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West Rim Walking Track - Morton National Park
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Published October 15th 2017
Enjoy waterfalls and wilderness views - the easy way
Stretching from Bundanoon and Fitzroy Falls in the north to Pigeon House Mountain (Didthul) in the south, the magnificent Morton National Park lays claim to being the fifth largest national park in New South Wales and covers an area of 1997 square kilometres. It includes a spectacular array of features such as waterfalls, glow worm caves, the Ettrema Wilderness and Monolith Valley. Importantly, three-quarters of the park is a designated wilderness area, inaccessible by public road, and an invaluable sanctuary for wildlife.
An easy introduction to some of the spectacular landscapes of Morton National Park is the West Rim Walking Track located in the Southern Highlands near Robertson.
The walk follows the western edge of the escarpment and features a number of lookouts and waterfalls. The total distance of the walking track is approximately 3.5 kilometres return.
Entry to the park is via the Fitzroy Falls Visitor Centre. At the Visitor Centre you will find information and maps of the area, educational displays, a gift shop, café with indoor and outdoor seating and toilet facilities.
From the Visitor Centre follow the boardwalk and the signs to the West Rim Track. You will pass by Yarrunga Creek which runs under the boardwalk before spilling over the sandstone escarpment to create Fitzroy Falls. The first lookout you come to gives you a close up view of the top of the waterfall. The amount of water flowing over the falls will depend on how much rain has recently fallen. This waterfall plunges 80 metres to the valley below with the water eventually reaching the Kangaroo River. Even without much water flowing at the time we visited the view was impressive and quite dramatic.
From this lookout the walking track changes from boardwalk to dirt track but it is well maintained, signposted and mostly flat to start with. However it's important to be aware that the further along the track you go the more stairs you will find.
The next lookout along the track is Jersey Lookout which gives you a front on view of the falls and a better perspective to appreciate the height of Fitzroy Falls. There is also a spectacular view of the Yarrunga Valley of Morton National Park. On a clear day you might be able to see Mt Carrialoo and Mt Scanzi and out to the Ettrema wilderness in the distance.
From here the track continues along to Twin Falls, The Grotto, Starkey's Lookout and Renown Lookout. You will find a lot more stairs in this section of the track.
Along the walk you will find plenty of interpretive signs which identify and explain the plants, animals and Aboriginal heritage of the area. Around Fitzroy Falls the trees are predominantly stringybark, peppermint, scribbly gum and banksia. The shrubs along the paths include curly sedge, sunshine wattle, broad-leaved hakea, trigger plant and mountain devil.
Animals in the park include lyrebirds, wombats and platypus in the creek as well as an array of birds including kookaburras and cockatoos.
The next lookout along the West Rim track is Richardsons Lookout which boasts another spectacular view of the escarpment and valleys of this section of Morton National Park.
At the Twin Falls Lookout we were disappointed to find that due to lack of rain the twin waterfalls were not flowing unfortunately.
Further along the track you will find more lookouts and hopefully more waterfalls such as The Grotto, Starkeys Lookout, Lady Hordern Falls and Renown Lookout. We didn't get time to go further on this visit so will have to come back another day for the rest of the track.
We found the West Rim Walking Track to be very well maintained, easy to navigate and with interesting interpretive signs. Once you have finished your walk you may want to stop at the café for refreshments or if you brought your own food there are plenty of picnic tables and BBQ's available for use in a few different areas.
Park entry fees apply at the Fitzroy Falls Visitor Centre car park.. At the time we visited the fee was $4 per vehicle.
Other Walking Tracks
East Rim Wildflower Walking Track - 6.7 km return from Fitzroy Falls Visitor Centre.
Getting there:
From Sydney and Canberra it is around a 2 hour drive to Fitzroy Falls. Or if you are travelling from Nowra it takes around 45 minutes via Kangaroo Valley. For information on how to get to Fitzroy Falls please click here.
For more information about Morton National Park please head to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service website here.
An easy introduction to some of the spectacular landscapes of Morton National Park is the West Rim Walking Track located in the Southern Highlands near Robertson.
From the Visitor Centre follow the boardwalk and the signs to the West Rim Track. You will pass by Yarrunga Creek which runs under the boardwalk before spilling over the sandstone escarpment to create Fitzroy Falls. The first lookout you come to gives you a close up view of the top of the waterfall. The amount of water flowing over the falls will depend on how much rain has recently fallen. This waterfall plunges 80 metres to the valley below with the water eventually reaching the Kangaroo River. Even without much water flowing at the time we visited the view was impressive and quite dramatic.
From this lookout the walking track changes from boardwalk to dirt track but it is well maintained, signposted and mostly flat to start with. However it's important to be aware that the further along the track you go the more stairs you will find.
The next lookout along the track is Jersey Lookout which gives you a front on view of the falls and a better perspective to appreciate the height of Fitzroy Falls. There is also a spectacular view of the Yarrunga Valley of Morton National Park. On a clear day you might be able to see Mt Carrialoo and Mt Scanzi and out to the Ettrema wilderness in the distance.
From here the track continues along to Twin Falls, The Grotto, Starkey's Lookout and Renown Lookout. You will find a lot more stairs in this section of the track.
Along the walk you will find plenty of interpretive signs which identify and explain the plants, animals and Aboriginal heritage of the area. Around Fitzroy Falls the trees are predominantly stringybark, peppermint, scribbly gum and banksia. The shrubs along the paths include curly sedge, sunshine wattle, broad-leaved hakea, trigger plant and mountain devil.
Animals in the park include lyrebirds, wombats and platypus in the creek as well as an array of birds including kookaburras and cockatoos.
The next lookout along the West Rim track is Richardsons Lookout which boasts another spectacular view of the escarpment and valleys of this section of Morton National Park.
At the Twin Falls Lookout we were disappointed to find that due to lack of rain the twin waterfalls were not flowing unfortunately.
Further along the track you will find more lookouts and hopefully more waterfalls such as The Grotto, Starkeys Lookout, Lady Hordern Falls and Renown Lookout. We didn't get time to go further on this visit so will have to come back another day for the rest of the track.
We found the West Rim Walking Track to be very well maintained, easy to navigate and with interesting interpretive signs. Once you have finished your walk you may want to stop at the café for refreshments or if you brought your own food there are plenty of picnic tables and BBQ's available for use in a few different areas.
Park entry fees apply at the Fitzroy Falls Visitor Centre car park.. At the time we visited the fee was $4 per vehicle.
Other Walking Tracks
East Rim Wildflower Walking Track - 6.7 km return from Fitzroy Falls Visitor Centre.
Getting there:
From Sydney and Canberra it is around a 2 hour drive to Fitzroy Falls. Or if you are travelling from Nowra it takes around 45 minutes via Kangaroo Valley. For information on how to get to Fitzroy Falls please click here.
For more information about Morton National Park please head to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service website here.
Why? Waterfalls and wilderness - the easy way
When: All year round
Phone: Visitor Centre Ph: (02) 4887 7270
Website: www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au
Where: Fitzroy Falls, NSW
Cost: Park entry fees apply
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