Day Walks around Sydney in the extreme hot weather

[johnw]

Residents of the Greater Sydney Region, visitors and guests past and present, what are your favourite walks to deal with these outrageously hot conditions and still enjoy being out in the bush?

I usually head for the Blue Mountains or somewhere along the coast. We spent last Saturday afternoon scrambling up a very steep track beside several waterfalls and cascades in rainforest at Macquarie Pass near the Southern Highlands. It was very pretty to look at but uncomfortably warm, even in deep shade.

I have to get into the bush for at least half a day every weekend or I go stir crazy. Right now we have unrelenting extreme temperatures and zero rain (as with many other places). Don't usually have any trouble planning walks, but currently I'm stretching the limits of my imagination and experience to come up with day trips where I can stay relatively cool. With predicted temperatures for Western Sydney this Saturday and Sunday around 42 degrees it's starting to look like Mission Imposssible .

Actually some Tasmanian snow would be really good about now .

Last edited by johnw on Tue 03 Feb, 2009 10:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[sthughes]

Actually some Tasmanian snow would be really good about now .

I'll second that - but keep it in Tassie! We had a 42 degree day here last week

Perhaps you should try kayaking in the bush instead! (I hope thats not too blasphemous on this forumn ) I went for a nice paddle on a river through the bush near my area on Saturday when it was 38 degrees. I got hot but just rolled in and layed in the rapids to cool off every so often - fantastic.

[johnw]

Actually some Tasmanian snow would be really good about now .

I'll second that - but keep it in Tassie! We had a 42 degree day here last week

I heard about that! Given the current temperatures it's hard to imagine that I was battling my way through snow and rain down there this time last month .

Perhaps you should try kayaking in the bush instead! (I hope thats not too blasphemous on this forumn ) I went for a nice paddle on a river through the bush near my area on Saturday when it was 38 degrees. I got hot but just rolled in and layed in the rapids to cool off every so often - fantastic.

I'll have to keep that idea in mind .

[Ephebus]

I went walking in the Blue Mountains a couple of weeks ago on one of those 38 degree Sydney days. The mountains where much cooler, however, we did get very sweaty. We walked the Valley of Waters walk at Wentworth Falls. We walked from Conservation Hut down the Valley of Water creek to where is meets Jamison Creek and then walked further south along the creek to see what was there (which was not a whole lot). We then walked back up Jamison Creek until we reached the bottom of Wentworth Falls and took the National Pass back to Conservation Hut.

Overall it was quite pleasant, however, I don't think I've ever been as sweaty as when we where walking around the bottom of Jamison Creek. There was not a dry bit of shirt on my body. The heat combined with thick vegetation and lack of airflow to create some very sticky air. Needless to say the swim at the bottom of the falls was well received. The pool at the bottom was deeper than 6 foot and cool in some sections so it turned out to be a great place to walk considering the weather. A few hundred stairs and ladders later back to the car got us pretty hot again.

The walk was good especially considering the heat, although we did miss Vera Falls which was in part our reason for doing the walk. We counted the waterfalls on the way down incorrectly and assumed that Vera Falls was further on and not the falls we were looking at. We where a bit pressed for time so we didn't stop for a closer look. Apparently it is reasonably easy to walk to the base of the falls. I'd definately head back up there for some respite on the hot Sydney days.

Empress Falls

Sylvia Falls

Base of Wentworth Falls

[johnw]

The walk was good especially considering the heat, although we did miss Vera Falls which was in part our reason for doing the walk. We counted the waterfalls on the way down incorrectly and assumed that Vera Falls was further on and not the falls we were looking at. We where a bit pressed for time so we didn't stop for a closer look. Apparently it is reasonably easy to walk to the base of the falls. I'd definately head back up there for some respite on the hot Sydney days.

Nice photos and report Ephebus. Agreed, great walk. Valley of the Waters is always a top spot for day trips; particularly nice in summer as it's cooler there. Even though some of the easier tracks can be a bit touristy, I'd highly recommend it to anyone visiting the Blue Mtns with limited time to spare. We've done that same walk, and variations on it, a number of times over the years. Was there in January and did a similar circuit, but returned via Wentworth Pass rather than the National Pass. Had a late lunch at the base of Vera Falls. Beautiful, cool spot on a hot day. You can sit on the rocks right up close to the falls and it can be quite shady there (depending on time of day). The spray drift was just enough to keep us cool without saturating our gear.

The likely reason you missed the turnoff is that it immediately reverses off the main track and goes downhill (I almost missed it myself and I've been there at least three times). I think it used to be signposted once but no longer. You may have noticed the NPWS sign further back up up the valley "old historic route only, rough and indistinct, only proceed with an experienced navigator" or words to that effect; so they pretty much don't maintain anything on it. Vera Falls are only a few hundred metres from the turnoff to the base of the falls. It's not difficult at all, you just need to duck under some light scrub and over some rocks to reach the end. There is also a track to the top of them further back up the main track. The other falls you mentioned looking at were probably Hippocrene Falls, as you have to pass them on the way up to the base of Wentworth Falls turnoff. It's a solid climb back out of the valley from down there, no matter which route you choose.

As we were climbing up the Jamison Creek track a helicopter made several low passes over us. When we eventually got back to Empress Falls we met two police rescue squad officers, who were sitting on the track. I asked if it was their chopper and whether someone had got into difficulties in Empress Canyon. One of them confirmed yes to both questions and told us that the party member/s were OK.

