Colliery Canyon - Kamarah Gully and Koombanda Brook - Blue Mountain, NSW
- ivetavalentova
- Aug 18
- 4 min read
Koombanda Brook, Kamarah Gully and Colliery Canyon - Blue Mountains, NSW.
Koombanda Brook and Kamarah Gully creeks both flow into the Grose River in the Blue Mountains, near Bells Line of Road and Darling Causeway. Today, we will explore both creeks and check out a sections of the canyon that is accessible on foot, without the need for climbing or canyoning equipment. This opportunity allows us to fully enjoy the beautifully carved dry section of the slot canyon and admire the towering cliffs and other impressive rock formations along the trail.
Overview
Get ready for a full-day hiking adventure in the wilderness of the less touristy part of the Blue Mountains, NSW. You'll tackle a mix of terrains, from easy fire trails to more challenging, overgrown paths without a marked trail. Reaching the canyon sections is definitely a highlight and totally worth the effort!
Trail Details
Starting Point: Canyon Trail - Darling Causeway, Blue Mountains
Finishing Point: Same as above if done as circuit / or Bells Line of Rd as a one way track (car shuffle)
Total Distance Covered: 13 km (circuit)
Total Elevation Gain: 370m
Time Spent: 6.5 hours including lunch break
Trail Conditions
The hike starts at Canyon Trail (a firetrail dirt road) located just off Darling Causeway between Mt. Victoria and Bell. The section of the firetrail descending into the valley is straightforward to navigate and walk. Similarly, the firetrail on the return journey from Bells Line of Road back to the starting point is equally easy to follow.
The real stuff (that's what you there for) in between is the more challenging part. The path following both creeks is a bit messed up with lots of fallen trees and sometimes a bit overgrown. No marking to follow, so definitely recommend GPS for easier navigation.
Track notes:
On Sunday morning, we started our day in Blackheath with an yummy breakfast at Victory Cafe! After fueling up, we hit the road for a quick 10 minute drive to our starting point at Canyon Trail on Darling Causeway, where our adventure walk began!
Plenty of parking space at the start of the trail and same on the Bells Line of Rd. If you have more than one car available and you want to avoid walking back on firetrail, I would recommend leaving one vehicle on Bells Line of Rd where you exit from the bush on Koombanda Ridge.
Canyon Colliery Trail to Koombanda Brook and Kamarah Gully
We parked our car at the beginning of Canyon Trail / Darling Causeway. There's a locked gate, so you can't drive any further. We started following the trail down into the valley. It's an easy start, and about halfway through, there's another locked gate. Beyond this second gate, the fire trail isn't maintained. You'll come across a few fallen trees and a small landslip, but it's pretty easy to get through. There are some ropes as handlines for extra safety, but you don't have to use them if you don't want to.
Upon reaching Koombanda Brook Creek, cross the bridge and head left, moving upstream! The fire trail veers right but doesn't extend very far, which can be a bit confusing. Left turn then, and directly into the bush, following the creek. If you continue straight, you'll merge with Kamarah Gully Creek and eventually reach Colliery Canyon. However, if you want to explore Koombanda Canyon, turn left shortly after entering the bush, around 30-50 meters in.
Our first stop is Koombanda Brook and part of the canyon section. The whole area looks like it got hit pretty hard, with lots of fallen trees—way more than last year, and some of them look pretty fresh. It turns the journey into a bit of an obstacle course, but it's not too hard to get through or around. The path isn’t marked, so just follow the creek; you might need to cross it a couple of times. It's about 1.5km, maybe less, to reach the canyon section. Along the way, you'll pass some impressive cliffs and overhang caves.
You can also do Koombanda Canyon as a full-on canyoning adventure, but today we're just checking out the dry (or mostly dry) exit part. It's got these awesome sandstone walls and deeper pools the further you go. It'd be a great swimming spot in the summer. But since it's August, the water's super cold, and even taking your shoes off is a bit painful. Right by the canyon, there are also a couple of small waterfalls coming down from the creek, which flows into Koombanda Brook. Time for fist lunch break before we return the same way to continue to Kamarah Gully and Colliery Canyon.
Getting to Colliery Canyon from where Koombanda Brook and Kamarah Gully creeks meet is about the same distance. You'll run into more fallen trees along the way, but other than that, it's just beautiful—huge cliffs on both sides, rocks covered in moss, charming little pools with crystal-clear water, wild tree roots twisting around big rocks, overhang caves, and at the end, a stunning dry canyon with a tiny pool of water right at the end. In summer, when the sun's higher in the sky, you can catch some lovely rays of light streaming through the roof. We weren't lucky enough this time to see the sunlight coming through; maybe the vegetation at the top of the cliffs is getting a bit dense and blocking a lot of light too.
How do you get out of there now? Just head back the same way through the canyon and pass the big overhang cave (it's only about 300m). On your right, you'll see an overgrown track that goes up the cliff and takes you to the top of Koombanda Ridge. The easiest way to get out, in my opinion, is to head straight to Bells Line of Road. It's pretty straightforward to follow the ridge. You could also try cutting across to Darling Causeway, but that's a tougher route and will probably take more time. If you have two cars, you can finish the walk at Bells Line of Rd. Otherwise, an easy option is to loop back via the fire trail that runs parallel with Darling Causeway.
Alltrails link: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/activity-august-17-2025-a2cc63e-2?u=m&sh=opzdyt
This is an older video footage from previous year (2024)
Comments