Ruined castle water tank BMNP

[wildwanderer]

Does anyone know if the water tank was burnt in the fires? If so, has it been repaired?

[wildwanderer]

For those curious water tank is still there.

[kelvinn]

Is that right about where that little toilet is just before the fork and stairs? (-33.758213, 150.291230)

How did I see the toilet, and miss the water tank.

[ribuck]

Is that right about where that little toilet is just before the fork and stairs? (-33.758213, 150.291230)

How did I see the toilet, and miss the water tank.

There are two toilets. One toilet is near the fork and steps, the other toilet is half-way between that point and Cedar Gap and has a tank nearby (two separate tanks, if my memory serves correctly).

[wildwanderer]

Yep. The tanks are at the 2nd toilet on the way to cedar gap. There are two large shelters with roof runoff filling the tanks. Easy to spot but it's further from the first toilet than you expect.

However there is heaps of water in blue mtns creeks at present so even if you miss it you should still be ok as long as you have brought your purifying tablets and dont source from any stream flowing from the mountain towns or old mines (Potential metal/ chemical leeching etc)

First time I'd been to Katoomba since COVID started.. wow the mtn towns are dead.. scenic world is a ghost town.. makes you realise how dependant on foreign tourism so many businesses and regions are.

[johnw]

First time I'd been to Katoomba since COVID started.. wow the mtn towns are dead.. scenic world is a ghost town.. makes you realise how dependant on foreign tourism so many businesses and regions are.

We took small granddaughter and niece to Scenic World in July post lockdown. Deliberately fewer people, it now has restricted numbers and is very regimented, specific time slots and a one way loop.
There were hoardes of people in the other main tourist spots though, possibly because most of the tracks were still closed then. Fortunately I knew a couple of lesser known spots.
I've been to Katoomba a couple of times since and it was still reasonably busy. That said, I do agree that they will struggle without the international tourists, as will other regions.

[wildwanderer]

Did you go during the weekend or in a week day?

I went Wednesday - Thursday and there was barely a soul at echo point or scenic world. (Granted scenic world was closed as they have slashed their operating hours.. a good point to note for people who don't want to climb fuber steps... though at $25 per way.. you would have to be real desperate imo)

A few people in Katoomba town but virtually all locals. People were saying weekdays are bad.. they still get some Sydney people going up on weekends which has been a godsend.

[johnw]

Did you go during the weekend or in a week day?

I went Wednesday - Thursday and there was barely a soul at echo point or scenic world. (Granted scenic world was closed as they have slashed their operating hours.. a good point to note for people who don't want to climb fuber steps... though at $25 per way.. you would have to be real desperate imo)

A few people in Katoomba town but virtually all locals. People were saying weekdays are bad.. they still get some Sydney people going up on weekends which has been a godsend.

That could be right. We were in Katoomba for a few days and stayed in one of the local hotels with the young kids for a treat. Looking back it would have been school holidays and I think we stayed Fri-Mon. It was just after everyone had been stuck at home for months and probably itching to get out. Anyway I'll continue to support regional NSW where I can.

Yes, I yearn for earlier times. I remember once years ago we were fairly late coming back from either Ruined Castle or Mt Solitary and didn't feel like climbing Furber Steps. So we just managed to catch the last scenic railway up around 5pm. No one else was on it. I think it used to be $10 one way, but they just waved us through .

[ribuck]

I remember once years ago we were fairly late coming back from either Ruined Castle or Mt Solitary and didn't feel like climbing Furber Steps. So we just managed to catch the last scenic railway up around 5pm. No one else was on it. I think it used to be $10 one way, but they just waved us through .

Going back even further, a group I was with missed the last scenic railway. Rather than heading for the Furber Steps, we climbed the "direct" route up the sleepers of the railway track. You couldn't do that nowadays as it's thoroughly fenced at the top.