Nayook Falls is a stunning canyon waterfall that flows into a crystal clear swimming hole. Deep enough that jumping from the top has become a popular summer pastime! The falls are located in Deep Pass (Nayook) Canyon and are accessed via a gorgeous bushwalk which passes another small, but incredibly picturesque swimming hole along the way. One short section of the track does involve negotiating a narrow rock wall with the aid of a series of fixed ropes, which we’ll go into in detail below.
Here’s what to expect from the walk to Nayook Falls.
The Nayook Falls Track
The stats
Distance: 3.1km return
Elevation gain: 165m
Difficulty: Moderate
Summary: The majority of the walk to Nayook Falls is on a good track. There are a few fallen trees to climb over or duck under and some wet slippery terrain as you head towards the first waterfall pool (however the wet patches are on level ground and when you tread carefully no problem at all).
Reaching the first waterfall pool doesn’t involve any scrambling, but to continue to Nayook Falls requires negotiating a short section of rock wall which is aided by fixed ropes.
The condition of the ropes can vary over time, but on our visit they were in good condition. Full disclosure that after losing confidence following a couple of falls earlier in the week I didn’t end up completing the rope section - much to my disappointment. However Joe did, so we can describe the full route for you.
Starting the trail: towards Deep Pass Campground and Split Rock
There are two possible start points for the trail to Nayook Falls, with the quickest being from Deep Pass North car park, which is where we began the trail. Google maps tried to take us on a heavily eroded 4WD track to this car park, so please read the detailed directions on which roads to take at the end of this post to use the 2WD route.
From the car park, the walk heads into the bush, passing the sign which mentions Deep Pass is only 500m away. It’s more like double this distance which was a bit of a surprise, but the trail is in good condition.
You’ll follow the wide rocky track downhill for 550m at which point the track narrows and you’ll reach a picturesque pagoda. It is steepish along this first stretch, but it’s a wide fire trail and easy to walk on.
The path curves right at the pagoda and the gradient slackens. You’ll now follow a sandy bush track which flattens around 250m later as you enter a beautiful ferny area.
At the 910m mark you’ll see a path branching off to the right, this leads to Nayook Falls. The route you can see directly ahead leads to the campsite and Split Rock.
The campsite is gorgeous and only 90m away from the junction.
If you have time it’s well worth visiting Split Rock, which is an additional 600m return walk from the campsite. It’s a really cool narrow slot between two giant cliff walls and very atmospheric to walk through. Directions and coordinates can be found in this post.
Split Rock
Continuing to Deep Pass (Nayook) Canyon
To reach Nayook Falls you’ll take the unmarked path on the right. It’s a well worn trail and easy to follow.
The first 150m are an easy dirt track and then you’ll hit a series of trees down over the path. None are hard to get under, over, or across though.
After another 250m you’ll reach the creek and things get a lot greener, with a sea of gorgeous ferns. Just 20m later you’ll reach the start of the canyon walls and it becomes very atmospheric.
There’s a small cave 30m into the canyon section which you can easily walk up into. You’ll then continue following the trail and come to a much more dramatic part of the canyon.
Shallow water flows through part of it, though unless the water level is unusually high, you can easily get around with dry boots. Just watch out for the wet rock which can be slippery.
After crossing the creek, the dirt path continues on the other side (though it’s slightly obscured so look carefully for it) and after 50m reaches the first waterfall pool.
Swimming at waterfall one
This first waterfall is stunning, with deep blue water enclosed by ferny rock walls. It’s your quintessential rainforest pool and a beautiful spot to relax. It is however, teeny tiny, so whilst it’s deep enough to swim, you can’t go far!
Accessing the water is easy, you can just step off the rock and into the pool, which has a shallow rocky area at the edge, before almost immediately becoming deep enough to swim off.
The water is cold, but was perfect on the 37C day we visited! Just watch out for the yabbies, swimming here was the one and only time I have ever been clawed by one : )
Continuing to Nayook Falls
Nayook Falls is only 100m beyond this first pool, but to continue further requires passing along the fixed rope section.
The ropes felt sturdy on our visit, but always check them yourself before putting all of your weight on them!
The first bit of the climb is easy as there’s a large rock you climb onto and then a foothold to get up to the narrow ledge.
