Waterfall Creek - Mt Wilson
Waterfall Creek - Mt Wilson
This beautifully adventurous hike in Mt Wilson is a great way to spend the day when the weather’s warm. A relatively easy downhill hike through a forest, followed by rock hopping and wading through the creek to reach a stunning secluded waterfall. We absolutely loved exploring this creek and we’re excited to share it with you!
Quick Details
Length: 3.5km
Elevation: 160m
Grade: Moderate
Best season: Spring, Summer, Autumn
Suitable for kids: Young kids no. Tweens and Teens should be ok.
Starting the Trail
We were invited by the lovely Rob, Despina, and Edna to join them on this hike. They’d all been here before, but this was our first time. It was pretty great to have a hiking guide - we didn’t have to check maps or plan anything, just head in the direction Rob pointed us to go and enjoy the hike! We parked just off the road not far from the Cathedral Reserve Camping area, crossed the road, and headed off on the Happy Valley Track.
The track itself is quite obvious and easy to follow, wandering down the hill a short way before coming to a signed junction, we turned to the left. The further we got down the hill the denser the forest became. We wandered past stone walls, down a few flights of stairs, winding our way down the hill - the scenery didn’t disappoint! It was fairly dry in the forest on our visit, but if it was wet, this would likely be a bit slippery in some sections.
Forest Fungi
Mt Wilson is a great place to find fungi and Edna has quite the knack for spotting them! Normally we would barely glance at toadstools and the like, especially when they’re tiny. But Edna showed us where to look for them - and we soon found ourselves looking under fallen trees, and closely inspecting mossy rocks searching for fungi of all shapes, sizes, and colours.
It was fun to experience a hike with someone who appreciates an aspect we’d never thought to really consider before and learn from that. I think it’s something that we’ll take with us on future hikes too - we’ll probably see fungi everywhere we go now!
Finding the Creek
As we got lower we could hear the sound of rushing water and knew we were close. The last few metres were a little rough but led us to a fallen tree with steps carved into it to take us down to the creek. Looking downstream was the most magical sight, sunlight lit up the fine mist along the fern and moss covered walls. The trees and ferns beyond the creek seemed to glow in the light. This is The Grotto, and we were quick to accept Rob’s offer to check it out first before continuing upstream.
Sticking to the left of the creek, there's a step carved into the wall allowing you to walk out over a ledge. With a couple of steps carved into the rock face again on the other end to safely get downstream of the small cascade It was easy enough to walk around on the rocks over the shallow sections of the water once we were down there.
After leaving the grotto we headed off to our destination of the hike, a waterfall upstream. From here we were rock hopping and scrambling over boulders a lot of the way - and wading through the water when there were no dry options available. The water was crystal clear, and the day was warm enough so we were fine to walk through the water when needed. We weren’t in any rush so we took our time and enjoyed the experience.
What Do You Mean, Rock Hopping?
It just means stepping or jumping from one rock to another. You often hear the term used for travelling up and down creeks or rivers. There’s no actual hopping involved… I mean I suppose you could if you really wanted to, but you’ll probably fall in the creek….
Back to the Trail
This is a beautiful section of creek with ferns all around. We took each part slowly, scouting ahead for the best route over the rocks or fallen trees. The way the sunlight filtered through the trees and ferns around us really made everything look magical.
There’s really no way to avoid getting wet feet though, which makes it the perfect hike for when the weather is hot. It was a bit tough in places with larger boulders to scramble over, but we found it manageable.
The Waterfall
We heard the waterfall ahead as we reached the final hurdle of the hike - a fallen tree to be climbed over. Our feet crunched over wet gravel as we approached the pool at the base of the falls. While it may not be the largest waterfall in the Blue Mountains, it’s certainly one of the prettiest we’ve seen so far. As it’s mostly shaded through the day it really makes it feel secluded.
Rob, Despina, and Edna hung back to allow us the chance to find the falls for ourselves. A simple gesture which we’ll definitely be taking with us on future hikes - allowing those who haven’t visited a place before to be at the front of a group. It’s something I suppose we had taken for granted before now as we often hike by ourselves, or with the little adventurers.
We mucked around for a while at the falls taking our photos. If it was hot enough this would be a great place to cool off before hiking back up the hill. Even though the day was warm, it definitely wasn’t swimming weather on our visit, and Despina was the only one brave enough to venture deeper than ankle depth into the cold water.
Once we were done, it was time to make our way back downstream and then up the hill. The great thing about taking your time the whole way is that it makes hills a lot easier to walk up! We really loved this hike from start to finish, and the company was great too!
Getting There
From Bells Line of Road turn onto Mt Wilson Road. Drive through the town and head towards Mt Irvine. Around 600m past the Cathedral Reserve camping area there’s a small turn off to the left that can fit a couple of cars. There’s a small seating area here as well. The trailhead to the Happy Valley Track can be found just across the road.
Tips and Tricks
There’s really no way to avoid getting wet feet on this one, so take some good water shoes.
Keep an eye out for fungi!
It’s also a pretty common area for leeches, so spray your socks with some good insect repellent before heading off.
Be sure to check out Rob, Despina, and Edna on Instagram!