Kanangra Walls and Kalang Falls
Kanangra Walls and Kalang Falls
The potential for bad weather this weekend saw us change our plans midweek and we landed on an easy stroll around the end of Kanangra Walls fire trail. Kanangra is one of our favourite National Parks. Its landscape is so wild and untamed. Also the place names inside the park are incredible. Names like Mount Misery, Mount Hopeless, and Mount Great Groaner. I’d like to imagine that the first British cartographer who went through Kanangra was actually a complete introvert who took a job as a map maker because he thought it meant he’d be able to just sit inside by the fire all day and draw. Not realising that there would be an in-the-field aspect to the position, he just named EVERYTHING after his complete displeasure of being outside. It’s not true of course… But still fun to imagine.
Quick Details
Length: 3.5km return
Elevation: 60m
Grade: Easy
Best season: Year-round
Suitable for kids: Yes
Starting the Trail
After parking at the end of the main fire trail, we wandered off on a well maintained track. We took the first right and descended on stairs towards the Plateau. As we reached the first barrier fence next to the track we stopped to look out at the valley. Seeing the tall orange sandstone walls on the right facing the Thurat Spires on our left is like looking down the border of where two worlds meet - the two sides of the valley look so different from one another.
The track leads up to the base of the walls, and here we take the short climb up to the Plateau. There’s a small detour around a section of the track that’s been closed off, and soon we’re walking on the Plateau - The area on top of Kanangra Walls. It’s a really interesting landscape, a mixture of bare rock and low dense grasses with dead branches sticking out above. It’s quite the contrast to the dark green forest below.
The sections of smooth rock are broken up by puddles of clear water as well as rounded, raised sections of stone - The little adventurers hiking with us were disappointed they didn’t have their scooters with them because “It’s like a mini skate park!”. Not sure how NPWS would feel about you guys riding scooters up here, but we’ll ask…
We made our way over to the famous photo-spot on the Plateau. Sunrise here is really something magical, with the sun rising behind you, lighting up the Thurat Spires across the valley. We spent a lot of time here on our visit, catching sight of the path we walked on earlier, as well as Kalang Falls, and Kanangra Creek. You can hear the water rushing over the falls in the distance.
The Plateau is quite a large area, and we’ve already added it to our list for later in the year to explore further when the little adventurers aren’t with us. To the North is the path for the Kanangra to Katoomba hike, a gruelling 45km trek through the wilderness. To the South East is Cottage Rock and Coal Seam Cave. For now though we’ll leave those adventures for another hike.
Dance Floor Cave
We headed back towards the track and made our way off the Plateau. Here we turned left to take a quick detour to Dance Floor Cave. Like most “caves” in the Greater Blue Mountains area, it’s really more of an overhang than a cave. Thanks to the recent wet weather, on our visit small streams of water were pouring over the edge above us - creating a veil of mist along the path. The colours of the stone range from pale yellow to deep purple-greys rather than just the typical golden sandstone colours. Here the ground is dry, and we take the opportunity to sit before we hike back up the hill to the main track.
The history of how this place got its name is written on a plaque at the entrance. Around the turn of the last century, this was used as a meeting place by local pastoralists, and a dance floor was constructed by the overhang. While nothing of the dance floor remains today, it’s easy to picture how it could have once looked: local families resting under the shelter of the rock, sharing the stories of their journeys around campfires; the sounds of music drifting from whatever instruments they'd managed to carry—interrupted only by the rhythmic tapping of boot heels against timber, as old friends danced together beneath an open sky of stars.
These days Dance Floor Cave offers weary hikers a chance to rest and catch their breath in the shade, or as a place to camp before setting out on a longer adventure. There’s a few deeper sections carved out at the back that go up into the overhang (ok I guess they’re kind of small caves), which the boys loved to find. We actually had a hard time convincing them to leave.
Walls Lookout
We made our way back to the stairs and up to the main track. At the top, we took another short detour on our right to the newly fenced Kanangra Walls Lookout to catch our breath. The Thurat Spires really are an amazing sight. It would be such a tough hike to climb them, but what a rewarding experience it would be to conquer those mountains.
This is the better option for sunset at Kanangra. As the walls face West they look absolutely spectacular in the late afternoon light. We take a moment for the boys to figure out where we were just standing out on the Plateau, before continuing on to the falls below.
Kalang Falls
Another easy to follow staircase takes us down to Kalang Falls. KALANG Falls... Not Kanangra Falls as it’s so often mislabelled. Kanangra Falls is a (roughly) 120m waterfall found about 800m North West of Kalang Falls. It’s kind of amazing the amount of people who visit Kanangra Boyd National Park and think there’s nothing more here than the Plateau, a lookout, a campground, and Kalang Falls. Hidden amongst the trees, between those high peaks and deep valleys, are waterfalls, and swamps, wild creeks of crystal clear water, and lookouts across mountains as far as the horizon. But we’ll leave those hikes for another story…
At the bottom of the stairs is a small wooden platform to see the falls. You do have to lean over the edge a bit to really see it properly. It makes for a pretty place to sit a while and enjoy the calming sound of the water. This isn’t all there is to the falls of course, just all that you can see from here. Although you would need a decent length of rope and knowledge on how to abseil to see the rest. A little further downstream the water tumbles over the edge and falls a long way to the valley below.
Looking up at the sky we noticed dark clouds starting to roll in, so we decided to call it a day and headed back up the hill. We’ve graded this as an easy hike because it’s easy to follow the path, and there are signs pointing you in the right directions. That being said, this staircase leading up from Kalang Falls is quite the workout! From the main track we turn and take in the view one last time of the Thurat Spires and the Walls, before making our way back to the car, already planning when we can visit Kanangra again.
Getting There
Kanangra Boyd National Park is about 3 hours West of Sydney, or about half an hour from Oberon. From the entrance of the park, drive all the way to the end of the fire trail (about 35km). You’ll find a large parking area, and the hiking track begins from there.
The tracks to the Plateau and Kalang Falls are all maintained tracks and are in excellent condition. There are signs at every junction, so as long as you don’t wander off the path into the bush, you’re unlikely to get lost.
Tips and Tricks
The Plateau offers a great place for watching a sunrise.
The Walls Lookout is the better option for sunset.
Bring plenty of water, as much of the hike is exposed with little shade.
You’re unlikely to get phone reception while you’re in the park. So if you’re someone who likes to have an online map of the area with them, be sure to load it to your device before entering the park.