Great Walks was lucky enough to experience the new Grand Cliff Top Walk in the NSW Blue Mountains and wanting to know more about how this walk was created we had a chat with Tim Lanyon, Principal Project Officer, Blue Mountains Branch, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
GRW: How did you end up working for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and what is your job title?
Let’s just say it was a journey. It included walking around Uluru over 100 times and then coming back to NSW where I got a job with NPWS as a guide at the Quarantine Station at North Head in Manly, followed by a role as a Ranger. My current role is Principal Project Officer working in the Blue Mountains.
GRW: What does your job entail?
I like to say that my job is keeping people on their feet. That is, I’m part of a specialist team in NPWS that looks after walking tracks across the national parks in the Blue Mountains. We try to make sure the experience of walking in the bush, whether it is a short stroll to the Three Sisters or a longer hike like our new Grand Cliff Top Walk, is as enjoyable and safe as possible, which ultimately provides opportunities to keep people on their feet. There is a unique art to track building. Our aim is to plan, design and construct tracks to such a high quality that people almost do not notice the track – instead, they can keep their eyes on their beautiful surrounds, rather than their feet.
GRW: What's the idea behind the Grand Cliff Top Walk?
With this new walk we want people to leave home, spend two days on your feet, relax for a couple of nights in the Blue Mountains, and then feel better about going home. The idea behind the walk was to create a multi-day walk, located close to the mountain villages, so people can combine walking with all the other attractions of the Blue Mountains.
There are many different places to stay, eat and drink in Wentworth Falls, Leura and Katoomba. It’s also a great introduction to multi-day walking for people too as it’s very easily accessible with public transport at the track’s start and finish, plus there is no need to carry heavy packs or camping equipment.
GRW: How much work has gone into creating the walk?
Hundreds of people have been involved in this project. The track building process really began 100 years ago when some of the tracks were first built – we are now just adding to this with the next round of upgrades and improvements to bring it up to modern standards.
There are people in the community who spent decades dreaming about this idea to join up some of the old tracks to make it possible to walk from Wentworth Falls to Katoomba. There are obviously the track builders to thank the most. Their work can be extremely physically with many challenges including rough weather. Then there are the helicopter pilots who have the tricky job of lifting track materials in and around the inaccessible clifftops. NPWS worked closely with Blue Mountains City Council, local businesses, and the local tourism industry for over 5 years to create the walk.
Traditional owners have been consulted during the development of the walk, which is on Gundungurra country. The wayfinding icon along the track is a yellow-tailed black cockatoo and this was designed by local Elder Uncle David King’s daughter, Kelsie King.
GRW: What were some of the challenges in building the track?
The work started in 2019 and so did the biggest bushfire season we had ever experienced. Then came record rain events. Then came COVID. There was a lot going on around this build. Track building in this terrain is always challenging. This track skirts around 3 mountain villages so one unique challenge was working sometimes very close to town life. There was a time where I watched a helicopter place a load on the track so close to an outdoor eating area that it could have dropped me a coffee too if I had thought ahead. We were grateful to the local community who were patient with the noise and disruption necessary for the job which indicates how much they appreciate the benefits of the new upgrade works.
GRW: What are some of the highlights of the Grand Cliff Top Walk?
Exceptional views – on some great walks, you need to walk a long way for a view, but on this walk, there are lots of lookouts along the way with amazing views of this World Heritage-listed Area. You’ll also see some of the most spectacular waterfalls in NSW. Compared to other walks, this walk is so unique as you can experience this nature, and then drop into a nearby village for a coffee. This makes it accessible for so many people to enjoy it.