The one accessible major valley in the Blue Mountains which can be explored in a regular vehicle.
There are three major valleys in the Blue Mountains - the Jamison Valley which can be seen from Echo Point at Katoomba, the Grose Valley which can be viewed from Govett's Leap Lookout at Blackheath, and the Megalong Valley which lies to the south of Blackheath. The Megalong Valley is the only valley which is easily accessible by two wheel vehicle and, as such, offers a rare opportunity for visitors to drive into a valley through the ferns and rainforest which cover the escarpment. The valley is quiet and peaceful and characterised by sheer cliffs and some very pleasant bushwalks.
Location
The Megalong Valley is located 124 km from Sydney via the Great Western Highway to Blackheath and the Megalong Valley Road. It is located 12 km south of Blackheath railway station.
^ TOPOrigin of Name
It has been claimed that 'megalong' is a Gundungurra Aboriginal word meaning 'valley under the rock', presumably a reference to its location below Narrow Neck.
^ TOPThings to See and Do
Bushwalking
The main appeal of the Megalong Valley is the opportunity to walk a short or modest section of the famous Six Foot Track. It is possible to drive down Megalong Valley Road until you cross the track which happens to be close to the Megalong Cemetery. There are two obvious options: you can continue along the Six Foot Track to the point where it crosses Coxs River. This is 15km and will take a full day. Alternatively you can head towards where the walk starts at the Explorers Tree. This involves a difficult ascent of 4km. A third option is that you can walk the short distance to the Megalong Cemetery which was officially gazetted in 1898. There is an obelisk which bears the names of those who were buried there, mostly early settlers and local Aborigines. The last burial occurred in 1931.
The Six Foot Track was created in the 19th century as a horse track from Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves. In 1884 a survey party travelled from Sydney, stayed in Katoomba, and the next day descended at Narrow Neck by a rough zig-zag path into the Megalong Valley where they established a base camp on the Megalong Creek. They were unhappy with the route and subsequently blazed a fresh route from the Megalong Creek up Nellie's Glen to the Explorers' Tree on Pulpit Hill. They eventually reached the Jenolan Caves on 3rd April, 1884, having marked the route with blazed trees. It took eleven days to mark the 26 miles (42 km) of track. The result was that travellers could now ride from Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves in less than eight hours. The new track became popular and was described in the 1894 issue of the Blue Mountains Railway Tourist Guide as 'steep in places, but the romantic beauty of the surroundings amply compensates for the roughness of the ground'. The Six Foot Track, as it became known, was maintained for many years by two men using a wheelbarrow, picks and shovels. In recent years it has been revitalised and has become an important and fascinating walking trail through the mountains. For more information check out https://www.lifesanadventure.com.au/tours/six-foot-track-walk/ which offers an excellent three day, guided walk of the entire trail.
^ TOPHistory
* the area had been occupied by the Gundungurra Aboriginal people for an estimated 40,000 years before Europeans arrived. The last Aborigines to live in the Megalong Valley weere Werriberri (Billy Russell) who was known as a tribal chief and three members of the Lynch family. They all died in the early years of the twentieth century.
* the first Europeans to settle in the valley arrived in the 1830s. They settled on properties ranging in size from 40 acres to larger holdings of many hundreds of acres and engaged in farming and timber cutting. The timber was taken up the mountain and sold in Blackheath and Katoomba.
* In 1870 Campbell Mitchell found traces of oil-bearing shale (for kerosene) in the valley and this led, by the 1880s, to twenty-eight mining leases being applied for in the Parish of Megalong.
* By 1892 there were 160 miners and 30 farmers living in the valley. By 1896 only seven miners remained.
* A post office was established in the valley in 1892 in a store operated by Elizabeth James. In 1915 the post office added a single public telephone.
* By 1905 shale mining had stopped in the valley. It was briefly restarted during World War II because of a shortage of fuel.
* Coal mining in the valley occurred briefly between 1931-32.
* 1967 saw the Megalong Post Office close.
* Today the Megalong Valley is a quiet retreat which, surprisingly, still has two churches and a school.
^ TOPVisitor Information
There is very little visitor information available but the closest is at the Blue Mountains Heritage Centre and National Parks Shop, Govetts Leap Road, Blackheath, tel: 02 4787 8877
^ TOPEating
The only place to eat in the valley is the excellent Megalong Valley Tea Rooms.
^ TOPUseful Websites
There is no specific website for the Megalong Valley.
^ TOP
The Megalong Valley annual Trivia Nights would be a worthwhile addition to this page.
There are also two wineries in Megalong Valley – Megalong Creek Estate and Dryridge – both serve substantial cheese platters.
The Gymkhana is also a large part of the history of Megalong (since 50’s) and is now running again annually.
There is also the Megalong Valley Farm to visit, and Packsaddlers horse riding.
There are three free campgrounds in Megalong – The Glen Reserve, the Old Ford Reserve and Dunphys Campground.
Another thing to note is that in the early 2000’s the suburb name was going to be changed to ‘Megalong’ however residents fought to keep the full ‘Megalong Valley’ which is still is today, it’s more than just its locality, it’s the suburb name, so doesn’t actually require ‘the’ beforehand.
I have a photo, in the possession of my friend, Shirley Cox. In the photo are 11 men, four of whom are dressed in what looks like football guernseys. All 11 are posed on the steps of TE WHARE (there is a name board with TE-WHARE in the top left-hand corner of the photo). One of the men is Shirley’s father (Dick Cooper). Under the photo is this caption:
Dick Cooper
To celebrate his survival 50 years after Te Whare.
1925-1976
The years stated are NOT Dick Cooper’s date of birth or date of death.
Shirley and I would like to know more about Te Whare. Can you help us?
Question: Does the Megalong Valley run into the Jamieson valley. And could the early explorers have travelled up the Cox’s River to get through the mountains?
Great place to ride horses- a few hire centres
Cox river great place to camp – very nice grounds