Located at the end of Narrow Neck, Clear Hill (or Clear Head) was named before the construction of Warragamba Dam – when there were clear views over the Burragorang Valley. There are great views from the length of the Narrow Neck rim, but dense heath means that the opportunites for these views are somewhat limited to a few formal and informal lookouts, such as this one. This dense undergrowth is relatively recent, with systematic and regular burning by the Aboriginal people creating a more grassland. Even early 20th century photographs show minimal growth in areas now covered by dense heath.
Exploration of Clear Hill by Europeans is thought to have started in the late 1800s, when miners blazed a trail to the very southern tip of Narrow Neck in the search of coal and shale below the cliff line. From the early 1900s Narrow Neck become increasingly popular for more hardy bushwalkers, who sought routes or passes from the top of the plateau to the valley below. The view from Clear Hill was described by Frank Duncan in 1928, when he and his party of three bushwalkers stopped here briefly in 1928 on their way to try and find a route from Katoomba to the Coxs River via Narrow Neck.
A short time found us at the very end of Clear Hill, perched up in the air with cliffs on three sides of us, and a fine clear view, one of the best I have seen in New South Wales, of bush-clad ridges in every direction. Tortuous valleys at out feet wound away in the distance, but most striking of all was the feeling of airy lightness and detachment, and freedom from the petty cares of everyday life.
Sydney Bushwalker, First descent of Clear Hill
Clear Hill is now used to describe a small platform next to the end of the Narrow Neck firetrail, which offers a sweeping view towards Lake Burragorang.
It’s a short bush-bash to the scrubby peak of Clear Hill, which offers some nice views to the west, towards the Black Range and Jenolan.
To the north, through some tall eucalypt trees, is the Narrow Neck Plateau Trail (firetrail).
Getting to Clear Hill
The easy (but longer) way to Clear Hill is along the Narrow Neck Plateau Trail, which is about 21.5km from the locked gate at the end of Glenraphael Drive – or about 25km from Cliff Drive. The carpark and locked gate on Glenraphael Drive is about 5km walk / drive from Katoomba station (if using public transport, bus services to Scenic World reduce the distance to the trailhead to about 2.4km).
A slightly shorter but harder route is from Dunphys Campground, taking the Medlow Gap Management Firetrail to Medlow Gap, and then the bushwalking trail that ascends the ridge to Tarros Ladders. This is about 20km return.
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