Walk 60 At A Glance Lapstone to Glenbrook via Mt Portal and Euroka
Route Summary:- This walk goes along the Nepean River to the mouth of Glenbrook creek on poor track and massive outcrop, then up on poorly defined track with a final difficult ascent with rope and ladder to the top of Mount Portal viewing platform, then on public gravel vehicular road via Tunnel View Lookout to a public road junction where a walking track goes to Euroka. From here there is an optional 2.1 km. walking track circuit to Portal Water Hole and onwards on good walking track to Euroka Camping Complex, then on fire trail up to The Oaks Fire Trail, another public vehicular road, then on constructed bike track down to the Glenbrook Creek Causeway and on poorly defined walking track to Glenbrook via Blue Pool
RQI:- 62
Highlights:- Nepean River, Glenbrook Gorge, challenging cliff ascent to Mt Portal; splendid views; Euroka Complex; Blue Pool
Negatives :- Long walk on public vehicular roads
Length:- 14.6 km
Grade:- Hard (cliff ascent with rope and ladder)
Weather:_All weather except when Glenbrook Creek in flood
Continuous walking time with a few 3-4 min. stops:- 4 hrs 50 mins.
Train Time from Central to Start :-. 57 mins.; Western Line, every hour
Train Time from finish to Central:-. 1 hr 1 min.; Western Line, every hour
Total Climb :- 400 meters
Total Descent :- 450 meters
Water:- Glenbrook Station
Toilets:- Euroka, Glenbrook
Café/Kiosk :- Glenbrook
Published 1:25,000 Map :- Penrith
Walk 60 Track Notes
Lapstone to Glenbrook via Mt. Portal and Euroka
24/04/16
Km./Hrs.min. Kilometers in bold are shown on map
0.00/0.00 Leave Lapstone Station on the forest (eastern, downhill) side and take the walking track next to the platform for about 20 m. to a T junction with a service road. Go right and follow service road as it winds down and deteriorates after going under high tension power lines. At a left hand bend, with houses and a sealed road now visible ahead, look for a walking track on right.
0.54/0.08 Turn right and follow this unconstructed walking track upstream along the Nepean River; track undulates and is rough in places, but easy to follow.
1.38/0.26 Track at massive sandstone outcrop (a rounded cliff) ; do not go down to the river but make your way along the upper part of the outcrop past a low cliff overhang on right taking care with possibly slippery rock surface.
1.60/0.37 near end of outcrop, go above and around a slab-like boulder to a faint track that leads to a platform with view of the Glenbrook Creek/ Nepean River junction. Take a faint track down to Glenbrook Creek, then go about 20 m. upstream and cross Glenbrook Creek on possibly slippery boulders with care.
1.71/0.42 Middle of Glenbrook Creek; turn right after crossing and walk upstream on cobbles to a large pool; continue past this pool and at its upstream end, look for a cairn made with two stones and a faint walking track up on left.
Note:- 10 minutes and 200 m. lost here looking for track up.
1.97/0.54 At stone cairn and faint track up; take this- initially the track looks more like a washout gully than a track.
2.01/1.00 On terrace ; clearly recognizable track here.
2.17/1.04 Track very faint through talus boulders.
2.22/1.07 Track veers left at base of cliff
2.23/1.11 Base of major cliff; initial climb is about 6 m. vertical with ropes; this is the most challenging part of the walk; after climbing this, scramble up on flatter cliff to a metal ladder; take ladder up, but leave ladder with difficulty and care because it finishes under rock.
2.26/1.16 At top of cliff and fenced off Mount Portal Lookout with signboard and start of very good public vehicular gravel road; magnificent views along Nepean River and Cumberland Plain; leave lookout and walk along public road.
3.73/1.38 Road junction with locked service road on right and signage ‘Tunnel View Lookout 200m’ ; turn right and go to lookout
3.97/1.41 At Tunnel View Lookout; splendid views; then return to road junction.
4.20/1.46 back at public vehicular road; continue along this , fairly steeply down to a pleasant flat area with straight trees and low undergrowth.
5.31/2.01 At car parking area and left with locked service road and signage:-‘ Portal Water Hole’; ignore this and continue for about another 100 m. to a major public vehicular road junction .
5.41/2.03 At public road junction with walking track and signage:-‘ Euroka 0.7 km’ on left; take this walking track, initially parallel to road..
