Walk 57:- Faulconbridge to Glenbrook via Bunyan Lookout and Duck Pond Exit At A Glance
Route Summary:- This walk is nearly all on track- faint tracks only for short sections along Glenbrook Creek. It goes for 0.4 km. along Faulconbridge streets to the Victory Track head and follows this for 2.8 km to its end at the Sassafras Gully Track, then for 1.6 km. along this next to Sassafras Creek to its junction with Glenbrook Creek, then still on the Sassafras Gully Track for about the next 3 km along Glenbrook Creek, past Perch Ponds to a crossing of Glenbrook Creek, then for 0.9 km. steeply up on made track to Bunyan Lookout. From Bunyan Lookout a good walking track goes for about 2.2 km to a fire trail, then for about 1 km. along this fire trail to an overgrown fire trail, now a walking track that goes for 3.9 km gently down along St Helena Ridge, then for 0.8 km. more steeply down to Glenbrook Creek that is crossed again on rocks just downstream of Duck Pond. The walk then goes uphill for about 1.5 km on poor tracks, then for `1.4 km on better track to Glenbrook houses, with the final 0.5 km. along Glenbrook streets.
RQI:- 93
Highlights:- Valleys of Sassafras and Glenbrook Creeks; Bunyan Lookout; large pools in Creek; remote bush
Negatives :- Nil
Length:- 18.9 km
Grade:- Medium to Hard
Weather:_All weather except when Glenbrook Creek crossings flooded
Continuous walking time with a few 3-4 min. stops:- 5 hrs.
Train Time from Central to Start :-. 1 hr. 23 mins.; Western Line; every hour
Train Time from finish to Central:-. 1 hr. 1 min.;Western Line; every hour
Total Climb :- 310 m.
Total Descent :- 585 m.
Water:- Faulconbridge; Glenbrook
Toilets:- Faulconbridge (may be locked); Glenbrook
Café/Kiosk :- Glenbrook
Published 1:25,000 Map :- Springwood; Penrith
Walk 57 Track Notes
Faulconbridge to Glenbrook via Bunyan Lookout and Duck Pond exit
23/07/2013
Km/Hrs.min Kilometers in bold are shown on maps
0.00/0.00 Falconbridge Station; leave station on side opposite to Great Western Highway
0.20/0.01 At base of stairs signage:-‘ Springwood station via Sassafras Gully 11 km’; turn hard left in direction of sign; follow Sir Henry Parade north-east, railway lines on left, past Clarinda Road on right to the acute angle junction with Georges Crescent that crosses railway lines on left.
0.39/0.06 At junction with Georges Crescent, look for sign board on right:-
‘ Springwood Station via Sassafras Gully’; This is the start of the Victory Track; turn right and follow it downhill
0.51/0.09 Track T junction; turn hard right and continue down
0.58/0.10 Crossing Sassafras Creek; creek now on left
0.68/0.12 Re-crossing Sassafras Creek, now on right.
0.86/0.16 Track next to cliff overhang; creek still on right
1.10/0.19 Re-cross Sassafras Creek, now on left; track gently up
1.41/0.23 Track steeply down on sandstone steps
1.50/0.25 Track junction; track on left blocked; go straight
1.51/0.26 major track junction with signage; take ‘Sassafras Gully’ track on right; Sassafras Creek still on left
2.03/0.37 Crossing small gully with campsite; continue straight on arrowed post, past campsite on right, Sassafras Creek on left.
3.03/0.50 Track drops to creek level for a few meters, then crosses Sassafras Creek at right angles and continues along left bank, creek on right
3.17/0.53 Major track junction and signage at junction of Sassafras Creek and Sassafras Gully:- ‘ Falconbridge Station 3.2 km’ back track, ‘ Sassafras Gully Road 1.2 km’ track on left uphill along Sassafras Gully and ‘ Wiggins Track; Magdella Gully’ hard right; turn right and cross Sassafras Gully on arrowed post; Sassafras Creek still on right
3.56/0.59 Cross Sassafras Creek on arrowed post, walk up bank to other arrowed post and turn hard left.
3.95/1.04 Major track Y junction with signage:- ‘ Wiggins Track’ angles back on left; ‘ Falconbridge Station 3.3 km’ back track and ‘ Perch Ponds 2.3 km; Springwood Station 6.7 km ‘ straight on; go straight
4.76/1.14 Junction of Sassafras Creek and Glenbrook Creek; good camp site and swimming pool in Glenbrook Creek; turn left on arrowed post and after about 20 m, cross Sassafras Creek at right angles; track now follows Glenbrook Creek, Creek on right.
