge of Mount Banks
The beginning of Banks Gully
The path leading back to Mount Banks Road
Mount Banks panorama
It wasn't long before I was back in the car and heading back towards Sydney. As you make your way back along Bells Line of Road, you may want to stop at one of the many cider makers that line the road through Bilpin. Being such a glorious day, it would have been rude not to sampl some of their wares.