5.53/2.05 Track Y junction with cardboard or white metal signage:- ‘Portal Dam’ on left and ‘Euroka’ on right. On this walk, turning left to Portal Dam
Note:- Option to skip this circular walk to Portal Dam; although a pleasant, easy walking track with nice open bush, the dam is very small and overgrown with reeds and the total walk distance is increased by 2.1 km.
7.01/2.24 Track T junction at Portal Water Hole; low earth dam with small reed covered area of water; track on right to dam, track on left is wider fire trail; go left along fire trail.
7.43/2.29 Back at parking area and gate with signage:- ‘Portal Water Hole’ passed earlier at 5.31km.; go left and re-trace steps along public road to road junction, then left along Euroka walking track back to cardboard or with metal signage.
7.61/2.32 back ay Y junction; now take the ‘Euroka’ track on right. This is a good, constructed, walking track that goes down to the Euroka Camping complex and emerges at the Darug campsite
8.24/2.43 At Euroka Camping Complex. This was possibly an old farm with cleared paddocks; signage with names for camp sites, each with public toilets; end of public vehicular road. Look for Nyoka Camping Ground, walk through this to its upper end where a sign shield ‘No Exit’ at start of a fire trail up
8.74/2.56 At start of fire trail; take this gently uphill- more like a wide walking track.
9.84/3.11 At locked gate and T junction with public vehicular road:- ‘ The Oaks Fire Trail’; turn right and follow this and after about 100 m., look for start of walking track on left. This is made difficult because of numerous constructed drainage diversions.
10.18/3.19 Turn left and follow drainage diversion to a large log placed across it; continue over log to a clear track T junction ( missed the start of this, probably at another diversion drain); go right and follow this good track to another junction.
10.32/3.21 At track junction with signage on post:- ‘Glenbrook via Road 4 km’ to the right and ‘ Mountain Bike Track’ straight on; continue straight on what is now a fire trail.
10.65/3.26 Track junction with signage:- ‘Woodford-Oak Bike Path’ on right; go right and follow this constructed bike trail as it winds downhill not far from public sealed road on right.
12.22/3.56 Bike track ends at sharp bend in sealed public road and a walking track on left with signage:- ‘Camp Fire Creek’; ‘The Causeway’; ‘Red Hands Cave’; take this well constructed track down, initially on steps.
12.35/4.03 At track T junction with Red Hands Cave Track on left and Causeway visible about 100 m. on right; go right.
12.41/4.05 Middle of Glenbrook Creek Causeway; follow sealed road steeply uphill to a sharp bend to the right where parabolic road safety mirror.
12.63/4.08 Veer left onto walking track and follow this on steps down, then parallel to Glenbrook Creek to Blue Pool; continue past the metal pole at blue pool along cliff edge on old constructed walking track to a pristine gully/glen that flows into Glenbrook Creek about 20 m. on left
12.93/4.17 At gully/glen; note metal blue arrow shields nailed to trees.
12.94/4.18 Track junction on gully bank after crossing; go straight on rough track shortcut; ignore track on left- it goes down to Glenbrook Creek, then veers right and right again then steeply uphill away from Creek to intersect with shortcut
12.96/4.19 Track T junction with wider track described above; turn right, now steeply uphill
12.98/4.20 Track turns left just below cliff, now along cliff.
13.04/4.24 Track at another gully; cross at right angles; care with slippery rocks; track resumes along left bank of gully, gully on right; abundant bunting marks track
13.06/4.25 Track re-crosses gully on easier crossing; now along right bank, gully on left
13.08/4.26 Track now in gully going upstream.
13.14/4.28 Track veers left away from gully, steeply uphill; note silver foil on trees on left; then follow clear track marked by yellow metal tags nailed to trees
13.31/4.32 After crossing the top of a minor gully on right, note blue paint on rocks as well as yellow tags; the blue paint marks a recently constructed mountain bike track that adds confusion to the earlier older walking track.
13.45/4.36 Track Y junction; older walking track continues on left, but new bike track dominates; ignore bike track- continue on old walking track
13.56/4.38 Walking track intersects fire trail at large tree with blue arrow triangle; go right and follow fire trail to its end at Station Street
14.00/4.43 End of fire trail; go right into Station Street and follow this to a railway overpass on left into Cowdery St.; cross rail lines on overpass bridge, then go right into Burfitt Parade parallel to rail lines and follow this to Glenbrook station.
14.58/4.51 At Glenbrook Station.
Route Quality Index
On public vehicular road:- 27%
On locked service/fire trail:- 17%
On walking tracks:- 53%
RQI:- 53+9= 62
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