Jan. 3rd, 2024

canyonwalker: My other car is a pair of hiking boots (in beauty I walk)
Australia Travelog #22
Wentworth Falls, NSW - Thu, 28 Dec 2023, 4pm

As we approached Wentworth Falls (previous blog in this series) we could see two vantage points for potentially great views on the far canyon wall, both above and below the falls. The upper section of the falls we crossed (previous blog) was pleasant. The falls were small enough that people could stand under them, and the shallow pools of water were gentle enough for wading. But we really wanted to see the falls in their tower, crushing glory. It turns out the upper vantage point, Rocket Point, is great for this.

Wentworth Falls from Rocket Point Lookout, Blue Mountains National Park (Dec 2023)

Rocket Point wasn't as far from the upper falls crossing as we feared. It seemed like not more than about 1/4 mile and maybe 100' of gain. Or maybe it seemed shorter because we were so looking forward to the payoff. And that payoff was stupendous, as the photo above shows.

The water falls hundreds of feet in a thin veil. It's so thin that when the wind blows, the falls shifts sideways. And when the sun shines, the veil makes rainbows. Stupendous.



We could have spent quite a while up on this balcony watching Wentworth Falls. We even had the place almost entirely to ourselves. For all the crowds mobbing the pools at the upper falls, there was practically nobody else here. And the few other hikers who did come through were quiet and moved on quickly. It was hard to tear ourselves away. But we had another goal in mind: to get the the bottom of the falls— or at least the bottom part that's visible from here— and spend time enjoying the view from there, too.

That bottom area, BTW, is called Middle Crossing. The name tells you there's still more of Wentworth Falls even farther down. The lower part of the falls isn't reachable right now as the trail to it is closed due to landslide damage. But even reaching the Middle Crossing will be an adventure as it involves a descent of several hundred feet on narrow trails. And, of course, who goes down must come back up. That up is going to be painful. But that's a problem for later. 😅

The National Pass Trail winds around a narrow rock ledge, Blue Mountains National Park (Dec 2023)

Below the upper crossing at Wentworth Falls the National Falls Trail zig-zags down the side of the canyon. In places it follows narrow ledges in the sandstone walls. In other places, steps are blasted into the rock. Just getting to the next part of the falls is an adventure!

Steep stairs on the National Pass Trail to Wentworth Falls in Blue Mountains National Park (Dec 2023)

Next up: enjoying the falls! After that: the brutal climb back up hundreds of steep stone stairs. 😰

Update: Keep reading with more amazing falls pictures and other things on the loop hike.
canyonwalker: My other car is a pair of hiking boots (in beauty I walk)
Australia Travelog #23
Wentworth Falls, NSW - Thu, 28 Dec 2023, 4pm

It was a long way down the steep stairs carved into the cliff from the upper viewpoints on Wentworth Falls, but it was worth it. We made it down to the middle crossing, and we were hardly the only ones.



Don't like video? Here's a photo I made with my ultra-wide angle lens that shows the whole falls— well, the one-third or so of it that's visible from here— at the same time:

Wentworth Falls from the middle crossing, Blue Mountains National Park (Dec 2023)

After this we climbed back up all those steep stone stairs carved into the sandstone cliffs. By the time we made it back up to the upper crossing I had counted nearly 600 stairs. But even from there there was still more to go to get back to the trailhead. 🥵

What to do when you're flagging? Well, that's part of the beauty of In beauty I walk. When I'm tired, I pause to enjoy the beauty around me even more! 😂 Like these nearby falls, Weeping Rock:

Uppermost part of Wentworth Falls - Blue Mountains National Park, NSW, Australia (Dec 2023)

A lot of people slam through on the main trail and miss these falls just 50 steps away on a less used trail.

Well, soon enough I was done with my rest— I mean, pausing to enjoy more the beauty in which I walk— and it was time to continue on. But instead of taking the shortest route back to the trailhead we opted to hike at least part of the Undercliff Track. Yes, I already knew I was running out of stamina, but I still had daylight, good weather, and food and water. I'd make the stamina if necessary.



Here's a video (above) showing typical scenery hiking the Undercliff Track. I'm glad we did it! But soon even my second reserves of stamina were flagging so I knew it was time to complete the loop home.

Ah, but even on the final leg home, there's still time to pause to enjoy the beauty in which I walk.

Wentworth Falls viewed from Princes Rock, Blue Mountains National Park, NSW, Australia (Dec 2023)

This is a view of Wentworth Falls and the sandstone cliff over which it falls, as seen from the Princes Rock Lookout. The main drop of the falls you see at the left is the middle of Wentworth Falls. At the top of it is the upper crossing; and above that are several small upper tiers of the falls. At the bottom of that exposed area is the middle crossing. That's where I captured the photo and video at the top of this journal entry. Below that, at the lower edge of the frame, you can barely see some of the lower tier of the falls. It's mostly occluded by mountains and trees from this viewpoint.

canyonwalker: wiseguy (Default)
Australia Travelog #24
Leura, NSW - Thu, 28 Dec 2023, 8pm

Hawk and I are back at the hotel now after a long day of hiking. First we hiked the Three Sisters then a big loop down into the canyon and back up at Wentworth Falls. We worked up a pretty good appetite from all that. We drove next door to Katoomba for supper, as that's the town with the most restaurants.

We picked a Thai restaurant for dinner this evening. The food was good. We experienced a moment of sticker shock, though, seeing the prices on the menu. $28 for a typical entree.... Katoomba's definitely a tourist town; are these tourist trap prices? Not really. Do the math on the prices and you'll see they only look high to our American eyes.

  • For one, the Australian dollar is about two-thirds of the US dollar (technically it's trading at 0.68 this week) so that $28 AU dinner is only $19 US.

  • Two, and this is a biggie, there's no tipping and no tax on that price. In Australia the price of these is included in the price shown on the menu, unlike in the US where tax is added on at the register and figuring out how to pay a fair labor wage to the staff is left to customer guesstimation. Backing out the cost of tax and tip added separately in the US further reduces that menu price to the equivalent of $15 US.

It was totally in line with a "$15" dinner in the US.

There's still the matter of sodas being expensive in Australia. Soda fountains are rare here, and there's no such thing as unlimited refills. You've got to buy sodas by the individual can or bottle, and those are generally $4-5. Having a few glasses with dinner gets expensive. I'm adapting my habits to drink more water with meals and enjoy just 1 soda.

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