After record rainfall around Sydney a few days prior, I figure it’s a good time to visit a couple of the lesser-known waterfalls of the Southern Highlands: Forty Foot Falls and Sixty Foot Falls in the Mount Alexandra Reserve. The extended loop bushwalk I’ve planned includes both waterfalls, and the Box Vale Walking Track with its historic railway tunnel and deep cuttings. (This bushwalk could also be undertaken as two shorter, separate loops.)
Mount Alexandra to Forty Foot Falls
There are some reports of the Box Vale Track having been closed for over a year, so I start my bushwalk at the end of Mount Alexandra Lookout Road where the tracks are definitely open. There’s only one other car parked here, and I don’t see anyone else as I head up the (signposted) trail towards Katoomba Lookout.
While it hasn’t rained for a couple of days, there is still much evidence of the recent deluge – Mittagong received 167mm of rainfall over two days.
It’s an easy ascent up the firetrail which passes Mount Alexandra (there’s no obvious peak, but this is the highest point of the walk) and soon reaches Katoomba Lookout. This fenced vantage point has a couple of picnic tables… and a nice view of the freeway (Hume Highway) below.
The firetrail continues along the ridge, descending slightly, and offering the occasional freeway view through the trees.
A short off-track detour, through a slot between two boulders and up to the top of a rocky outcrop, takes me to the Alexandra Trig. As with many trig points, the vegetation is no longer cleared and there’s no view from here.
The firetrail starts to descend a lot more steeply, eventually turning into bushwalking trail just before it reaches the level of the freeway.
It’s only a couple of hundred metres before the bushwalking reaches another firetrail – the GMA11 SCAR Fire Trail which starts at the end of Leopold Street. (This would provide an alternate starting point for this bushwalk, which removes the steepest parts of the walk.)
The firetrail goes under the freeway, passing the enormous concrete supports, before reaching the walking track to 40 Foot Falls and the Box Vale Track.
The track crosses Gibbergunyah Creek, the first of several water crossings. With the recent rain all the creeks have a much higher-than-usual flow, and I don’t bother to take my shoes off – I figure I’ll have pretty wet feet by the time I finish this bushwalk. (Under normal conditions, you could rock-hop across the creek and keep your feet dry.)
I’m now on the Forty Foot Falls Walking Track, which follows ther Nattai River upstream. There is still much evidence of the normally sedate river being at least two metres high, with the occasional pile of debris to negotiate – but surprisingly the track is mostly in good condition.
After a few hundred metres the track ascends a little, still closely following the Nattai River, but a few metres higher up the bank.
A sign marks the junction with a rough trail that follows the Nattai River for another three kilometres, before a (very) steep ascent up to the Box Vale Track… I had intended to come back this way, but looking at the level of the water and the potential for multiple river crossings, I’m having second thoughts.
I’m soon just below Forty Foot Falls, which requires a very careful crossing of the Nattai River; I pick a spot where the water ends up being almost up to my waist, but is very slow-moving. On most days, this would be a very easy crossing. Even from here the waterfall looks pretty impressive; what is less appealing is that the river has a rather unpleasant odour. Despite flowing into the drinking water catchment, the Nattai River is polluted from sewage from Mittagong, and consistently fails water quality standards. As is often the case, due to urban runoff and sewage overflows after heavy rain, the river is pretty disgusting.
On the other side of the swollen river, the trail climbs up the stairs via a metal staircase. An informal track goes to the base of the Forty Foot Falls.
The main trail continues to a vantage point at the top of the waterfall.
Forty Foot Falls to Box Vale Track
The Forty Foot Falls Trail connects the top of the waterfall to the Box Vale Walking Track – it’s about 1.8km each way if you’re looking to visit the Forty Foot Falls from the Box Vale Walking Track. The trail initially climbs steeply up to the top of the ridge, where it meets a firetrail next to a lone (or lonely?) picnic table.
It’s very easy walking along the firetrail, which continues along the ridge to meet the Box Vale Walking Track.
Box Vale Walking Track loop
I’m now on the second loop, which you could also do as a completely separate bushwalk. The Box Vale Walking Track follows the formation of an historic railway line, which was constructed in 1888 and operated until 1896. It provided access to a coal deposit on the Nattai River that had been discovered in 1851 – at its peak 100 tons of coal a week were shipped to Melbourne during a coal strike. As a result it’s now a fairly level bushwalking track, with just a short section converging with the road where it crosses Kells Creek.
The whole Box Vale site, including the mine, incline and railway with its embankments, tunnel and cuttings, was considered of significance. It had often been visited by local people on outings after the mine had closed… From the early 1990s the Box Vale Walking Track has been featured as a local attraction.
Berrima District Historical & Family History Society, July 2017
A signpost indicates where the Box Vale Walking Track veers off the firetrail, soon passing through one of the many cuttings through the sandstone.
It’s very pleasant walking (I’ve no idea why the track would be closed, but there are no “track closed” signs anywhere) – the only downside of walking after such heavy rain is there are a few puddles along the track. Puddle being a little bit of an understatement; in a couple of places the water is a foot deep, and it’s much easier to wade through then to try and find a dry route.
The highlight of the Box Vale Walking Track is the 84m tunnel, which has been cut through the solid sandstone cliffs.
