The best Blue Mountains waterfall walk

We’ve found a uniquely peaceful way to experience waterfalls in the Blue Mountains, and it’s only an hour from Sydney.

The Blue Mountains, located between Sydney and Lithgow, were one of Australia’s first tourist destinations. This region’s rugged beauty and breathtaking landscapes drew Victorian-era holidaymakers looking to escape their increasingly industrialised lives.

These days, exploring the Blue Mountains’ major drawcards can feel more like visiting a theme park. On any day at any time of the year, you’ll likely find yourself fighting the tourist hordes for a vantage at Echo Point or Wentworth Falls.

But it doesn’t have to be that way if you eschew the bus-infested hotspots.

Hazelbrook calls itself the ‘Village of Waterfall Walks’ – quite an assertion in a region where every second highway turn-off seems to lead to waterfall or a lookout. Hazelbrook certainly boasts plenty of waterfalls, although the neighbouring village of Lawson probably has a more legitimate claim to that title.

That's because only an hour’s drive from Sydney is the astonishing South Lawson Waterfall Circular Walking Track, which combines a scenic bushwalk with some of the prettiest waterfalls anywhere in Australia. You can enjoy it all in a single day and – best of all – the jostling crowds haven’t found out about it yet.

Adelina Falls

Depending on which way you choose to complete the South Lawson Waterfall Circular Walking Track, Adelina Falls will be either the first or last waterfall you encounter.

Steps leading down to Adelina Falls in the Blue Mountains.

The bush track leading down to it is rugged in places and the falls appear almost by surprise as you round a final bend. This elegant and majestic cascade features a promontory partway down the rockface that adds theatre to the rush of water, while ferns grow in the shade of the overhang, lending it a Jurassic Park quality.

As you admire Adelina’s beauty, Cataract Creek (which feeds all the waterfalls on this circuit) babbles in the background like a toddler talking itself to sleep.

Adelina Falls in the Blue Mountains.

Junction Falls

Unlike Adelina, you pass around the top of Junction Falls on approach, catching glimpses through the surrounding undergrowth. The installed steel handrail is necessary as you make your way down, especially after recent rains, which mean more spectacular falls, but a muddier and more slippery track. 

Steep trail leading down to Junction Falls in the Blue Mountains.

From the leaf-littered and sun-dappled valley floor you gaze up at a fern-decked grotto, as the falls spill onto terraces of stratal rock that have been chiselled into beautiful shapes over countless millennia. With its towering, almost intimidating stone steps, Junction Falls feels like a naturally occurring amphitheatre or a coliseum.

Topping off its appeal is the timber footbridge, which takes you across the creek and onto the next section of the trail.

Junction Falls in the Blue Mountains.

Federal Falls

Compared to the steep descents necessary to reach Adelina and Junction Falls, the walk to Federal Falls is of the cake variety, with just some rocky sections to negotiate towards the end. 

The clearing in which these falls are situated is open and sandy, with the glass-clear Cataract Creek passing through a kind of sunlit stage at the bottom. Behind the falls, the rock wall is etched with a slashed zigzag pattern, adding shape and texture to the flow of water.

Whereas many waterfalls must be observed from a distance (and shot with a zoom lens), you can walk right up to the base of Federal Falls and all its Cataract Creek cousins, providing a much more intimate and tactile experience.

Federal Falls in the Blue Mountains.

Cataract Falls

A hand-painted sign on a rockface informs bushwalkers that the Cataract Falls are half a mile (800 metres) from Federal Falls – the imperial measurement offering a clue to the note’s age. Initially it’s an arduous climb up stone steps and gravelly paths, but soon the trail flattens out into an easy-going walk.

Hand-painted sign pointing to Cataract Falls in the Blue Mountains.

Another sign painted in the same hand announces your arrival at Cataract Falls, the largest but probably least picturesque of the circuit’s four waterfalls. It features two distinct levels, with a vantage point cut into the bush beside each. From the lower level, tree growth obscures much of the waterfall’s flow on the right-hand side.

Cataract Falls in the Blue Mountains.

Cataract Falls creates a pool that’s arguably prettier than the waterfall itself, with moss-covered rocks, shaded grottos, and the cheerful creek-creek of unseen frogs. Other wildlife we passed on the South Lawson Waterfall Circular Walking Track included large skinks with dazzling bronze scales, the vivid reds and blues of two crimson rosellas, and this varied sword-grass brown butterfly – marked like a World War II fighter plane, it came to rest on the on the gravelly bed at the foot of Cataract Falls.

Varied sword-grass brown butterfly at Cataract Falls in the Blue Mountains.

South Lawson Waterfall Circular Walking Track Q&A

Where is it?

Access is via Honour Avenue, Lawson – either near the corner of Livingstone Street (Adelina Falls first) or Cataract Street (Cataract Falls first).

How difficult is the walk?

The full loop is a two-hour medium-rated walk across 2.8km. Completing it requires reasonable levels of fitness and agility, as the going can get quite steep and rugged in places. Boots or sturdy sneakers are a must.

What should I bring?

You’ll want a water bottle to stay hydrated and a packed lunch to replenish energy afterwards. If you’d prefer to treat yourself following your exertions, we can recommend a toasted sandwich or pastry at Bakery Patisserie Schwarz and a cup of coffee from Cassiopeia Coffee in Wentworth Falls.

Because you can get so close to the waterfalls, a phone camera is more than sufficient to capture photos and video. Pro snappers might like to lug in a tripod and DSLR – they’ll find plenty worth shooting.

Is there a less arduous alternative?

If the South Lawson Waterfall Circular Walking Track doesn’t slake your thirst for waterfalls (or you’re looking for something less taxing on the lungs and legs), then seek out Horseshoe Falls, just five minutes’ drive away in Hazelbrook.

It’s easy to miss the entry point to Horseshoe Falls Walking Track, as it’s tucked away in the bush where Oaklands Road becomes Hall Parade.

For most of its length the track has a mild grade, although there is a shallow creek crossing and some sections can be muddy after rain. The track follows the chain of pools created by Hazelbrook Creek, and along the way there’s a picnic table set back from one of these charming little waterholes.

Sign pointing to Horseshoe Falls in the Blue Mountains.

The final descent to the falls is quite steep and uneven, with a loose surface, but it’s worth the clamber as you emerge into a cool and tranquil oasis that has an instant calming effect. Horseshoe Falls’ three tiers seem almost man-made, as if a landscaper designed it for a billionaire’s backyard. It’s hard to conceive that suburbia is only a 15-minute walk back up the hill.

Horseshoe Falls in the Blue Mountains.