This was another walk led by Brian Everingham for the National Parks Association (and The Bush Club). It was to a place in the lower Blue Mountains that I had mostly never visited before – the Lapstone Monocline.
As well as walking through interesting bush with a lot of wildlife – particularly birds, there was a lot of history – old roads, railways and bridges associate with them. In the party, as well as Brian and myself, were Sue, Helen, Jacqui, Kevin, Paul, Jenny, Neville and Stuart.
We met at Glenbrook Station, and then walked up through the shops and crosse the highway and continued to a park that led via a maze of trails to the Old Lennox Bridge. Many of these trails are used by mountain bikers and are not well signposted.
From Lennox Bridge, we back-tracked short way and then continued on a track to Marges Lookout. From there, we obtained a good view of the Cumberland Plain.
We then continued the short distance to Elizabeth Lookout. Here the view was more obscured by trees. Then we descended down a long series of steps to arrived below the Knapsack Viaduct.
This impressive sandstone bridge was completed in 1865, and used for a single track of railway. It was later widened to fit two tracks. Many years later (1920’s) when the railway was diverted to Glenbrook Gorge, the bridge was repurposed as a road bridge for the Great Western Highway. Now the highway uses a bridge lower down Knapsack Gully.
On the far side of the viaduct, we followed the track which then climbed up onto the bridge. We then continued on the railway formation of the original Zig Zag – the first railway that climbed the mountains. We passed Lucasville Station – a convenient stop for people wanting to visit the holiday house of a politician.
We continued and at a junction we followed the lower branch.
The Zig Zag includes some impressive cuttings.
We continued through them to arrive at an old quarry (used for rocks for the viaduct). We then followed a footpath under the motorway towards Lapstone, then along a gravel road to a water tank. Just before this we left the gravel road and followed a track through a deep cutting.
This was the second railway deviation, which avoided the need for the Zig Zag. The cutting led to a gully and then we left the railway formation and followed a track high on bank alongside it. It led to the portal of a tunnel.
We then climbed up and followed a track, crossing a road to the old tramway. This was used in the construction of the third railway deviation – the route that used Glenbrook Gorge.
We followed the tramway formation to a very fine lookout above Glenbrook Gorge. This was a good place to stop for lunch.
After lunch, we continued on the follow the track around the top of Glenbrook Gorge to Chalmers Lookout – which offers view to the west.
From there it was not far via roads back to Glenbrook Station with a coffee stop en-route. Thanks to Brian for organising the walk.