The view from Mount Bushwalker is extraordinary, with endless mountains as far as the eye can see. The fact it’s so easy to reach almost feels like cheating! However, the ease of access does make it an excellent sunset spot and one you’re unlikely to share with anyone else.
Those with more time to spare can also visit a stunning waterfall, which even has its own cliff top infinity pools. This part of the walk is off track, but generally straightforward.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Mount Bushwalker Track and how to find the hidden waterfall.
The Mount Bushwalker Track
The stats
Distance: 7km return to the lookout, 12.7km return to the waterfall
Elevation gain: 155m
Difficulty: Easy
Summary: The walk to the Mount Bushwalker lookout is all on an excellent track and almost entirely flat. Continuing further to the waterfall is all off track, but also mainly flat.
There are a few overgrown scratchy bits, but you’re mainly walking on open rock platforms. The route is well marked with cairns and we’ll also include a little bit of extra guidance on the trail in the notes below.
Starting the trail
From the Mount Bushwalker car park, the walk heads along the flat dirt track between the abundant gumtrees.
The dirt track lasts for 700m before you reach the first and longest stretch of metal boardwalk. It runs uninterrupted for 1.1km and makes the walk incredibly easy, especially when you see the waterlogged terrain beneath.
The fact so much of the track is boardwalked will not be to everyone’s taste, as I know some people prefer trails to be more natural, but I have so say I quite liked it. You don’t need to watch your feet at all and can just enjoy the scenery.
There are distant mountain views, but for the most part at this stage, it’s trees and low shrubs.
Arriving at the Mount Bushwalker lookout
At the 1.8km mark there’s a brief gap in the boardwalk when you cross a flat rock platform. This mix of rock platform and boardwalk lasts for the rest of the way to the lookout.
The path is always easy to follow, but there are also small silver arrows to guide you along the rocky sections. Roughly 2.7km into the trail you’ll start to get some great views of the mountains, which is a mark of what’s to come at the lookout.
You’ll reach the lookout, which is a small metal platform, 3.5km from the parking area.
The Mount Bushwalker Lookout
The view from Mount Bushwalker is exceptional. There are layers of mountains and trees for as far as the eye can see.
The iconic shape of Didthul, Pigeon House Mountain, can be seen clearly in the distance. It’s absolutely beautiful, the kind of view that invites you to linger far longer than expected.
The only downside is the lookout platform is very exposed to the elements, you’ll feel to the full brunt of the sun and wind here. We happened to pick a very windy day, which wasn’t ideal, so pick a calm day if you possibly can.
If you don’t mind walking back in the twilight, we’d highly recommend visiting for sunset. The sun sets directly behind the mountains and it’s a magical spot to be at last light.
The walk back is very easy because of the excellent track, especially if you’re walking in the warmer months when there is a long twilight.
We left after sunset and got back to the car just as the stars were beginning to come out in force. Just watch out for wallabies on the drive back down!
Heading on towards Ngaityung Falls
The next part of the walk to reach the waterfall, Ngaityung Falls, is all off track. To find the path, head back from the lookout for approximately 150m and look for the trail leading into the bush on the right.
Just 3m later you’ll see a big rock cairn and follow it left. The trail is well marked with cairns throughout, so if you go too long without seeing one then you may have strayed from the path.
There is an obvious trail to follow, but watch for the cairn just under 30m after the first left turn, as it’s a bit overgrown here. The path is on the left.
Follow the slightly overgrown track and watch for another cairn 150m later. We ended up on a trail just above the correct path, so you may be slightly above this next cairn.
You’ll see several more cairns in quick succession and head right, into the bush.
The track now heads downhill and is still consistently marked. There are some little rocky and overgrown bits along this stretch, as well as the odd skinny tree down over the track, but nothing too challenging.
Roughly 800m from the very first turn off you’ll see some rock walls and soon come out to several long stretches of rock platform. As you continue along the rock shelves you’ll start to get some great views out to the mountains.
After roughly 700m walking along the rock platforms you’ll see a cairn marking a left turn into the bush. There is a very short section of uphill track before it flattens.
The next cairn is easy to miss, so if you find yourself going uphill for more than a minute then backtrack and look for the cairn.
Reaching the falls
The next part of the walk is spent between rock platforms and bush track and the turns are all marked by cairns. There is one turn (170m from the cairn that was easy to miss before you came out to the rocky area) which is marked by several cairns.
It’s a bit confusing here but the correct cairn is the one leading left (for us this was 5.52km into the walk, but everyone will measure it slightly differently).
Shortly afterwards you’ll come out to a very good view of Didthul - Pigeon House Mountain. Roughly 30m beyond this point it’s easy to lose the path. The cairn is on the right (the left route leads to a rocky area).
The path is then easy to follow and after 200m you will begin descending towards the falls. There is one large rock to climb down, which can be dripping wet, but it’s easy to lower yourself down.
The path continues downhill and then arrives at a creek crossing just under 100m later. This is where you can see the rock pools and the top of the falls.
The Ngaityung Falls viewpoint
Carefully cross the creek, it should be shallow unless there has been really heavy rain, which would potentially make it impassable.
We visited during a very rainy spell and it was still shallow and could be crossed easily without soaking our boots. This leads to a large rock platform where you can hear, but not see, the falls.
To view the falls, walk to the far end of the rock platform and look for the path leading into the bush. This will take you to a wide rock ledge overlooking the falls and avoids the exposure of crossing between the rock platforms directly, where a fall could be fatal.
It’s just 50m from the creek to the rock ledge and from here you can see across to the falls and down into the pool below. The view is stunning, though you wouldn’t want to visit during a dry spell, or the falls will be a mere trickle. The light was really bad for photos, but the waterfall is large and impressive in real life!
The Ngaityung Falls rockpools
Once you’ve enjoyed the falls you can walk back to the rock platform, which is huge and perfect for relaxing with that exceptional view. Even though you can’t see the falls from here, it’s absolutely spectacular.
The creek which feeds the waterfall has a number of small rock pools, including a couple which are actually really deep. Assuming the water is not flowing quickly you can take a dip in these pools. If the creek is high then it wouldn’t be safe.
There are two large pools set back from the edge. One looks like an infinity pool, though there is a second ledge beneath it, so you’re not actually on the edge of the falls - don’t climb down to the lower pools as this could be dangerous.
The last pool on the upper level acts as an infinity pool and is nicely set back from the drop. Despite this, always exercise caution around the rocks, as the cliff is unfenced and some rocks could be wet and slippery.
When you’ve cooled off in the pools you can then retrace your steps back to the main track and then the car park.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the national park, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Getting to Mount Bushwalker and facilities
The car park for Mount Bushwalker is located in Morton National Park and the last 7km of the road has some intermittent gravel sections. At time of writing it is suitable for any car, but is steep in parts and has some short bumpy sections. Roads like this can deteriorate over time, especially following heavy rain, so if you have a small car with low clearance check with the parks service for current road conditions.
Mount Bushwalker is roughly a 30 minute drive from Mollymook and 50 minutes from Huskisson and Nowra.
There is a long drop toilet located at the Mount Bushwalker car park, but no running water. There are no facilities along the trail, please remember to take all rubbish with you.
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