Guide To The Scenic Walkway At Scenic World In The Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains of Australia are home to numerous walking trails, mountain hikes, and climbing cliffs. One popular walk for tourists and locals is the Scenic Walkway, which is found in the Jamison Valley below the town of Katoomba.
The Scenic Walkway is a lovely elevated boardwalk within the temperate rainforest of the Blue Mountains. The elevated boardwalk has a total length of 2.4 kilometres, and its features are interwoven paths with multiple entry points. If you find yourself in the main Blue Mountains town of Katoomba and want to experience nature within the valley (along with the iconic view of the Three Sisters), then the Scenic Walkway is a quick and easy adventure to embark on!
Difficulty:Â Easy
Length: 2.4km
Suggested Duration:Â 10-60 minutes
Signage:Â Signage and maps throughout
Facilities: None on the walkway. However, washrooms, restaurants and additional facilities are located above the walkway in Scenic World.
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Key Features Of The Scenic Walkway
- Part of Scenic World (a private, family-owned tourist attraction)
- Accessible via the Scenic Railway and Scenic Cableway (rides within Scenic World)
- Accessible via the Furber Stairs and Federal Pass Walking Track
- Under the canopy of the temperate Blue Mountains Rainforest
- Wheelchair accessible trail
- Alongside a former coal mine
Before You Start The Scenic Walkway
Before you arrive at the Scenic Walkway, there are a few things we’d like you to know. In particular, we’d like to share the following:
- Entrances to the Walkway.
- Terrain of the Walkway.
- Fauna and flora around the Walkway.
- Former Katoomba Coal Mine.
There are essentially three options for timing these walkthrough-connected boardwalks:
- 10 minutes: Cableway to Railway
- 30 minutes: Smaller loop
- 60 minutes: Larger loop
Here’s a picture of one of the maps at a split point in the boardwalk:
Entrances (And Exits):
As discussed above, there are multiple entry points to the Scenic Walkway. The two most popular, and dare I say touristy, methods are the Scenic Railway and the Scenic Cableway. The methods more suitable for hikers are the Furber Stairs and Federal Pass Walking Track.
The Scenic Railway Entrance
One way to get down to (and up out of) the Scenic Walkway is by hopping on the Scenic Railway.
The Railway is a set of railcars that travels up the cliff face on an old (but redeveloped) coal mine railway. The Scenic Railway has an incline of 52° and a 310-metre route. It is the steepest passenger railway in the world!
As of the writing of this article, a one-way ticket (up or down) on the Scenic Railway is AUD 14. The ticket purchase is made at the top inside the main building of Scenic World. The Railway operates from 9-5 daily, with the last ride happening at 4:50 pm.
Note that a day pass for Scenic World is AUD 49 and includes unlimited rides on both the Railway and the Cableway, which we’ll mention now.
The Scenic Cableway Entrance
The Scenic Cableway is another paid way (also a $14 one-way ticket) to get down to or up from the Walkway.
The Cableway is an enclosed cabin that travels on a 545-metre cable through the air, bringing its passengers from the top of the cliff to the Walkway at the floor of Jamison Valley.
The transportation aspect is often an afterthought due to the impeccable views of Three Sisters, Orphan Rock, and Mt. Solitary.
As of the writing of this article, a one-way ticket (up or down) on the Scenic Cableway is also AUD 14. The Cableway operates from 9-5 daily, with the last ride happening at 4:50 PM.
The Furber Stairs Entrance
For the more experienced hikers, the Furber Stairs hike is a great way to descend into the Jamison Valley on foot. It is a 1.2 km hike one-way that brings hikers from Scenic World (at the top) to the Jamison Valley and the Scenic Walkway (at the bottom).
The Furber Stairs offers an excellent but short workout and great views of Katoomba Falls and the other landmarks mentioned above.
If you’re looking for a great cardioid workout, we’d suggest climbing the Furber Stairs to leave the Scenic Walkway.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any firsthand experience to provide on this hike. This walking track was closed during our visit but was highly recommended by locals and fellow hikers.
The Federal Pass Walking Track Entrance
The Federal Pass is a more difficult 13 km trail along the floor of the Jamison Valley spanning from Leura to Ruined Castle. There are four junctions to get down to the Federal Pass from above, each involving a challenging climb down the valley. One of these junctions is the Furber Stairs mentioned above.
The Federal Pass connects to the Scenic Walkway at the same point as the Furber Stairs.
So, really, there are even more ways to get to the Scenic Walkway if we include all the junctions of the Federal Pass Walking Track.
Again, we’re sorry to report that we do not have any firsthand experience with this track.
Terrain & Signage
The Walkway is completely made of the boardwalk. This fully front country walk is very accessible and quite a joy to walk on.
