There are multiple bushwalking trails in the Mount Victoria area – many of them historic tracks – that can be combined into a variety of short or longer loop walks. While Coxs Cave has recently become better known as it’s picked up by the “Instagram crowd”, this part of the Blue Mountains is underrated and there’s a good chance you won’t see anyone else on the trails.
As the Coxs Cave Circuit is fairly short, we combined it with the Ferris Cave Circuit which makes it a 7.6km bushwalk – and you could extend it further by continuing to Pulpit Rock and Bushrangers Cave. The Coxs Cave loops starts from Mt Piddington (one of the highest points of the Blue Mountains), with our route takes us past the Piddington Trig to the signposted start of the trail.
The well-defined and clearly signposted track descends through fairly open eucalyptus forest.
You can do the loop in either direction; we’re going clockwise towards Fairy Bower and the historic Toll House.
As the track descends, the eucalpyt forest soon changes to more of a rainforest environment, with large colonies of Umbrella Ferns and moss-covered logs. Despite recent rain the track is not too muddy, but there are a few slippery sections.
A short side trip leads to the Grotto, a small enclave formed by a waterfall. This area has long been used as a picnic area with tables and chairs; today just a table remains.
The trail continues descending to a small bridge over a tributary to Fairy Bower Creek… do not cross the bridge! The Fairy Bower Track continues up Fairy Bower Creek to Fairy Bower and Toll House, officially known as the Broughton’s Waterhole Toll Bar and one of a number of toll collection points once set up along the Western Road.
The Coxs Cave Circuit continues down the valley, passing an opening in the trees which offers a nice view of the Mount Boyce cliffs.
A signposted sign marks a rough side-track to Dunns Leap – it’s about a 10min detour (each way) – whomever put 400min / 45min on the sign must have been trying really hard to discourage people from going this way! Its about that distance but won’t take anywhere near that long.
The short track is generally easy to follow, but fairly muddy in places – especially as you get to Dunns Leap. There are a number of ribbons marking the trail.
Dunns Leap is named after a schoolboy (aged 17 or 18, his age is reported inconsistently) survived a fall down the 181-foot (60m) cliffs.
In 1908 some young lads from Henry Rienits’ private school at Mt Victoria, known simply as “The School”, were in that cave when 18 year old Charles Dunn somehow lost his footing and plummeted to the spot we were passing. His friends clambered down to find him but there was no sign of their companion. They rushed back to The School to raise the alarm and a search followed, again unsuccessful. Charles was eventually found lying on his bed at The School; he had walked back alone, while his mates were searching for his body, suffering only a few scratches and minor bruising.
Mt Wilson Mt Irvine Bushwalking Group
Yowie Dunn elaborates in his short video the interesting story of Charles Dunn…
It’s possible to continue along Dunns Leap Track (Keither Painter calls this route the “Jack Austen Pass”) which is fairly overgrown, but that’s a trip for another day. Dave Noble covers this bushwalk on his blog, where he ascends via the Rienits Pass track. We backtrack to the Coxs Cave Circuit, where we soon reach Coxs Cave.
Coxs Cave was named after George Henry Cox (a member of Parliament) and was reached via a wooden ladder and track installed around 1879. The wooden ladder was eventually replaced by a steel laddder, and from the top of the ladder there’s a rock ledge below a low overhang and then a steep but short path into Coxs Cave.
The cave is impressive mainly for its size – and the views it frames over the valley.
You can continue along a narrow ledge which provides a view of the cliffs on the opposite side of the valley and the enormous opening of Coxs Cave.
From Coxs Cave, the track climbs out of the valley – established around 1869 and 1872, this was the only access to the cave until the track along Fairy Bower Creek to the Toll House was created between 1888 and 1898.
It’s only about 500m back up to Mt Piddington, so if you just want to visit Coxs Cave you can go down and back up this track for the shortest route, rather than doing the loop.
Just before reaching the road (which would complete the 1.8km Coxs Cave route), we continue along the Ferris Cave Circuit. They both start/finish at the same place on Mount Piddington.
Coxs Cave is well signposted and the loop walk follows established trails – but it takes longer than the distance on the map suggests. The Coxs Cave Circuit took about an hour and a half (including the Dunns Leap detour), so don’t underestimate the time you need for the bushwalk, despite the relatively short distance involved (the actual distance walked will also be a bit higher than the distance shown on the map).
Getting to Coxs Cave Circuit
The Coxs Cave Circuit starts at the end of Mount Piddington Road in Mount Victoria, which is about 1.5km (4min drive) from Victoria Station and 18km (20min) from Katoomba. It can also be done using public transport, with a 15-20min walk getting you to the trailhead. The trail starts on the eastern side of Mount Piddington Road which does a loop around the peak, with parking available along the road.
More information
- Blue Mountains Local Studies – George Sheppeard and Broughton’s Waterhole Toll Bar
- David Noble – Mt Victoria Bushwalk – 6 September 2024
- Mountain Mist Books – Keith Painter – Great Walks at Mount Victoria
- Jim Smith – How to see the Blue Mountains (Map 13)
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