where to photograph in the blue mts
The Three Sisters - Photograph copyright © Len Metcalf 2020
Locations worth visiting for photographers…
This article is in draft form… and will be continually updated.. and rearranged. I am aiming to have a few sections including; close to Blackheath / Wentworth Falls / Katoomba & Leura / Lawson / Lower Mts / further afield. Each of these will have its own post.. I expect this to be a long and slow task..
Car parks and lookouts
The Three Sisters peeking out of the mist from Eagle Hawk Lookout, Cliff Drive Katoomba © Len Metcalf 2015
Eagles nest lookout: the best quiet view of the three sisters. Amazing at sunset with the orange sandstone sisters getting a stunning soaking in golden sunlight. On a clear night the sisters are flood lighted into the early evening. On days where the mist is swirling and rising occasionally they break through the mist and magical images can be taken from this lookout.
Mount York, Mount Victoria: golden sunset rays bathe gums and iron bark trees at this vista at the end of the day. A lovely short walk around the famous climbing cliffs and one of the original routes off the mountain and into the valley.
Pulpit rock at Mount Victoria is a delightful stroll from the car park. Views over to the cliffs at Mt Piddington are good in the afternoon when there are lovely clouds. Also worth visiting when the mist is thick. Avoid on high wind days. Unfenced location so be very wary of cliff edges. For the more adventurous walking down little zig zag to the bushrangers cave which was the subject of early etchings and photographs.
Fish River, between Lithgow, Oberon & Bathurst is a granite boulder filled creek full of trout, amazing reflections and gentle pools that are lined with smooth round rocks. Easy to get to, and well worth spending the whole day there. Pack a lunch as there isn’t any shops out there. Easy but long drive from upper mountains.
Evans lookout, is a very short stroll from the car park and is best visited at sunrise or sunset. On misty days try the paved walk along the cliff tops for some amazing gum trees.
Short easy and gentle walks
Scenic railway boardwalk. Catch the train down early in the day. I mean as soon as they open, and wander the board walk. You will be probably enveloped in gentle soft diffused light from the thick mist from Waragamba Dam that dominates the local climate. Lyre birds feature prominently and can be photographed from the board walk beneath you. Catch the scenicsender back to the top.
Charles Darwin walk – start at the great western highway and
Jamison Creek, Charles Darwin Walk, Wentworth Falls
walk as far as you feel comfortable, remembering that it will take just as long to get back to your start.
Lyrebird Dell at Mount Victoria just makes it into the gentle section, though it does involve a steep hill down and back up. Park at Browns Oval for the easiest walk into this location, and be enchanted by the sections of rainforest littered with amazing fungus particularly after a wet spell.
Coachwood Glen, is one of my favorite locations. I seem to keep finding new shots each time I visit. There is an amazing stand of King Ferns, a tumbling creek with some delicate little drops and some beautiful Coachwoods within the rain forest to capture your imagination. In the wet the track may be a little slippery and
Coachwood Glen, Megalong Valley
muddy so wear sturdy shoes. This is best visited on overcast days or late afternoons or early mornings before full sun mottles the scene with burning highlights.
Waterfall circuit at Lawson is worth the effort. My favorite has to be Junction Falls. I first visited these on my queen scout walk at 15 years of age. I drew them and photographed them to prove to the assessor we had visited them. Serendipitously my scout master planned out my major walk around Blue Mountains waterfalls. The final submission included beautiful coloured pencil drawings of each waterfall we visited over the weekend.
Pulpit Rock, Blackheath is a short walk with some steep stairs to get right onto the most stunning lookout. You will get 270 degree view. I like to be here on a clear day around sunset. The cliffs opposite at Lochley’s Pylon, Mount Banks, Mount Hay and Fortress Ridge are stunning when flooded with golden sunlight. Stay after sunset (with a torch) to get some beautiful after glows in the early twilight.
Butterbox point, at the end of Mount Hay Road, Leura. This is a long drive on a dirt road. If it is very wet or you have a low slung vehicle I would avoid it. There are some great spots to stop off on the way such as Flat Top and the Three Pinnicles. At the very end of the road follow the old road for 50 metres, then veer left on a foot pad. Walk to the end, making note of where you have come from so you can return the same way back to the car. This is a remote location on top some very high cliffs. So make sure you stay well away from the edge. We tell out clients to stay two body lengths away from the cliff edge. I have lost some very dear friends to large and small cliffs, it pays to be very cautious. This is a good location for sunset. I haven’t made it there for sunrise, but imagine it could be spectacular. Avoid middle of the day in direct sunshine. The vista from this location is stunning, as you look out over the Grose Valley.
Multi hour walks
Leura forest, is accessed from either the giant stairway at the Three Sisters or Dardanelles Pass . Yes this is a step walk down and back up again, but well worth it. On a sunny day this location works well late afternoon when the forest is bathed in shadow from the huge cliffs above. It would be well worth visiting on a wet or misty day. Avoid being here in full sunlight at the middle of the day.
Ruined castle from the golden stairs.
Weeping rock and Wentworth falls. Best shot in the early morning or late afternoon. Look for the golden reflections in the water at sunset as the golden glow is intensified as it bounces off the orange walls on Jamison Creek. A favorite spot rich in colour and water that is very compact.
Ikara Head via Asgard Swamp takes you to an amazing view down the Gross Valley. From here you get distant views of Mount Banks and Mount Hay. There is no track to the best views and you're on top of 70 metre cliffs so this location is only for those with suitable experience. The Asgard Swamp fire trail can be found off Victoria Falls Road. Other heads in the area include Valhalla &Thor heads. This is is a good place to visit in the afternoon. I would like to stay there for sunset one evening, but the long walk out in the dark has so far stopped me.
Valley of the Waters, starting and finishing at the Conservation Hut is a firm favourite. I love to be down here early. I walk straight down to Empress Falls before getting my camera out. You can shoot here all morning until about ten am when the sun starts streaming into the canyon. Afternoons also work well once the full sun is out of the valley. Stunning after rain, and in the mist. The water falls at the Valley of the Waters is the most stunning set of cascades in the Blue Mountains IMHO.
Half day and longer & strenuous walks
Empress falls and the valley of the waters. If you can handle the walk in down the stairs then this is a not to be missed location. Take a tripod for those soft waterfall shots and use 3 second and over exposures for best results. On a bright sunny day you would be wise to take a neutral density filter. But for best results be down there first thing in the morning aiming to be finished
Coachwood stand at Empress Falls, the valley of the waters, Wentworth Falls
shooting by nine or ten am. Take a jumper as it will be noticeably cooler down there than at the conservation hut where you park your car. Also take some snacks and some water for the long limb back up all of those steep stairs.
Blue Gum Forest is a long hard walk only due to the long drop into the valley. The quickest way down and up is via Perry’s Lookdown, though I do prefer to walk in via Lochley’s Pylon from Mount Hay road. This is best done as an overnight or even three day trip. Another classic route is starting at Mount Victoria and walking down the Gross Valley to Blue Gum. Camping has been removed from Blue Gum and allowed the undergrowth to regenerate a fantastic bonus for photographers. This stand of trees is very important as it reminds us of an early conservation battle that was won when the bush walkers of the time put their hands into their pockets and raised the funds to buy this stand of trees and donate it to the government. Lead by Myles Dumphy and supported by Paddy Pallin and my father. Dumphy proposed and fought for the Blue Mountains National Park,
If you would like to be taken on a photography tour of these locations Len’s School has a number of different options available to you. These include luxury small group gentle tours through to a landscape photography workshop and a shorter guided day trips.
