Lyrebird Walking Track, Blue Mountains NP: NSW, Australia: March 2004

 Bush walking to the Pool of Siloam and Lyrebird Dell

One of the other walks I went on while in New South Wales was the Lyrebird Dell Walking Track in Blue Mountains NP. This was a longer walk down to one of the side valleys near Katoomba to a series of pools, water falls and cascades. 

A view of the Pool of Siloam, Blue Mountains NP

It is an actual Australian bush walk which takes approximately 1-2 hours depending on your fitness.

Hiking the Lyrebird Dell Round Walk:

The Lyrebird Dell Walk starts from either Gordon Falls Reserve or along the southern end of Lone Pine Avenue near Leura. It features a descent down to the valley floor and you will see bush, rain forest, waterfalls and some historic caves used by the local Aboriginals in times past. 

Gordon Falls Reserve is the start of the track

Gordon Falls and the Gordon Falls Reserve commemorate General Gordon of Khartoum who was killed during the siege of that city during the Anglo-Sudan War in the 1880's. Gordon served in the British Army in the Crimean War, Indian Mutiny and Opium Wars in China. He was the Egyptian Governor of Sudan at the time of his death and was a particular focus of anger as he represented the hated Egyptian Authorities to the Mahdists. 

General Charles Gordon of Khartoum

The Anglo-Sudan or Mahdist War (1881-1889) was the first overseas conflict Australia sent troops to fight in and it was also one of the first conflicts between Jihadists and the West. Australian soldiers served with troops from Britain, Italy, Canada, Egypt and India. Over 700 Australians (some of whom came from New Zealand) served in the war and there were 9 deaths all from disease.  

The war featured several British leaders who later became famous including a young Second Lieutenant Winston Churchill, Major's Haig, French and Hamilton, Colonel Kitchener and General Roberts all senior leaders in the Boer War and WWI. 

You could argue that it was the first war fought by the Commonwealth. 

We followed the Lyrebird Dell Round Walk

Follow the signs from Gordon Falls Reserve for Pool of Siloam Walking Track...it takes about 20-30 minutes to walk down to Gordons Creek and the Pool. The Pool of Siloam is a plunge pool at the base of a waterfall coming down off the Katoomba Escarpment near Leura. 

Map: Pool of Siloam and Lyrebird Dell Walking Track

 From the Gordon Falls Reserve you drop down a step set of stairs into the bush and gradually make your way down to the Pool of Siloam your first stop of the track. Take care on the stairs as they are steep and sections can be overgrown, muddy and slippery.  At the start you are surrounded by thick bush but this gradually gives way to typical Australian rainforest vegetation as you get closer to the bottom. 

On the descent down to the Pool of Siloam

When you get down near the end of the steps you will find yourself in a shady area of rain forest with many small streams, water runs and seeps along and across the track. Eventually you can see the area around the Pool of Siloam below you. There are a set of stepping stones across the stream outlet and a small sandy beach along the edge of the pool. 

Looking down on the Pool of Siloam stepping stones

There is a sandy beach at the Pool of Siloam

The Pool of Siloam is set in a small rock amphitheater with tall trees all around and there is a ribbon waterfall cascading down from above. For the historians out there the original Pool of Siloam is where Jesus is supposed to have healed the sick by baptizing them in its restorative waters. Those Victorians had a good streak of the religious ferment coursing through them...

When I visited in the early 2000's the pool was quite deep...maybe waist deep or so. I have read online that it has silted up a lot due to drought, bush fires and construction around Katoomba/Leura. All the exposed sand and dirt runs down into these valleys every time there is a big storm...man made erosion!!!

Pool of Siloam, Blue Mountains NP

There are plenty of logs and rocks to sit on while you watch the waterfall and the beach is a good safe area for children to explore and play on. It is worth spending some time here and just enjoying the sights and sounds of the surrounding forest. 

Stepping stones at the Pool of Siloam

There were plenty of birds around the pool and we saw Cockatoos, Rosella's, Kookabura's, Silvereyes and other native birds on the forest floor and amongst the foliage of the trees. The forest is interesting with massive Gum/Eucalypt Trees, Bottle Brushes, Banksia, Waratah and other strange and unusual plants. The colorful red flower of the Waratah is the NSW state symbol...

The symbol of NSW...the Waratah flower

If you are lucky you might see an actual Lyrebird scratching around in the undergrowth along this track. We saw a couple but at a distance as they are shy and retiring birds. They are one of a variety of scrub dwelling birds endemic to this area and are noted for their long and colorful tail plumage and mimicry of other birds song. They look a bit like a cross between a Chicken, Quail, Weka and Roadrunner... 

Typical Australian Lyrebird in the bush

From the Pool of Siloam you continue along the Lyrebird Dell Walking Track for approximately a kilometer to the Lyrebird Dell. This part of the track was damp with a number of smaller cascades, streams and rivulets visible along both sides of the track. It was cool and shady with mosses, ferns and lichen on most surfaces. Half way to the Dell you pass Gordons Cascade which is a lovely terrace with Gordons Creek flowing over it. 