Signage is posted throughout the hike at each junction of the trail. There are also many signs to explain some of the noteworthy fauna and flora of the rainforest near the track.
Fauna and Flora:
Nearly 85% of the Blue Mountains forest is covered in dry sclerophyll trees. This is made up mostly of different eucalypt tree species with various scrubby or grassy understorey.
Many animals call the Jamison Valley their home. However, due to the high traffic on the Scenic Walkway, visitors will often only catch glimpses of the birds within this habitat.
Caution signs warn against stepping down onto the valley floor due to the high risk of contact with poisonous plants and leeches.
Katoomba Coal Mine
John Britty North registered the Katoomba Coal Mine in 1872. The mine ran until 1903 before it was abandoned.
In 1925, the Katoomba Colliery was registered with the aim of reopening the coal mine. The intent was to sell coal to the Katoomba Electric Powerhouse for use in powering hotels and residences.
The Great Depression and the closure of the Katoomba Electric Powerhouse in 1933 were practically the end of the coal mine.
Today, the old coal mine is a tourist attraction for people visiting the town of Katoomba, and the railway once used to transport coal up the valley and into the town is now refurbished as the Scenic Railway.
Our Experience Hiking The Scenic Walkway
Unfortunately, we arrived in the Blue Mountains in January 2020 when the bushfire situation in Australia was quite dire. For safety reasons, the Blue Mountains National Park was closed along with the vast majority of its hiking trails.
Fortunately, Scenic World was unaffected by the local bushfires and remained open. We were encouraged by our innkeeper, Annette, at No.14 Lovel Street (link to view our review) to explore Scenic World and help support their local community during this heart-aching time.
While Scenic World is a multi-million dollar company, it also has a philanthropic program that donates directly back into the Blue Mountain community. Katoomba, to this date, remained unaffected by the bushfires directly, but their local economy suffered greatly.
After hearing about this, we decided we would take an afternoon to check out this popular tourist attraction and go for a hike in one of the only open trails in the area.
The day was a scorcher, reaching temperatures of 35°C (before humidity). The sky was clear, and the sun was hot.
Although it is possible to get to the Scenic Walkway via the Furber Stairs and Federal Pass Walking Trail, we entered the walking path via the Scenic Cableway. We exited the walk via the Scenic Railway.
Let’s begin with where we began: the Scenic Cableway!
At the bottom of Jamison Valley, we got off the Cableway and started walking on the Walkway boardwalk.
The Scenic Walkway boardwalk is very well maintained. Throughout the entire walk, we did not notice any out-of-place or impaired boards.
Accessibility-wise, this boardwalk is excellent. It has mats for easier grip, and the few sections that have stairs either have wheelchair ramps combined into the stairs or alternate paths for wheelchairs. The boardwalk also features railings on either side along its entire length.
On our hikes, we typically move quickly, but we took our time under the rainforest canopy. The hike was short relative to what we’re used to, and the shade of the cool rainforest climate was well received. We didn’t mind staying out of the direct sun for a bit longer than necessary for the length of the hike.
Being Canadians, we were interested in the exotic (to us) flora in the area (the only time we’d seen Eucalyptus was in a bottle of essential oils). The Walkway passed by plenty of new (to us) species, and there were many signs to explain what these species were. Some standouts included:
- Turpentine tree.
- Brown Barrel tree.
- Pepper-bush
- Blueberry Ash tree.
- Lilli Pilli (one, in particular, was over 500 years old!)
Many of the plants in this region, including the above-mentioned Pepper-bush, are poisonous. The boardwalk is elevated, so these plants are easily avoided. There are multiple caution signs to let us know not to touch or eat the plants.
The walk itself was easy. On this day, in particular, the Walkway was not overly crowded, though it usually is packed during the peak tourist seasons.
We chose to take our time and walk through each part of the boardwalk.
The Walkway also features a permanent exhibit of the former coal mine at the bottom of the cliff. We, of course, stopped to check it out.
After walking through the entire boardwalk, stopping for photo opportunities, and viewing (and reading about) the fauna and flora alongside it, we reached our way back up the cliff and out of the valley: the Scenic Railway!
Checklist And Recommended Gear
The Scenic Walkway is a short 2.4 km boardwalk that could be completed in under 10 minutes (from Cableway to Railway). Conversely, the hike could take hours when combined with the Furber Stairs and/or Federal Federal Pass Walking Track. Nonetheless, we still encourage you to pack and bring proper outdoor gear!
- Water bottle
- Hiking shoes – Women’s // Men’s
- Camera/Phone
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent (spray or cream with a high percentage of DEET)
- Hiking poles (optional)
