DESTINATION | BLUE MOUNTAINS, NSW
Our National Pass
Be prepared to be awestruck by the majesty of what
must be considered among Australia’s finest day walks.
WORDS AND PHOTOSCHRISSIE GOLDRICKT
HERE’S NO shortage of transfix-
ing vistas in the Blue Mountains
but there’s a point somewhere
along the National Pass at Wen-
tworth Falls that demands you
peel your eyes away from the
sweeping blue-tinged spectacle of the Jamison
Valley and consider your position.
At this point a nervous peek over the safety
barrier reveals you’re higher than birds in flight.
In fact, way higher; what appear to be tiny little
white birds, so conspicuous against the dark
green vegetation below, are actually big raucous
sulphur-crested cockatoos socialising – a handy
hint of the scale of things around here. Halfway
up a sheer sandstone escarpment that stretches
almost as far above you as it does to the val-
ley floor, you’re proceeding along a path that’s
seemingly etched into the cliff face, hugging
every furrow along its golden edifice.
The National Pass is a track that defies logic.
It’s a triumph of ingenuity and courage, hewn
from the rock by pick and shovel and the occa-
sional stick of dynamite. It’s an enduring monu-
ment to a band of bloody-minded, tweed-clad,
flat-capped bushwalkers of old, determined to
claim the views by cleaving out a bush track no
matter how improbable the terrain. It speaks
volumes about a time of growing national con-
fidence (its name reputedly commemorates
Federation in 1901), when the bush was for
conquering and Sydneysiders caught the train
up to the Blue Mountains in droves to make the
most of their leisure time.Today, the National Pass still draws crowds,
albeit more comfortably attired than those
pioneering tourists, and it’s arguably the most
breathtaking of the region’s day walks. It will
thrill you to your boots at every twist and turn
along its 5.4km length that seamlessly inte-
grates manmade and natural features in a truly
dramatic setting. And what’s more, it can be
tackled on a day trip out of Sydney. There’s
even a regular direct train link from Sydney to
nearby Wentworth Falls station.
Such ease of access could pose problems if
you’re seeking moments of quiet communion
with the bush, but even on a warm, sunny
Saturday morning in the Easter school holidays,
the track isn’t overly busy, once you venture
beyond the more accessible end sections.
My walking buddy Andreas and I start at
the Conservation Hut on Fletcher Street in
Wentworth Falls but you can set off from the
Wentworth Falls carpark end. Following the
anti-clockwise route, we take in Empress Look-
out on the way down to the evocatively named
Valley of the Waters. A number of tracks branch
off as you head down so keep your eye on the
signs and follow the Valley of the Waters track
that will eventually join the National Pass. The
descent is steep in places and a progression of
wooden steps followed by metal stairs takes you
down through dry eucalypt woodland into cool,
moist temperate rainforest fed by a succession
of beautiful waterfalls tumbling off the plateau
above. The sights and sounds of falling water,
coupled with the songs of numerous unseenAG Outdoor | 23