The track passes through the old railway tunnel, which was hewn out of the rock by hand.
It’s not far from the tunnel to the end of the Box Vale Walking Track, where coal was brought up The Incline from the Nattai River, to be loaded onto box carts and transported along the Box Vale railway to Mittagong Station.
The Incline doesn’t look too steep from the top… but it reaches a 44-degree gradient as it drops 150m in just 0.4km. (I had intended to return this way, but it’s already mid-afternoon and the recent flooding would have made the route along the Nattai River pretty slow-going.)
I take the (1.2km return) track to the Nattai Gorge Lookout, which provides a nice outlook over the Nattai River below, and the Blue Mountains peaks of Guouogang (1,289m asl) and Cloudmaker (1,163m) in the distance. There are a couple of picnic tables here, and it’s a nice spot for a break before the return part of the Box Track loop.
Although the Box Vale Walking Track is a lot nicer than the Box Vale Fire Trail, I take the firetrail back – mainly to avoid the deep puddles (not that it really matters, my shoes and feet are still soaked, and I still have a few more creek crossings to negotiate).
Back to the Mount Alexandra Loop
I’m now re-tracing my steps for just over three kilometres, crossing the Nattai River again below Forty Foot Falls; I find a different spot this time, where the water is faster-flowing but much more shallow.
Along the Forty Foot Falls Walking Track I encounter a turtle on the track – probably an Eastern Snake Necked Turtle – I later learn that “these ‘side-necked’ turtles retract their head and neck beneath their shell by folding it to one side, rather than drawing their head backwards as most of the world’s species of turtles and tortoises do.”
Back via the Sixty Foot Falls and Green Tramway Track
From the bottom of the steep track down from Mount Alexandra, I now continue along what is initially a firetrail that roughly follows the motorway – so it’s not a particularly pleasant walk! This is also called the Red Trail, or “Round the Mountain” trail, as it’s part of a loop that goes around Mount Alexandra. (There is supposed to also be a track that follows the Nattai River more closely, which would be a better option – when the river is less polluted.)
The track along the river and the track along the motorway converge after about 1.5km, and for the first time I start seeing red ribbons – and even an official “Red Track” sign.
There’s a few glimpses of the Nattai River as the track climbs up above it – and the highway noise gradually decreases as the Red Track circles around a small hill.
The Hume Motorway is soon back in sight (and earshot) as the Red Track circles around the eastern side of the hill, and crosses the Nattai River again. A more obvious track continues on the same (western) side of the river – but won’t get you to the base of the Sixty Foot Falls.
It’s not long before the Sixty Foot Falls is in view; there’s no obvious track to the bottom, but it’s a relatively easy and short scramble down to the Nattai River, taking you just below the lower cascade.
The Red Track continues up to the top of the falls, before continuing upstream – there is one walking track that stays close to the river, and another that away from the river and is a bit more direct.
Either way, you end up at the last Nattai River crossing; normally it would be an easy crossing over a few stepping stones, but today the water is well over my knees.
I’m briefly on the GMA 3 Fire Trail, which finishes on Hawkins Drive (this would be the route you take if doing the Red Track loop). The home stretch is via the Green Tram Track, which is signposted at the top – but there is no signage at the bottom and it’s easily missed. Keep a close on the map for the junction with this walking track.
The Green Tram Track climbs relentlessly up the side of Mount Alexandra, providing a good work-out for the last fifteen minutes of the bushwalk. It’s surprisingly steep for a tramway, which was built in 1874 to bring coal from the Nattai Gorge to fuel the first iron works in Australia. The walking track which follows the original route of the tramway passes through the Coke Tunnel, not far from the carpark at the top.
I’m soon back at the carpark, having completed a slight variation of what I set out to do; it’s taken me about 6.5 hours for this extended loop. When plotted on a topo map it’s about a 18km, but the actual distance walked is closer to 22km. If going via The Incline and along the Nattai River add at least another hour. The waterfalls can dry out after a very dry period so going after some rain is best, but note that after heavy rain the Nattai River does get noticeably polluted from urban run-off and sewage overflow.
Getting to the Box Vale Walking Track via Mount Alexandra
The bushwalk as described here starts at the end of Mount Alexandra Lookout Road, off Leopold Street in Mittagong. The road is sealed, but the very last 20m just before the unsealed carpark is very rough and rocky, so take care if you have a car without good clearance. You could also start from either end of Leopold St, which avoids the steep walk back up Mount Alexanda at the end (you’ll miss Katoomba Lookout, but Nattai Gorge Lookout is more impressive). Either trailhead is about a 1.5 hour drive from Sydney via the Hume Motorway.
Alternatively, you could start this walk from Welby which is at the northern side of the loop, from either:
- the end of Morris Road off Kells Creek Road (a 10min drive from Mittagong), or
- the official start of the Box Vale Walking Track on Boxvale Road off the old Hume Highway (5min drive from Mittagong).
If you’re doing just doing the Box Vale Walking Track loop – with the option of a side-trip to Forty Foot Falls – then it’s best to start from Welby.
More information
- Visit Southern Highlands – Box Vale Walking Track / Box Vale Fact Sheet [PDF]
- Berrima District Historical & Family History Society (July 2017) – Box Vale Railway and Walk Track [PDF]
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