A few days of rain following a very dry period tempts me back to Hazelbrook, to explore some of the waterfalls of the Horseshoe Falls Reserve. The walk along the Burgess Falls Track has been described as the “loveliest and most underrated waterfall walks in the Blue Mountains” and I tend to agree (although I’d still rank the Terrace Falls Loop above this walk). While the Burgess Falls Track is not well known, it has been promoted as a tourist attraction since 1918:
Hazelbrook is to be congratulated upon the addition of a fine new track to its already beautiful walks. The trust of the Parks and reserves is now engaged opening and extending the track leading to Horseshoe Falls, which will open up a very beautiful panorama of tree ferns and mountain scenery, terminating at one of the most charming waterfalls in the district.
Blue Mountain Echo, 6 Sep 1918
After finding no obvious parking area along Hall Parade, which is where I planned to start this bushwalk, I turn into a side street and head down the Hazelbrook Perimeter Firetrail.
After skirting behind a few houses, the firetrail enters the Horseshoe Falls Reserve and soon becomes a bushwalking track, which descends into the valley.
About halfway down I lose the track – this doesn’t seem to be a particularly popular route – but with minimal undergrowth I just head down the sleep slope until I pick up an obvious track again near the bottom.
I end up near the bottom of the Glow Worm Nook Falls, which consists of multiple falls along Hazelbrook Creek. It got its name in the 1930s from the Lower Nook having glow worms. Most of the waterfalls along Hazelbrook Creek have glow worm colonies, so this would also be a great walk to do at night.
It’s a bit of a scramble up to the middle and top falls along a rough track, but the lowest tier of the Glow Worm Nook Falls are the most photogenic.
I backtrack to the stone steps, and head to Horseshoe Falls, which are less than a hundred metres from the Glow Worm Nook Falls. I find a more distinct track on the way back.
You can’t really miss the enormous Horseshoe Falls, named for its horseshoe-shape – but officially re-named in July 1970 to Lyrebird Falls. You can walk behind the falls, along the long and wide overhang.
From Horseshoe Falls / Lyrebird Falls, I take the Burgess Falls Track along Hazelbrook Creek, which is a pleasant walk on a good track.
A very short side-track leads to the very small Lena Falls, which is unofficially named.
The next (signposted) side track leads to Oaklands Falls, which is just below the main Burgess Falls Track.
Oaklands Falls, named after Oaklands Farm, is a picturesque waterfall which is surrounded by a low cave. It would make a nice spot for a break.
A track continues along Hazelbrook Creek, below the main Burgess Falls Track, which continues towards Burgess Falls. Along the trail are a number of clearly unofficial but professional-looking markers on the trees – I’ve not found any reference to who put these here, and why – but if you’re doing this walk with younger kids, spotting them adds a bit of fun to the walk!
The trail follows the creek fairly closely, at one point reaching a shallow, picturesque pool near the junction of Hazelbrook Creek and Burgess Falls Creek, which is surrounded by ferns.
The next “stop” is Burgess Falls; the waterfall itself is not so spectacular, but it drops into a small and shaded grotto. It’s an easy scramble down to the base of the falls, but pretty muddy even though it hasn’t rained for a few days. The waterfall would be best visited after heavy rain, but expect to get a bit dirty if you want to get up close to the falls.
It’s a very short walk from here back up to the main Burgess Falls Track.
It’s an easy and nice walk back along the main track, with a few more of the interesting markers on the way.
I take a slightly different route back; about 200m after the (unmarked) trail to Lena Falls, I veer left off the main track, onto a distinct track that heads up a little, before levelling out. (There’s quite a few secondary tracks that have no signage, so make sure you download a map so you know roughly where you are!)
This brings me to Fairy Falls, a waterfall that looks more picturesque in real life than in my photos. The water drops over a couple of tiers, and you can scramble up to the top tier and walk (or crawl!) behind the falls.
A rough continues up from here, which soon becomes a boardwalk, as I head up and out of the valley.
The track passes one last waterfall, which you’d barely classify as a waterfall.. it’s marked as Horseshoe Falls on the official topographic map, but it’s not recognised by the Geographical Names Board… With a drop of barely two feet, you’d want to visit this Horseshoe Falls after a huge storm for it to be in any way impressive!
Soon after this cascade is a junction with an exit track to Alston Park. I ignore this, and follow the main track back up to the main trailhead on Oaklands Road.
Of the four Waterfall Walks I’ve done in Lawson & Hazelbrook, the Burgess Falls Track has been one of my favourites – although a visit after some really heavy rain is needed for the five waterfalls to really shine… starting from Oaklands Road I’d rate this as an Easy walk; the Easy/Moderate rating is based on the slightly trickier approach from Brook St, and a bit of navigation and scrambling to visit all three tiers of the Glow Worm Nook Falls (leave this one out if you’re looking for an easier walk with kids). The actual distance walked is a little longer than indicated on the map.
Getting to Horseshoe Falls and the Burgess Falls Track
The easiest access to the Burgess Falls Track is from the main trailhead on Oaklands Road in Hazelbrook; from here most of the route is signposted; you can also start (as I did) from a firetrail off Brook St. Either option is about 1.5km (3min drive / 20min walk) from Hazelbrook Station, and 16.5km (20min drive) from Katoomba. There are additional entry points if you’re looking to visit specific waterfalls, and you could do this as a one-way walk starting/finishing at Winbourne Road.
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