6.09/1.33 To this point track mostly high above left bank of Glenbrook Creek, but now at creek level, then veers sharply left steeply uphill on boulders for about 20 m, then resumes along creek, creek on right.
6.36/1.38 At Perch Ponds; major track junction and signage :- ‘ Springwood Station 4.4 km’ track uphill on left; ‘ Falconbridge Station 6.3 km’ back track and ‘Martins Lookout 1.8 km’ straight on; go straight on, and almost immediately make bouldery crossing of Magdella Creek at right angles
7.00/1.47 Track T junction with signage;:- ‘Martins Lookout’ steeply uphill on left ; continue straight
7.06/1.49 Track T junction; track on right stops at Glenbrook Creek; continue straight
7.44/1.56 Campsite and pool in G. Creek; continue straight next to creek.
7.68/2.00 Track T junction with signage:- ‘ Kings Link Experience’ steeply down stairs on right; ‘ Martins Lookout’ straight on uphill and ‘ Perch Ponds 1.4 km’ back track; turn right and take the stairs down to Glenbrook Creek; at Creek, turn left and walk along solid sandstone outcrop for about 25 m along left bank, Creek on right to a point where there are many small man made holes in the sandstone and the brush across creek has obviously been cut; cross Glenbrook Creek here at right angles.
7.70/2.01 At Glenbrook Creek crossing; the track is a little indistinct after crossing but soon improves; veer left on track after crossing going downstream with creek now on left; after about 100 m, look for 4-way track junction
7.78/2.03 At 4-way junction; track parallel to creek continues straight and faint track enters from left; ignore these, but take the track that veers off on right, first gently uphill, away from Glenbrook Creek; follow this good winding track up.
8.04/2.12 Track T junction; turn left
8.14/2.17 Just below a prominent cliff, look for steps up through an 0.5 m wide canyon in the cliff; on reaching top of cliff, track then continues up along ridge.
8.60/2.28 At Bunyan Lookout and track Y junction; walk about 25 m past this junction to the lookout; time out
8.60/2.36 Resume walk; back track about 25 m, away from Lookout to Y track junction; now take well defined track on left
9.18/2.43 Track T junction with signage:- ‘Lost World’ on right; continue straight on.
9.84/2.49 Track T junction; stone cairn on left; track on left goes to Blaxland/ Warrimoo; continue straight.
10.83/3.00 Walking track intersects bend in service road; service road to the right goes down to Saint Helena Crater; continue straight, now along service road
11.81/3.15 Track junction; service road makes sharp bend to the right; look for small stone cairn on left; turn left and follow this good walking track (former fire trail) for several kilometers along Saint Helena Ridge to Glenbrook Creek.
15.67/3.58 Track now on steeper descent to Glenbrook Creek
16.41/4.15 At Glenbrook Creek; turn right and walk downstream for about 25 m and cross Glenbrook Creek at rapids on rocks
16.51/4.17 Middle of Glenbrook Creek; after crossing, turn left and walk upstream on faint track to Duck Pond on left to a point where a small gully enters Duck Pond from the right.
16.56/4.21 At gully and Duck Pond; take track that goes uphill along gully, gully on left, at right angles away from Duck Pond/ Glenbrook Creek
16.67/4.25 Four-way track junction; take track on left more steeply uphill; track then widens.
16.83/4.29 Track T junction; wider track continues straight, but take steeper, narrower track on right uphill (this is a short cut)
16.88/4.31 Track T junction with earlier wider track; turn right and follow wider track now more gently uphill.
16.94/4.32 Track T junction; track on right goes down to Glenbrook Creek/Kanuka Brook; continue straight.
17.34/4.37 Track junction; faint track on left; continue straight
17.56/4.40 Track Y junction; veer right.
17.81/4.43 Track Y junction; veer right downhill
18.02/4.46 Crossing gully
18.25/4.50 Track emerges at grassy clearing beside house; turn right and walk beside house up to Station Street
18.35/4.51 At Station Street; turn left and follow it to Cowdery St on left
18.51/4.52 Turn left into Cowdery Street, cross the rail lines on bridge and then immediately turn right into Burfitt Parade; follow this to Glenbrook Station
18.85/4.57 At Glenbrook Station; end of walk
Route Quality Index
On public vehicular roads:- 0.89 km/ 5%
On locked service/fire trails:- 1.00 km/ 5%
On walking tracks:- 16.96 km/90%
RQI= 90+3+0=93
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