A couple of Brits coming to NSW

[nickjb]

My partner and I are coming over from the UK in November. We'd love to do some walking in the bush. We are flying in to Sydney, spending a week or so in the Blue Mountains then slowly heading up to Brisbane. Can anyone suggest some 'must-do' day walks on the way? An over-nighter would be great but we wont have much kit with us so that might not be possible. Some suggestions for other forms of transport and where we might do it would great too (Bike/Kayak/??). We are experienced Alpine walkers so tough terrain is fine but we'll take any advice given for local conditions. We'll be in a camper so any tips on nice places to stay would be great, too.

[flatfoot]

For the Blue Mountains, aim to do a good walk in the Jamison Valley and another in the Grose Valley.

On the Jamison side there's the Ruined Castle which is an enjoyable walk sheltered under rainforest canopy beneath the cliffs of Narrow Neck. You could start from Golden Stairs (really need a car to get there) or from bottom of the Scenic Railway. The panoramic view from the top of the Ruined Castle (a rock formation) is fantastic. Some notes here: http://ozultimate.com/bushwalking/walk.php?nid=236. There's also the National Pass at Wentworth Falls. It's years since I've walked in that specific area but certainly worth a look: http://www.nationalpass.com.au/.

A must do walk if you are in the Blue Mountains is a walk into the Blue Gum forest. Park your camper @ Govett's Leap. You could get a taxi from Blackheath or Govetts Leap to the carpark at the top of Perrys Lookdown. From there it's a steep 600m descent to the Blue Gum forest. From there it's several hours to walk out via Govett's leap (a steep climb from the valley floor back to the plateau). The Grose Valley is my favourite place for walking.

If you have time, also try and check out the Grand Canyon loop which is also at Blackheath. This was only recently reopened.

We've had a dose of wet weather. The temperature can get to 30 degrees C in November in that area. With the weather patterns we've been having, that seems unlikely. Carry at least 3 litres of water. I also suggest you buy the Katoomba 1:25000 and Mount Wilson 1:25000 topo maps. These are about $10 - $15 each. The freebie maps just don't have the detail you need.

[flatfoot]

There's a camping area at the Perry's Lookdown carpark that would be suitable for the camper. You can also find some camping areas in the Megalong Valley (also near Blackheath) that should be suitable for your camper.

There is also a council-run caravan park near Scenic World at Katoomba.

[eddie the eagle]

HI Nick,

Not the Blue Mountains, but if you're in a camper, you might want to book a spot at Bonnie Vale campground in Bundeena for your stay in Sydney.
Be a phone call to book during our business hours - +61.2.9542.0683

This is a site accessed by car, in the world's second oldest national park, the Royal National Park unspoilt/untouched in most parts since settlement.

It's a ferry and train ride to the city, and the day walk down the coastline to Wattamolla and back is very scenic and very easy also. (google images: "the coast track" OR "the coast walk" royal)

Wildwalks.com.au is a site sponsored by our NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service that has stacks of photos, topo maps for screen capture, track notes (detailed,) etc.... Will give you detailed track notes of the common Blue Mountains Walks as well so that you can make an informed decision.

Cheers,

eddie

ps: re-read flatfoot's comments - they're spot on.

[juju]

In my area I can recommend the Gibraltar Ranges National Park and Washpool National Park west of Grafton on the N. The Waratahs will be out November December. There's a nice overnight walk from Boundary Creek to Grassy Creek return and other day walks with a variety of vegetation and scenery.
Also New England National Park north of Armidale has beautiful beech forest and there is great camping on the Styx River just outside the park for free.
Coastal seclusion at Station Creek in Yuragir National Park (good dirt road) north of Coffs Harbour. All these accessible in a camper.
But the 'must do' walk' I would recommend is The Castle in Morton National Park on the south coast of NSW near Milton/Uladulla especially if you're sticking to the coast. Hard in a day but if you're used to rugged terrain you'll be right. Spectacular views, a variety of terrain.
But if you don't have to stick to the coast go for something uniquely Australian, go out west (which I'm unfamiliar with).

[nickjb]

Thanks for all the replies. I shall do some research and follow the links. If anybody has GPX files that would be great, too.

[Kevin]

Contents removed by poster.

[flatfoot]

You can find some track notes for the Blum Gum Forest walk I described here:

http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/blue-mountains-blackheath-/perry-s-lookdown-to-blackheath-station.html

It is described there as a 2 day walk.

The walk down from Perry's lookdown to Blue Gum Forest is about 1 hr. I walked from Acacia flat camping area (next to Blue Gum Forest) to Govett's Leap back in August (we had walked to Acacia Flat from Victoria Falls the day before). The walk from Acacia Flat to Govetts Leap took us 4 hrs when carrying an overnight pack. We stopped for a total of about 60 minutes on the way through.

[BlackWarrior]

Hi Nick,

Where did you end up going while you were over here? I'm in Blue Mountains at the moment and have to disagree with flatfoot on this one, The mountains are great for a whole range of trekking and camping locations. Especially in the Katoomba area!

[nickjb]

we did some great walks in the blue mountains area. We started at wentworth falls which was great, then did a walk around the three sisters which was a bit shorter and busier but still good, finally we did a big walk at kanangra boyd which felt a lot more remote and was very scenic. We didn't manage any over nighters but we have stayed in a few state forests and parks and have been very impressed with quality of the campsites in general. The weather has been a bit against us and we got absolutely soaked on mt Warning. We are now on the sunshine coast and the name fits. Loving it all so far. Vic and WA next...