Six Foot Track

The Six Foot Track is a tourist walking track of about 45km that stretches from
Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains. The path winds its way
through forests, climbs mountains and passes waterfalls. It was created in 1884
and was originally used as a horse track. Nature lovers will delight at flora and
fauna found on the trail including different bird species, butterflies, kangaroos, and
many other wild animals that inhabit this vast territory.

For athletes and amateurs
The route is recommended for mid-preparation hikers. The more experimented
athletes can instead participate in the famous and challenging Six Foot Marathon,
which is a fundraiser race for the Rural Fire Service and Six Foot Track Heritage
Trust, attracting yearly over 850 people.
For amateur hikers, the crossing is possible to do it by stages of one day, or
walking comfortably during three days with expert guides and camping in some of
the three enable zones. Visiting in spring and autumn is recommended to avoid the
cool winter nights and the stifling heat of summer.

The route

The tours range in prices depending on your needs as you can choose between
staying in fully equipped cabins or basic tents. In both choices, pets are not
allowed because of the presence of wildlife surrounding the place. Buying a map
for the Six Foot Track is advisable, and it’s important for people who decide to take
this route to go in groups and carry necessary implements like maps, tents,
flashlights for the nights, camera, enough water and food to keep hydrated yourself
during the walk.

Tours start from The Explorers Tree, on the western outskirts of Katoomba,
according to the history, this is a tree where three explorers who reached the first
known successful crossing of the Blue Mountains, carved their initials in 1813. It
continues over the temperate rainforest of Nellies Glen towards the Megalong
Valley floor and crosses the historical site of the abandoned mining Megalong
Village. It then passes through farmland over the Megalong Cemetery to The Coxs
River; this may be crossed by using a suspension bridge, called Bowles Swing
Bridge, which was constructed by engineers of the military base Holsworthy in
1992. On the other side of the bridge, there are camps in case you feel tired, and
you want to take a rest to recover strength, or if you prefer, you could enjoy a
picnic under the trees near the river.