WALLS CAVE

I thought I knew most of the walks in the Blue Mountains. That was before I joined Roz and the crew at Blue Mountains Best Walks, yet, during my brief tenure on the site, Walls Cave certainly hadn’t come up; though I’m sure someone would have posted it at some stage.

Still, the big board at Evans Lookout gave it a bit of a rap. “Spectacular views” it said; that was the first thing that caught my eye and stayed embedded in my brain. Tomorrow I would do that.

The street in, so called, was a tad disconcerting. It’s short and winds up as dirt. I wasn’t quite sure where to park and pulled up somewhat short of where I might have. Not to worry, only added 150 metres to the walk.

As somewhat of an afterthought I took my camera, as in my big camera that looks very serious but hardly ever gets used because the Samsung phone camera is better for most things, except birds. You still need a serious telephoto for birds.

                                    

                                                                    Red wattlebird

The start is very benign, though the steps start immediately and never stop. The only variation is the space between them. The view is disappointing, it’s basically a banksia forest. Hectare after hectare of low scrub but it does mean there are birds here and, for the first time this trip, I’m armed and ready and manage a couple of captures on the way down, making the added weight of the cumbersome lens worthwhile.

There’s a turn to the right at about the half way mark, leading to more of the same. Way down the bottom there’s a gap in the cliff, but it looks fairly average. Down and down I go until a large rock wall is reached. The next 50 metres will turn my day around.

There’s a stream on the left and a bridge looms up to cross it. Half way across said bridge there’s a stunning view up the insides of a slot canyon in the huge rock. Wow, I can’t click quickly enough.

A little further on there’s a series of sandstone steps that take you across the rest of the stream. Unfortunately, they’re not all stable. After the first one moves a tad I become very cautious and test the rest out before consigning my weight to them. Three moved.

They all lead to Walls Cave, a huge, mesmerising overhang that challenges your neck muscles. There are horizontal lines of ferns where water is seeping from the sandstone and the place is majestic. Well, except for where the vandals have chosen to emblazon their names. I never quite understand why some people seek recognition this much; perhaps they never get it at home.

The stream that has caused this spectacle flows nearby, the gurgle giving its presence away. It’s hard to conceive that this seemingly innocuous body of water has, over the millennia, carved this giant cavern out. Greaves Creek has seen a lot over the years, including natives, whose presence we can reliably date back 12,000 years but be certain it goes back much further than that.

I reflect that it’s Sunday so the nearby Grand Canyon will be very busy but here, just up the road, a place that attracts few, I have all to myself….and the birds.

On the return I divert down an unmade track where others have clearly gone. It leads to a gap between two significant rock outcrops and is definitely not recommended for young children, older folk or those of uncertain foot.

The descent is steep at times and, but for a sturdy tree root, I doubt I would have made it. The result, however, makes it all worthwhile. It’s a surreal world of multi-hued rock faces, clusters of ferns and overwhelming shapes, all accompanied by the sound of a thrashing stream right in front of you. I tarry awhile to savour a future memory, not knowing where to turn my head as it’s all so wondrous.

Then it’s time to leave. I pause a few times on the way back up and manage to snare a spotted pardalote but get frustrated at other species taking off just as I’m trying to focus. The stairs get to you after a time but at least you know how far you’ve got to go and it’s a perfect day for a hike and you just can’t get out of your head how good the cave area was and what good memories you’ve captured with you camera. Then comes another one. Someone has carved a face into a termites nest. C’est la vie!