Gordon's Cascade on the way to Lyrebird Dell

There are quite a few seeps along the track from Siloam Pool to the Lyrebird Dell with water running down the rock faces and the thick mosses growing on them. The forest was cool and shady...a change from the blazing sun and heat. 

It was the end of summer when we visited so the rest of NSW was dry as tinder..in fact we passed through a bush fire on our way to and from Canberra.  It was nice to be in a cool almost naturally air conditioned place if only for a short time. 

Water seep along the Lyrebird Dell Track

There are a couple of caves about 800 meters from the Pool of Siloam. They are closer to rock outcrops than caves but are still interesting to explore. Excavations around these over hangs found 12 000 year old stone fragments from tool making by the indigenous Aboriginal people. They had lived in this area for millennia and only really moved further inland after European settlement. It is easy to see why with the presence of shelter, game, running water and other resources. 

One of the small caves on the Lyrebird Dell Track

Another rock overhang on the Lyrebird Dell Track

Lyrebird Falls are not far past the two small caves and while the falls are not massive it is set in a very idyllic grotto surrounded by bush and with a plunge pool at the base of the falls. It was cool and damp at Lyrebird Falls and we sat on a log here and contemplated the falls for some time. 

Lyrebird Falls, Blue Mountains NP

There is a historic picnic area near the Lyrebird Falls which has been in this location since the 1930's. Back then groups would come on organised outings to the area to enjoy the clean air and cool forest surrounds. It must have been a bit of a journey back then with the primitive vehicles they would have used along what I imagine were rough and punishing roads.

The big cave it sits in was once used by Aboriginals as a place to live and is still considered sacred to them. It is easily the largest of the caves and overhangs along this track and you can see why they would have used it for shelter. It does seem a bit inappropriate to have picnic tables here BUT you cannot judge 1930's Aussies with 21st Century mores...

The picnic area near Lyrebird Dell Falls

From the Lyrebird Dell you continue on the Lyrebird Track for about another 500 meters before finding yourself back up on Lone Pine Avenue. From here you just walk along the road all the way back to Gordon Falls Reserve about another 500 meters away. 

You are back at your start point...

In the bush on the way back to Lone Pine Avenue, Lyrebird Dell Walk

Lone Pine Avenue heading to Gordon Falls Reserve, Leura

There are an ornate set of memorial gates at the entrance to Gordon Falls Reserve with the names of locals killed during the Boer War and WWI. At the time this would have been a very small and sleepy rural town so the fact there are over thirty dead from World War I must have been devastating to the local community. 

You see similar memorials in most small rural New Zealand towns..Akaroa has over twenty names on its memorial arch...probably most of the young men who lived there prior to the Great War. A real waste of potential as all wars are....

Entrance gate at the Gordon Falls Reserve, Leura

From Gordon Falls Reserve you should head by foot or vehicle down to the southern end of Lone Pine Avenue to the Gordon Falls Lookout. This is the only spot in the immediate area with an unobstructed view out to the rest of Blue Mountains National Park. From here you have a good view of Mt Solitary off in the distance, Jamison Valley and the huge cliffs around Leura...

Gordon Falls Outlook, Blue Mountains NP

You can also see the Gordon Falls way down below you...the falls drop from the top of the escarpment down into an amphitheater below and then run into Gordons Creek. It really reminded me of the falls you pass near Coal Creek on the Paparoa Great Walk here in New Zealand. They are a similar height and the cliffs look much the same with that sandstone and limestone...

View down to the Gordon Falls, Blue Mountain NP

I think it would be worthwhile visiting Gordon Falls just after a big storm as I believe the falls would act like a giant storm drain for the surrounding area. I bet they are quite spectacular with a lot of water rushing over them...

Mt Solitary and Jamison Valley from Gordon Falls Lookout

It was interesting to take a walk in the Australian bush...it is very different to New Zealand with a completely different range of tree species and animals. If I manage to make it back over the ditch to NSW and Sydney in the future I will make sure to go up to Katoomba for a couple of days and do some more walking there. 

Access: From Sydney take the Great Western Highway to Katoomba and Leura. At Leura follow Luera Mall and turn left onto Gordon Road. Follow Gordon Road to Lone Pine Avenue. Park at Gordon Falls Reserve or along Lone Pine Avenue and look for the track start.
Track Times: The Lyrebird Round Trip is 1.8 km or around 1.5 hours. Pool of Siloam Walking Track (30 minutes), Lyrebird Dell Walking Track (30 minutes), Lyrebird Dell to Gordon Falls Reserve (20-30 minutes)
Miscellaneous: There is a picnic area, toilets and playground at Gordon Falls Reserve. The track down to the Pool of Siloam is steep and can be muddy and slippery at times. There is a historic picnic area near the Lyrebird Dell. Gordon Falls Lookout is at the southern end of Lone Pine Avenue.