An Evolutionary Walk
It’s not easy to choose just one favourite walk in the Blue Mountains, but if I had to, I’d be tempted to go with the Charles Darwin Walk in Wentworth Falls. The track begins in Wilson Park on Falls Road, just down by the tennis courts and is an easy two hour round trip. But leave your stroller at home. Whilst this is a very child friendly walk, there are enough steps and bumps along the way to make it difficult to manoeuvre even the hardiest of prams.
On my first visit, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the little pocket of pine forest near the beginning of the track. There’s a certain stillness when one is in the presence of pine trees. And while I know these trees are loathed by some locals, they take me back to joyous moments in my youth, pretending to be Heidi in the Alps, from the children’s books by Johanna Spyri.
Once past the pine forest, the walk winds through lovely ferns and grasses and gum trees. There are quaint little footbridges over the gently meandering Jamison Creek and several baby waterfalls along the way that tease you and tempt you to continue on to the big guy at the end. On a hot summer’s day, take your shoes off and paddle in the water. It doesn’t get much deeper than ankle height but it certainly does the trick.
Emerging from the track at the end brings you to the top of Wentworth Falls themselves, which is a most rewarding end to a magical stroll. The views across the Jamison Valley whilst not as panoramic as those from the lookout closer to the car park are spectacular nonetheless. From here, there is the option of continuing down the steps to the bottom of the falls, which is well worth the effort but be warned, it’s steep and can be tough on the knees. Standing atop the rocks in this place and breathing in the ridiculously clean air with its foresty, watery smells is a wonderful reminder of what an awesome pocket of the world we live in.
The Charles Darwin walk is never too busy and when you do bump into someone, it’s all smiles and hellos. Funny how nature tends to bring out our inner nice people…
WORDS and IMAGES by Camille Walsh
