I had planned a trip up the Blue Mountains with Bob, and due to bad weather we decided to visit some of the waterfalls. We first stopped off at Hazelbrook, then at Woodford, and lastly we made a quick visit to a lookout above Glenbrook Gorge.
Horseshoe Falls
At Hazelbrook, we set off from Oakland Avenue along the track down to Horseshoe Falls. On the way I took photos of one of the small cascades on the way down –
And then a larger waterfall – Fairy Falls –
Further down, in an amphitheatre is Horseshoe Falls. More photos.
After or during rain is the best time to visit these waterfalls, and certainly the best time to photograph them. Soft light due to an overcast sky is very desirable.
At Horseshoe Falls, we took a side track, and ascended old stone steps, and then branched off to visit Glow Worm Nook Falls. I think however, what we went to was one of the lower cascades. See my Waterfalls of the Blue Mountains site for what I think is the real Glow Worm Nook Falls.
We continued along the track to Oakland Falls. On the way we passed the twin waterfalls of Lena Falls. These are two waterfalls, each about 2 m high not far above Oakland Falls. You cannot see them from the track.
Oakland Falls were impressive with the relatively high flow. A large fallen tree that blocked the view of the falls has been chain-sawed out of the way. Thanks to Blue Mts Council who maintain the tracks in this reserve.
Another photographer was at Oakland Falls enjoying the conditions.
We continued on the lower track to the creek junction downstream, then climbed a short way up the second creek to Burgess Falls. Another attractive waterfall.
This waterfall is named after former local resident, Lance Corporal Burgess, who was killed in action in World War 1.
We then walked back via the upper track, back towards Oakland Falls, and the way we had come back to Bob’s car.
After this, it was still quite early, so we headed down the mountains to Woodford, and stayed on the north side, visiting the Transit of Venus Walk. This walk would take us to three more waterfalls.
The first waterfall we visited is Mabel Falls. The flow was quiet low.
From there it was a short walk along the track to Edith Falls.
Lastly, we visited Hazel Falls. It was a bit wet, so I didn’t take any photos.
It was still morning, so we didn’t stop for lunch along the way, and when we walled back to Bob’s car, we decided that a sheltered picnic table somewhere would be the best place to stop. I knew of one at the lookout at Glenbrook above Glenbrook Gorge, so that was where we had lunch. We then wandered down to the old tramway lookout for some photos of the Gorge. The water level in Glenbrook Creek was not that high however.
