Mannings Lookout offers a fabulous view over Kangaroo Valley, but it’s the hidden jewels beyond the viewpoint that make this spot a must visit. Not only will you be treated to long lost lookouts - with views that deserve to be remembered - but there are also two secret waterfalls. One is good for a dip and one hides a very special night time surprise.
The combination makes the Mannings Lookout walk one of the very best in the Southern Highlands. Despite the fact the trail is no longer maintained, it’s in pretty good condition and the walk is generally easy.
Here’s everything you need to know about Mannings Lookout and the secret trails beyond.
The Mannings Lookout Walk
The stats
Distance: 6.7km return, including all waterfalls and lookouts
Elevation gain: 240m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Summary: This walk could be considered in three parts: the first part is to the major waterfall, the second goes to the swimming spot and the final section goes to the long forgotten lookout. The walk to the main waterfall is all on a good track and even turning around at this point would be a very worthy walk.
The trail to the second falls (the swimming spot) has some very slight overgrown patches, but is also generally very good. The last section to the final lookout is more overgrown and a bit scratchy in parts, but well marked with a series of pink ribbons.
The walk has some elevation gain at each stage, but no long steep climbs. None of the trail is signposted, but we have included directions in the trail notes below.
Starting the trail: to the lookouts
From the parking area (details below) the walk heads straight into the bush on a flat dirt track. After 100m you will reach a picnic bench and a couple of stairs will take you down to Mannings Lookout.
The lookout is railed and offers fantastic views over Kangaroo Valley and Budderoo National Park.
However, the views get even better when you take the unmarked track that you’ll find by heading back up the stairs and looking for the worn path on your right.
It heads straight into the bush and passes a warning for unfenced cliff edges 100m in. At the 230m mark you’ll begin a gentle descent and reach the turn off for Tracey’s Lookout 70m later.
A 30 second detour will take you to an even better view than Mannings Lookout in my opinion. Although the view itself is similar, the cliff edge is unfenced and you can sit on the rock platform and really take it all in unobstructed by railings.
It would make for a great picnic spot as there’s plenty of room to lay out a blanket and even if this is all you were to do at Mannings Lookout it would be well worth the visit.
Back on the main trail you continue along the obvious track and will reach a third much smaller lookout 200m later (500m into the walk). The path is on the right and another 30 second detour.
The view is expansive and the drop off sheer.
I would say peering down over the little knob at the end of the path for too long would definitely induce a case of jelly legs in most people! There’s just something about how steep that drop is that makes you take an automatic step back.
Descending into the rainforest
From this little unofficial lookout you head back onto the main path and up a few steps before the track flattens and heads along the rocky escarpment with more great views.
From here (600m into the walk) the track begins to descend into the bush.
The first 300m are gentle and then it steepens a little as you head into the rainforest. There’s a charming set of mossy steps which really set the tone for the enchanting scene to come. Roughly 50m later the path will flatten and you can see the top of the falls ahead.
The forest is much more wet and lush here and 50m later you will arrive at the base of Manning Valley Waterfall (1km into the walk).
If you want to stand at the base of the falls you need to climb over a few boulders, which can be a bit slippery, so take care with footing here.
Manning Valley Waterfall
Manning Valley Waterfall is a real beauty, especially if you visit after some decent rainfall (which we highly recommend as the falls can reduce to a trickle). The setting of the falls is incredibly atmospheric, with tall fern covered cliff walls and an impressive overhang to the right.
To top off the already gorgeous scene, there is an old stone staircase to the right of the falls leading up to the overhang which gives it a fairytale like quality.
It’s one of my new favourite waterfalls in the Southern Highlands and the sort of place you can easily lose track of time just taking it all in.
Happily that old stone staircase is also in remarkably good condition and wasn’t in the least bit slippery when we visited (on a dry day). Walking up the stairs allows you to get another great perspective of the falls before heading on to the next part of the track.
To Lost Lookout
The walk continues along the narrow overhang. It can get a touch muddy here after rain, but wasn’t slippery when we visited, though care should be taken as it’s a bit of a drop down to the forest below.
You’ll walk along the waterfall overhang and round the corner to another series of overhangs, it reminded me a little of the Blue Mountains Grand Canyon Track which is an absolute must if you’ve not done it yet.
The 150m stretch of track along the overhangs has a few stairs but is mainly flat. Just after this section we spotted our first lyrebird of the walk and there were more to come later on.
After the last overhang you have a short uphill section taking you into dry bushland once again.
The path is in good condition and easy to follow, a mix of dirt track and some stairs. There are also some lovely flat ferny sections, and though it’s a mix of uphill and flat, it’s an easy stretch of track and never too steep.
At around the 1.95km mark you’ll come to a junction. Just 50m away to the right is the Lost Lookout. There are a couple of steps up to the viewpoint, which has the remains of an old fence that give it a slightly edgy vibe.
It’s funny because if the fence was not there, I wouldn’t think anything of it, but because it’s there and broken, it changes the feel of the place. The view however, is sensational.
So good it’s hard to believe that it’s been allowed to fall into disrepair. You can see mountains and a vast expanse of luminous green valleys - another spot you could happily while away a lot of time - though there is still much more to see.
To Barrengarry Pass Waterfall
From Lost Lookout, head back to the junction and then take the path that will now be on your right. Follow it through the bush and you will come to a small creek crossing 300m later - there are rocks to use as stepping stones. The walk to the falls is mainly flat or gently downhill and the dirt track is in good condition.
Keep following the path and you will come to a junction after another 300m (2.6km into the trail). I think you can go either way here, but we kept straight.
The path will continue gently downhill and is easy to follow. A few hundred metres later you will come to some skinny trees and continue through the trees and round the corner.
