The lower Blue Mountains have tracks so secret even some of the locals don’t know about them.
The bush on the south side of the lower Blue Mountains, NSW is seamed with walking tracks, running all the way from Woodford to Glenbrook with numerous side-tracks to lookouts, waterfalls and the towns in between. However, not everyone knows about these walks; not even some of the locals. I grew up in this area but I’d only done a few very short sections as a child. I wasn’t the only one – my husband and I invited two of our friends, both of whom had grown up here, to walk one of the Sassafras Gully loops with us and they said they’d never done any of the walks either.
After meeting at Springwood station, we walked towards the Wiggins track at the end of Bee Farm Road. There are several tracks into Sassafras, all the way from Faulconbridge to the far end of Springwood, and I’d unwittingly picked one of the hardest, with the climb down into the gully going from a rough track to making our way down sandstone boulders and under overhangs. I probably should have known better, as I’d actually climbed up this way several years ago, but no one minded; they told me afterwards they were glad I’d at least chosen to do this part at the beginning so we didn’t have to climb up at the end.
We eventually made it down to the Victory Track, which actually starts at Faulconbridge station, and turned left towards Springwood, crossing and following the track to Perch Ponds. It was pretty and quite overgrown in places, which prompted a conversation about the existence of the Blue Mountains panther as we walked past the dense bush and climbed over several fallen trees.
We crossed the creek again at a lovely waterhole that we’d all like to visit again in warmer weather, and followed the track, debating whether or not that was Perch Ponds. We passed several other waterholes and then arrived at what we decided had to be Perch Ponds – another clearing with fallen logs set up as benches and a sign pointing to Martins Falls and Magdala Falls.
After a snack, we followed the track up the hill and made a brief stop at both waterfalls. The track was starting to look familiar to me as we gradually approached Springwood, making numerous creek crossings and alternating between bush scrub and rainforest. In spite of this, the track was also getting better and we began to see other walkers, so at least this section is known to some people. We continued to discuss the wildlife, watching the parading lyrebirds and then checking where we put our feet after someone told us that he’d seen a snake further up the track. Fortunately, it was long gone by the time we got there.
We joked that we were approaching civilisation when we saw a bridge, although we’d never been that far from it during the entire walk. Bypassing the signs to Picnic Point, we made a last effort and climbed up the hill to Fairy Dell and back up the road to Springwood shops.
Walk notes
Sassafras Gully, Blue Mountains
Distance: 10km/4 hours. Grade: Moderate-hard
Need to know
As it’s a loop track, it’s worth parking at the station or catching the train. From Springwood station, head up Macquarie Road and turn left at the Baptist church, then follow Valley Road to Bee Farm Road. Near the end of the road, turn left into Yondell Ave and follow it until you see the signs for the track.
Words and Pics_Laura Boness