60 Foot Falls is an off the beaten track waterfall in the Southern Highlands. It might be considerably smaller than some of the more famous falls in the area, but you’ll find a fraction of the crowds, and it’s a lovely spot to relax. We were lucky enough to get It all to ourselves on a Saturday afternoon!

We’d heard from quite a few people ahead of our visit that it’s pretty difficult to find. We can confirm that the signposting can be a little sporadic. However, we’ve got you covered on every turn you need to make, so that your trip here will be a breeze.

Here’s exactly what to expect on the walk to 60 Foot Falls, one of our favourite things to do near Bowral.

Sixty Foot Falls

The stats

Distance: 3.3km
Elevation: 225m
Difficulty: Moderate

The trail to 60 Foot Fall via the coke tunnel is a sharp descent along slippery ground, but it’s a short walk. It isn’t too hard on the way down, but it’s a steep climb on the way back!

We recommend allowing about 35 - 40 minutes to walk the trail in each direction and allow extra if you want a dip or to walk to Katoomba Lookout. If you go on the easier route from Leopold Street, then we imagine it will be quicker.

Starting the trail at Mount Alexandra Road

Contrary to what you read online, the trail to Sixty Foot Falls is well signposted for much of the way, but there’s one crucial turning which isn’t.

Whilst Sixty Foot Falls is marked on Google Maps, the trail from Mount Alexandra Road isn’t until you get to the Leopold Road Firetrail, so you will have to trust us on the directions!

Starting at the car park on Mount Alexandria Lookout Road (go as far as you can before the gate), look for the sign for “The Green Tramway”. This is on the northern side of the car park.

After this you will see green posts showing you the way until the yellow signs that point you most of the way to the falls.

The descent

The trail heads along the Green Tramway track straight into the bush and goes downhill gradually for the first few hundred metres to the coke tunnel.

This tunnel is at the start of the incline that brought coal from the Nattai Gorge to the local iron works in the 1870’s. It’s a short tunnel but an interesting feature of the walk.

After the tunnel you’ll be on a steep and at some points slippery descent for 650m.

The trail is really obvious all the way down the hillside. What makes it a little tricky is the fine layer of fir needles covering the track which can make it slippery. I used walking poles which definitely made it a lot easier.

Once you have made it down the hill you come out to a wide and much flatter path and you’ll soon come to a junction where you turn right, along the path marked as ‘falls view’.

After another 120m you’ll come to another junction where you head right again, along the trail marked as ‘Sixty Foot Falls Fire Trail’.

As you can see this part of the walk is pretty well signposted and you really can’t go wrong!

Onto the falls

After a few minutes you’ll come to a small creek crossing. There are some rocks and lots of logs to help you across so it’s not difficult.

You could also cross a little to the right where the creek is narrower, and it would be even easier!

After the crossing you’ll come to another fork. This one is not signposted. There is one trail heading left and it’s flat, and one heading right up the hill.

If you want the easiest route to the falls, you want to turn left at this point. You’ll then walk along a flat, shady forest path which is quite pretty for 400m, before you reach the river.

On our visit there wasn’t a huge amount of water in the river and there was a lot of space on the rock to walk along to the top of the falls (150m later).

The descent to the base of the falls

From the top of the falls there is a little bit of relatively easy scrambling to get down to the base. I say relatively easy, but that was in dry weather when the rock was very grippy.

If it was wet it could be slippery, so to be safe I’d save this walk for a dry day.

You descend a little bit on the rock and then there is a path to follow at the edge of the cliff, which is not too difficult. There is one patch with the fir needles again, which could be a tiny bit slippery, but it’s only a few steps.

The very last bit down to the base of the falls is all on rock and though it was grippy enough, I went down on my bum – I’m pretty clumsy so it was a precaution, most people wouldn’t need to!

The falls

Even though there hadn’t been huge amounts of rain before our visit, I was really happy to see there was still some flow!

Given how wet the highlands can be I imagine it probably never totally dries up, but it would be a great place to visit after heavy rain.

The pool at the base of the falls is a bit shallow, but you could definitely have a paddle. Opposite the falls you’ll find a large, deeper pool which you could take a dip in – if you dare brave the icy water!

The water might not be the most inviting colour but the setting was lovely, and it’s a really peaceful spot.

The walk back

The return walk is actually easier than the way there, in that none of it is slippery as you’re going uphill. The downside is that it is pretty steep as you climb up 110m of elevation in just 600m distance!

It’s nice and shady though, which makes it easier.

The easier route

We did notice just after we descended the first hill on the trail that there is another route which joins up with the path we took, that was completely flat!

We looked it up and it starts at the intersection between Leopold Street and Beatrice Street. This would be a great alternative if you don’t want to come down that initial slippery hill.

The easier route to 60 foot falls, Mittagong

The Katoomba Lookout

If you’ve up for a little more walking, from the car park, you can take the 1km return walking track up to the Katoomba Lookout. The first 400m are pretty steep, but on a wide, smooth path.

The trail then flattens out before you reach the lookout. We’ll be honest, it’s not an absolute must do, but it’s a nice spot, and there are a couple of picnic benches up there if you want to take a break.

Packing suggestions for 60 Foot Falls

Having the right gear can make a huge difference. Here’s what we pack and have relied upon for years:

Sunscreen: Cancer Council Active. With a high SPF, but not the greasy feel of other sunscreens. Makes a big difference when you’re working up a sweat on a sunny day! Check it out on Amazon
Good Rain Jacket: North Face This is an essential item we always pack in our bag! This jacket from North Face is designed to keep you dry but also comfortably warm (many rain jackets will make you feel like you’re in a sauna). Check it out on Amazon
Bushman Spray: Good for keeping off the mozzies and any other bugs. Check it out on Amazon.
Day Pack: Osprey Talon 22 (we’ve owned this for years). Check on Amazon or direct with Osprey
Hiking Boots: Merrell Moab (for men and women). We’ve both used these for over three years and they just keep going. Check them out on Amazon
Trekking poles: We’ve used Black Diamond for years as they are light, solid and durable. Check them out on Amazon.
Reusable water bottle: To avoid single-use plastic. Check them out on Amazon

Getting to Sixty Foot Falls

Sixty Foot Falls are just outside the town of Mittagong, around 115km and a one and a half hour drive from Sydney and 180km and just over two hours drive from Canberra.

You’ll need your own wheels to reach them, as there isn’t any public transport to this spot.

Other waterfalls in the area

This area is full of so many beautiful falls. The next nearest would be 40 Foot Falls, which is another slightly more off the beaten track (known by locals but not visitors) option.

Or you could head 45 minutes over to Belmore Falls, 45 minutes to Carrington Falls or 40 minutes to Fitzroy. All three of the major falls are spectacular.

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