The path is a little overgrown here and it’s less smooth, but nothing challenging. Just 50m later you will arrive at the foot of the falls.
Swimming at Barrengarry Pass Waterfall
It’s worth noting that we don’t know the actual name of this waterfall and have named it after the creek - please feel free to correct us in the comments! The waterfall that you’ll come to is the upper part of the falls, with the lower falls cascading over the giant cliff wall just downstream.
The upper falls are very pretty and flow into a large water hole. It’s possible to laze around in the water, but you can’t really swim because it’s quite shallow. The water is lovely and clear, but if you move around you’ll churn up the muddy bottom and it gets cloudy - watch out for the yabbies that can move at high speed!
The water is cool and really refreshing, but the bottom of the pool being muddy and covered in leaves and branches is not ideal!
If the bottom were nicer it would be delightful, and I still enjoyed having a dip, but I do prefer a sandy or gravel bottom : )
Entering the water is easy as you can just step off the bank in any number of places, be careful of the mud being slippery in patches though.
Once you’ve enjoyed the upper falls you can cross over the creek on the makeshift log bridge and continue for 20m along the path leading right.
From here you can see the top of the falls as it flows over the cliff. I wish you could see what the whole thing would look like, as I can imagine it’s really impressive, but alas, you can only see the top! Still, it’s worth taking a look.
Continuing to Long Forgotten Lookout
Long Forgotten Lookout is even more off the beaten track than Lost Lookout and lies 530m from Barrengarry Pass Waterfall.
This is a much more overgrown track than anything up to this point and the path would be hard to follow if it weren’t for the abundant pink ribbons.
Using the pink ribbons it’s very easy to follow as they mark the path every few metres. In fact, if you have gone more than a few metres and not seen a ribbon, backtrack to the last one and look again because they really are that frequent.
The path begins over the log bridge and heads away from the falls and escarpment. From here you will pick up the ribbons.
The track heads gently uphill much of the way and though there are some fallen branches and scratchy bits, it’s really not too bad.
You’ll pass a large wombat hole as you make your way through the bush and a big rock outcrop 450m into the trail. The lookout is located 80m from here, 530m from the falls.
I loved this lookout. As with Lost Lookout, it has a set of broken railings, but that aside, it’s spectacular and it does give it quite a unique forgotten feel. There’s a large rocky area which is perfect for sitting and enjoying the view.
It’s another wonderful view of Kangaroo Valley and though not dissimilar from others along the trail, there was something about it that I was very taken with.
The view plus the tucked away feel was very special and it quickly became one of my favourite lookouts in the highlands.
When you’re ready to leave the lookout you retrace your steps all the way back to the car park. There is a second path you could take when heading back towards Lost Lookout and if you stray on to this one (as we did) it still gets you back to the same spot so it’s not a problem.
Manning Valley Waterfall by night
If you’ve read many of our other blogs, you probably knew what was coming from the intro alone! Our fascination with glow worms and finding new colonies continues, and after thinking that the habitat felt right during the day we decided to return at night.
Happily we were rewarded with a new magical glow worm spot! It was a hard site to photograph, so expect it to look more impressive in real life!
The walk to reach the falls is quite easy in the dark because the path is good. The glow worms surround the waterfall on both sides of the cliff, with the most numerous being in the overhang itself.
The view from the bottom boulders, not the densest patch of glow worms
However, they are even around the boulders and bushes lower down. Though not as numerous as some of the sites in the Blue Mountains, there were still hundreds of them and it was an incredible sight. Being so close to the powerful waterfall meant the sound gave it lots of extra atmosphere.
The glow worms continue around the corner from the overhang and into all the other overhangs along that stretch of track.
Though the walk to the falls is easy, you do need to exercise caution if you intend on heading up the stairs and along the narrow overhang at night. You absolutely do not need to do this to have a great viewing experience, as you’ll still see loads from the boulder area.
However, if you do carefully venture up, you will be much closer to the densest number of glow worms. The overhang is narrow and potentially slippery, so if you do go up, then it’s best to pick a spot close to the wall and don’t move after turning your torch off, you do not want to take a slip in this area.
If in doubt, just stay at the bottom where the view is still excellent.
Tips for visiting the glow worms
It is best to wait until it’s properly dark before you go looking for glow worms. You can see some in the twilight, but nowhere near as many. Leave it at least one hour until after sunset for the best results.
To really see all the glow worms that are there, you need to turn off all lights, and let your eyes adjust for at least five minutes. However, the longer you allow, the more you will see. Often we get to an area and can’t see that many, only to see more and more appearing before our eyes like magic!
Caring for the glow worms
Please protect this colony when you visit.
Please don’t shine light on the glow worms, they don’t like it and will turn their lights out. To find a spot to sit and relax in you can use a torch shone directly at the ground, and then turn it out.
You’ll see so much less if you keep a light on. It takes your eyes at least five minutes to adjust before you start to see the majority of glow worms that are actually there.
Also if you’re keen on getting a photo, bring a tripod which will allow you to capture the glow worms without shining a light on them. None of our photos use any artificial light.
Getting to Mannings Lookout
The trail to Mannings Lookout begins on Manning Lookout Road in Morton National Park - you can find the start point on Google maps here. There is no car park as such, but enough room for cars to pull fully off the road when parked with care. Please don’t block the turning circle.
The lookout is very close to Fitzroy Falls (a 7 minute drive) so you can easily combine the two if you have a whole day to spare.
It’s 140km and a 1 hour 50 minute drive from Sydney, 15km and 20 minutes from Kangaroo Valley and 28km and just under 30 minutes from Bowral.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, that we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support.
