Bushwalk Australia

I was planning to do a one day hike this weekend (Saturday 7 May 22) to sus out Tarros's Ladder.
The plan is to drive to Dunphys campground and then hike up to Tarros via the Medlow gap mangement trail and Medlow/Tarros walking tack via Mt Debert, up the ladder have lunch and return.
Its should be about 10K each way so pretty straight forward one day walk.

According to the national parks alerts - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/blue-mountains-national-park/local-alerts

a lot of the area is still closed because of recent heavy rain, including the six foot track, Cox's river, the narrow neck walking trail (with Tarros connects to) and most of the other major Katoomba trails.
Its does not list Dunphys campground, Medlow gap, breakfast creek. I feel it should be ok, I'm only crossing 2 little creeks and
it hasn't rained much if at all for the last week but there is a 3k, 250M vertical climb/scramble up the Tarros walking track up to Mt Debert and then to the lookout above Tarros at the end of narrow neck.

My concern is that the area I am in is pretty obscure as far as the park alerts go and if asked they might have added them to the closed list.
Any advice ?

If it's not specifically mentioned as closed - and I don't know the exact route you mean - I would just go for it. Sometimes it seems to take NPWS a coon's age to update those pages. Down on the south coast they have a few parks with zero issues listed as closed due to extreme conditions and there is zero indication that the parks/tracks are actually closed.

One thing I have taken to doing with all the closures is have a back up plan so that if I drive all the way there I can still do something fun.

I'd just go for it too.

That national parks alerts also says -

Grade 5 tracks and off-trail areas are open, excluding those listed below. Grade 5 tracks are for very experienced bushwalkers with specialised skills such as advanced navigation and emergency first aid.

I get the impression that it's just about all the named tourist tracks that are closed. Almost anything offtrack or remote is not closed.

Your route is pretty straight forward and most is on management track. If the short section not on a road is not mentioned it is open. I don't really understand why Narrowneck would be closed either apart from it affording access to other sections where there could be an issue.

I think you will be OK to do that walk without any angst from National Parks. To add interest and make it a bit shorter you could continue northward on the Narrow Neck track and then head back to Dunphy's via the Carlons Head track, or better still do the reverse and go up Carlons and down Tarros as I always find it easier to go up Carlons Head rather than down. Taking a few meters of tape to haul your pack makes life easier. But - if you don't like climbing or exposed sites please disregard this suggestion

I think the Narrow Neck closure is due to a landslide in March on Glenraphael Drive, stopping vehicular access along the road out to the firetrail.

https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au ... -declared/

It's also mentioned on the NPWS website that between Medlow Gap and Katoomba is closed. I'm guessing that's because they're treating that whole section as closed due to the small landslip at the far northern end, not considering that people might be doing out and back walks from Dunphys to Taros or loops taking in other passes like Carlon Head. Either way, I think you'd be fine to do the walk.
"Access to and from Kanangra-to-Katoomba (K-to-K) from Medlow Gap to Katoomba due to closure of Narrow Neck plateau."

30m+ of the road has disappeared into the valley.
The fence of the low side is still visible.

That section of road is maintained by BMCC, so it may be a long time before it is fixed.

keithj wrote:30m+ of the road has disappeared into the valley.
The fence of the low side is still visible.

Can you walk around this ok?

there is a 3k, 250M vertical climb/scramble up the Tarros walking track up to Mt Debert and then to the lookout above Tarros at the end of narrow neck.
That sounds a shade more difficult than anything we have ever encountered there - over many trips.
Yes, you can do a 'rock climb' up Tarros, albeit on a great series of steel spikes, if you want. Some do. Some use a top rope.

Or you can go around to the right a distance at the bottom of the cliff and walk up the Dunphy Pass. Turn left at the top. If you do this, take a note when you get to the top of Tarros just where you came from. It is not entirely obvious. Do NOT make any cairns!

Cheers
Roger

A map?
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/- ... /150.26499

Waratah67 wrote:

keithj wrote:30m+ of the road has disappeared into the valley.
The fence of the low side is still visible.

Can you walk around this ok?

NPWS have put up temporary fencing with signage stating the danger of walking around the landslip, and the $$ penalties.

However, it appears that NPWS are putting in a foot only track (no cycles) that bypasses the landslide. Park at the loop car park 500m NW of GlenRaphael Drive and look E for the big white bags of track building material. The descent starts steepish and rejoins the F/T 100m below the slip.

(Today) NPWS website says that Narrowneck Trail is open, and any light bush bashing that avoids the closed part of the track is reasonable IMO.

Presumably this new way in will be closed briefly when they actually start building it.

(And spare a thought for the owner of the vehicle that's been trapped out there for months )

Folks what is the condition of Tarro's ladders at present?
Thanks
John

There won't be any issue with the ladders. And if there ever was, you could easily bypass them by skirting around to the right as you approach them from the bottom. That's an easy walk with no climbing needed.