If you enjoyed that walk then you might also like Roberts Pass and/or the Lindeman Pass (can be a bit of a challenge).

Anyway here a couple of pics of Vera Falls until you get back there again:

Base of Vera Falls

Vera Falls base.jpg (40.56 KiB) Viewed 18827 times

Top of Vera Falls

Vera Falls upper.jpg (38.34 KiB) Viewed 18829 times

[jerreldulay]

Wow! Those are epic photos by Ephebus. Great post! I'm new to the area so I actually don't know many locations to hike/bushwalk just yet.

I've gone around primarily in the Royal National Park Area... I haven't walked up in the Blue Mountains yet but would love to ASAP!!!

Johnw, I can sympathize with you... before I moved out here to NSW, I was out every other weekend or so, and now with my new work and school schedule I haven't been out bushwalking in months. It's driving my crrraaazy!!

[johnw]

Wow! Those are epic photos by Ephebus. Great post! I'm new to the area so I actually don't know many locations to hike/bushwalk just yet.

I've gone around primarily in the Royal National Park Area... I haven't walked up in the Blue Mountains yet but would love to ASAP!!!

Johnw, I can sympathize with you... before I moved out here to NSW, I was out every other weekend or so, and now with my new work and school schedule I haven't been out bushwalking in months. It's driving my crrraaazy!!

Yeah, Royal NP is handy for us too and the walks are mostly easy (except a 3 km trackless section we did 2 weeks ago down Kangaroo Creek between Karloo Pool and the Engadine Track ). We often head there if time is limited or I'm on my own, as it's not too far away. Unfortunately being so accessible it suffers from overuse, but there are still many nice places to walk where you don't encounter too many others. Nearby Heathcote NP is also worth visiting. The Blue Mountains region opens up a huge variety of walks, from dead easy to challenging, that can keep most people exploring for years (including me). It's worth researching books, maps, web sites etc even if you don't have time to get out there right now. For some ideas about where to walk try these to start:

Greater Sydney Region. Track notes/maps http://www.wildwalks.com/
Upper Blue Mountains http://www.pnc.com.au/~wells/
Illawarra, Shoalhaven and Adjacent Tablelands http://users.speedlink.com.au/~cchafer/walks/walk%20index.html
Mainly Sydney/Blue Mountains. Track notes, sketch maps http://ozultimate.com/bushwalking

[jerreldulay]

Great, thanks a lot! I'll be sure to check these references out as soon as I can! I've been to Heathcote ones and loved it.

Talk about overuse. One backpacking trip (in California) with 3 other friends found us struggling to find a decent and accessible track to hike. In the winter, many locations are closed off due to dangerous conditions. We settled for the JMT (John Muir Trail), to which I begrudgingly said, "this is the sort of track people take their 3 year olds for a stroll". We trudged up the mountainside, spent a night in the snow, and on the way back down the next morning, met a lady who was, believe it or not, walking her 3 year old. Lots of traffic on popular tracks makes me sad. Seeing rubbish everywhere also really turns me off.

Thanks again!!

[johnw]

40 degree plus temperatures last weekend and by the look of it, above 35 again this weekend. Way too hot for me unless I can manage a short walk in a shady rainforest or along the coast somewhere. Groan .

What are others doing in this heat?

[juju]

Find a nice creek.
I'm on the mid north coast and last Sunday we walked up a beautiful creek and found some great pools to swim in away from the crowds. Swim, walk, swim, walk etc etc.

[Lindsay]

40 degree plus temperatures last weekend and by the look of it, above 35 again this weekend. Way too hot for me unless I can manage a short walk in a shady rainforest or along the coast somewhere. Groan .

What are others doing in this heat?

Working

[johnw]

Working

Sorry to hear that. It wasn't really a weekend for walking anyway. I did manage a short one on the Central Coast on Saturday which wasn't too uncomfortable. Hot as everywhere else though...

[beanie kids]

Years ago we did a canyon daytrip in the Blue Mtns starting somewhere around Mt Wilson - really easy, no abseiling, just li-loing and freezing water which was lovely! Also some glowworms. Name something like 'Wollangambe" - can anyone help out with more info? I just remember it was lovely and cool for summer....we also used to muck around with canoes on the dam at Kangaroo Valley. Memory is failing me....

[roysta]

There are plenty of shaded walks up and down the Berowra and Ku-ring-gai Valleys.
You just have to give it all a bit of thought. but really, there are plenty of walks around.

[johnw]

Years ago we did a canyon daytrip in the Blue Mtns starting somewhere around Mt Wilson - really easy, no abseiling, just li-loing and freezing water which was lovely! Also some glowworms. Name something like 'Wollangambe" - can anyone help out with more info? ...

Yes you can walk down to the Wollangambe River from Mt Wilson and I have done this before. Never liloed but it is a popular thing to do there, and I know there are some technical canyons for those with the skills/gear. Unfortunately the past couple of weekends the tracks in BMNP north of Bells Line of Road have been closed to walkers during total fire ban, and existing uncontained bushfires .

There are plenty of shaded walks up and down the Berowra and Ku-ring-gai Valleys.
You just have to give it all a bit of thought. but really, there are plenty of walks around.

Thanks, I already know some of those and a have a few other ideas. Just picking everyone else's brain to see if I've overlooked some gem .