The narrow ledge is basically three steps long and has small footholds. I got to this bit and after a couple of falls in the days prior, lost my confidence.
The rock was wet and I kept thinking I’d slip, more so on the way down if I didn’t make it round the whole circuit, than on the way up. The rock wasn’t actually slippery, even though it was quite wet, so this was more of a mind over matter issue.
Joe crossed this bit in a matter of seconds, so don’t be put off by me! One day I am hoping to go back and make it across.
Once you have traversed the rock ledge, you will then need to head uphill. To do this requires a big leg stretch, using the rope to help pull yourself up. Once you’ve done two big steps you’re at the top of the roped section and the hardest part is over.
From here the trail runs alongside the creek to the pool at Nayook Falls. There is some mud and narrow sections with a drop to one side, but compared to the roped section it’s a breeze.
After 100m you’ll reach the foot of Nayook Falls.
Nayook Falls
The shape of Nayook Falls makes it particularly picturesque, with a wide canyon opening that sits above the falls. The v shaped rock reminded me of Catarata Vuelta del Canon in Costa Rica, but without the double tier waterfall.
If there has been some recent rain, you’ll see a secondary waterfall flow off the top of the canyon wall and into the pool, which gives it an even wilder feel.
It is a beautiful spot and the long deep pool at the base of the falls makes for a great place to swim. Access to the water is easy as you can walk along the sandy bottom into shallow water.
If you only want to swim in the bottom pool you don’t need to tackle any further roped sections. If you want to jump or continue along the Deep Pass Circuit, you need to do a longer, steeper rope climb.
There are footholds and it goes uphill rather than a traverse like the first bit, but it is significantly longer. We can’t say much more than this yet as neither of us continued up to the next section.
From Nayook Falls you can either continue onwards to complete the circuit, or head back the way you came.
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.
There are no toilets or rubbish bins at Deep Pass, so please plan accordingly.
Canyon safety
Canyons can be dangerous environments in the wrong conditions. Never enter a canyon if it’s raining or rain is predicted as flash flooding is a real risk and it can happen very quickly.
There isn’t any phone signal around Deep Pass, so it’s advisable to carry a PLB incase of emergency. We carry a GME personal locator beacon, which has the added benefit of working globally. You can check this one and others on Amazon.
Getting to the Deep Pass north car park
Before you set off
You could walk to Nayook Falls from the Deep Pass North or South car parks in Wollemi National Park, but the quickest route as described above is from the north car park.
Before driving here, make sure you have downloaded an offline map for the Newnes/Garden of Stone area as there is rarely any phone signal. You can do this on Google Maps by clicking on your profile and selecting “Offline Maps” from the menu that appears (you can also follow these instructions).
At time of writing the route as described above is in excellent condition and though unsealed, is suitable for any car. It’s a gravel road which doesn’t have any steep sections and is currently very easy to drive.
Roads can deteriorate with time and rain, so if you are worried about visiting in a small car, please contact the national parks service for the current road conditions.
The route
The first thing to note is that there’s a specific route to take that will make things a lot easier. Don’t be tempted to drive along the Deep Pass Trail all the way to Deep Pass North, as going this route takes you along a very eroded road before a pretty steep hill that I wasn’t willing to try. If you follow our route, you won’t face anything but flat gravel roads the whole way.
The second thing to note is that Google Maps doesn’t work for the whole route. For some reason, Google hasn’t connected the Mount Cameron Trail to the section of the Deep Pass Trail you need to use. However, follow the directions below and you won’t have any trouble.
Put these co-ordinates into Google Maps: -33.352023, 150.261100
From the Bells Line of Road (B59), turn at Clarence onto the Old Bells Line of Road
Drive along the Old Bells Line of Road for 8.8km until you reach a T junction with Glow Worm Tunnel Road. Turn right here.
Continue along Glow Worm Tunnel road for 11.4km before you see a yellow sign on your left saying “Deep Pass Trail”. Take this right turn.
Drive 600m along the Deep Pass Trail before turning left onto the Mount Cameron Trail (unmarked)
Drive for 600m before stopping and putting in these co-ordinates: -33.340064, 150.291862 (your Google Maps should start up again)
Drive for 2.5km before taking a right onto an unmarked road.
Continue for another 1.1km before reaching “Deep Pass Walking Trail”. Turn down this road.
Drive a further 1.8km to the car park
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