A fun adventure wading down Hat Hill Canyon

I’ve had Hat Hill Canyon on my to do list for a while, so a hot summer’s day provides the perfect opportunity to hike (or wade) down Hat Hill Creek and through Hat Hill Canyon. Although a relatively “easy” canyon, by hiking standards it’s a moderately hard walk, with plenty of scrambling, some route-finding and the occasional swim. (For more non-technical canyons that you can do without abseiling, have a look at the Guide to Easy Canyons around Sydney).

The Hat Hill Canyon walk starts on Godson Avenue, which is off Hat Hill Road in Blackheath, initially following a firetrail which descends from the road. On the opposite side of the valley is an enormous overhang, which would be interesting to explore on a cooler day.

After about 400m the firetrail ends near a burnt-out car, and the firetrail turns into a narrow but distinct bushwalking trail which descends steadily into the valley. (There is an alternate access track which takes you further up Hat Hill Creek, which branches off the firetrail after about 100m.)

To the right are some imposing cliffs above a side valley off Hat Hill Creek, and through the trees you can just see Teazing Falls.

First section (from 512 783)

We’re soon at the end of the bushwalking track, and continuing our journey along Hat Hill Creek. It’s very pleasant and mostly easy wading as we set-off downstream; the water looks clear, with the creek having recovered well since the closure of the upstream Blackheath sewerage treatment in 2008 (“the last of 12 poorly performing STPs in the Blue Mountains that were closed by Sydney Water over a 38-year period”).

As we start encountering some deeper sections, I swap my DSLR for a waterproof compact camera. The first constriction is soon encountered, which requires a plunge into the water and a short swim. Being a hot day, neither of is wearing a wetsuit, and we’re never cold as we progress through Hat Hill Canyon.

Hat Hill Canyon now alternates between some narrow sections with wading up to chest-height, and some very shallow and more open sections.

Very infrequently you need to leave the creek to skirt around an obstruction or waterfall, but most of your time you’ll be in the water!

There are some picturesque cascades and narrow gorges near thre end of the first section of Hat Hill Canyon.

Second section (from 513 786)

This second section of Hat Hill Canyon starts with what Tom Brennan (Canyoning in Sydney) describes as “a short, awkward drop into a deep dark section with some swimming”. The entry into the creek looks a little daunting, and we’re happy to let a group of four canyoners overtake us and lead the way – the only people we encounter until we reach the end of the canyon.

It’s a lot easier (and more fun) than it looks when peering into the narrow chasm from above, with a few good footholds before the last plunge into the deep water.

It’s a short but nice swim through the channel, which has been sculpted by Hat Hill Creek.

Some logs and debris swept wedged in the canyon make progress a bit slower for a while, but there are still a few swims required where the canyon is deep and narrow.

Another swim marks the end of the second section.

Third Section (513 791)

The final section before the exit point is more of a nice creek walk than a canyon… Hat Hill Canyon opens up and tall trees surround the creek.

Some of these tall trees are also in and across the creek which sometimes impedes progress… but mostly it’s easy walking. Unlike the upper reaches of Hat Hill Creek where the creek bed is quite rocky, the creek is now very sandy. A few stops are required to remove the build-up of sand in our shoes.

I really enjoy this section… it’s a lot less dramatic than the first two sections – and there’s no swimming – but it’s beautiful stretch of Hat Hill Creek.

Fourth section – Exit Point to Hat Hill Falls

From the exit point (513 795), it’s worth continuing down Hat Hill Canyon to where it ends just before Hat Hill Falls – it’s the most spectacular stretch of canyon. While it’s not a long way to Hat Hill Falls, allow a couple of hours as progress can be pretty slow. The route passes some overhangs along the creek, and towering cliffs above.

A small waterfall cascades off the cliffs above Hat Hill Creek, providing a welcoming shower.

The going soon gets harder, with a scramble up the steep bank required to avoid large boulders and obstructions in the creek.

The canyon starts to narrow and the walls close in.

Soon we are in one of the most spectacular sections of Hat Hill Canyon.

The narrow canyon means we’re back in the water, with a very short swim through the constriction.

A small waterfall drops off the top of the tall canyon walls.

Next is a nice stretch of rainforest, with some scrambling over boulders and fallen trees, but nothing too challenging.

Near the end of Hat Hill Canyon is a large overhang at the base of the towering cliffs.

From here the easiest route seems to be to leave the creek, and scramble over the boulders at the base of the cliff.

The last couple of hundred metres is an easy rock-hop along Hat Hill Creek, to reach the top of Hat Hill Falls, where the creek drops over the cliff to the Grose Valley far below. It’s not as spectacular as the top of Fortress Creek Falls… but it’s a pretty cool view, looking out over the Grose Valley to Birrabang Walls in the distance.

From here we head back up Hat Hill Creek… it’s possible to descend to the Grose Valley via Lews Pass, named after Lewis William Hodgkinson who discovered this route in the 1930s or 1940s. It would make for a challenging day, and a long ascent from the Grose Valley. It’s slow-going back up the creek, with one tricky “upscramble” requiring a few attempts before we find way viable route, but it’s nice to be in the coolness of the canyon a little longer!

Exit via Bald Head Ridge

The exit point is fairly obvious; it’s a slightly elavated, flat plaform just above a bend in the creek, and you see a faint path heading up.

The walk out is pretty benign even on a still-hot afternoon, with the trail heading steadily, but not too steeply, up towards Bald Ridge.

It’s about a kilometre to the well-worn bushwalking track along Bald Head Ridge, and another kilometre to Perrys Lookdown Road (near the Hat Hill Aboriginal engraving site). If you’re sensible and/or organised, you’d do a car-shuffle and leave one car here. Being neither of the above, it’s another couple of kilometres along the road, to complete the loop.

Distances can be a bit misleading for canyons and off-track walks; it’s about 10km for the full loop or 8km with a car-shuffle – but allow at least six hours to complete Hat Hill Canyon.

Getting to Hat Hill Canyon

Turn onto Hat Hill Road from the Great Western Highway at Blackheath, and after 3.6km turn left on to the unsealed Godson Avenue. After a short descent of about 0.5km there’s a junction with two firetrails, one that goes north and another that heads west. Park anywhere near here and walk along the firetrail that goes in a northerly direction.

More information

• OzUltimate – Hat Hill Canyon
• Sydney Morning Herald – Polluted Blue Mountains canyon springs back to life (Jan 2015)
• Ian Wright et al, Water quality and ecological recovery of a mountain stream after 60 years of receiving sewage effluent [PDF]