Ephebus wrote: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 15916 times
- Top of Vera Falls
- Vera Falls upper.jpg (38.34 KiB) Viewed 15918 times