How to get to Mystery Mountain | Newnes
Location: Blue Mountains
Distance: 2km return
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 2 hours
Elevation: 300m
Bring: Water, Camera
On a recent escape from Sydney I rounded up a group of friends and headed for Newnes campground. Approximately three and a half hours drive from the centre of Sydney.
I had heard of a number of walks in the area that I wanted to check out. One of them being a hike to the top of Mystery Mountain.
We waited out the pouring rain under the cover of the Newnes Hotel veranda. The lovely owner brought us coffee and tea as we played board games and listened to the soothing sound of rain on the corrugated iron roof.
The rain began to ease and we decided it was time to try and find our way up Mystery Mountain before it got dark.
How to get to the top of Mystery Mountain, Blue Mountains
Finding the trail was the first challenge as it isn't marked on any maps. I have included photos below of how to find the trail head.
If you start at the Newnes hotel, walk towards the National Parks campground and turn right to cross the river at the causeway. At the T intersection, turn left and follow this road for around 50m. You will see a small pile of rocks also know as a cairn on your right. This marks the start of the trail. You will see a worn path that winds its way through the trees and up the mountain.
As the terrain becomes rockier, circles of white paint mark the route but it's pretty obvious which way to go.
Cross the river
Walk 50m and look for the small pile of rocks.
This marks the start of the track.
The View From The Top Mystery Mountain
We made it to the top dripping with a mixture of sweat and water drops from trees we had brushed against on the way up. And were greeted with... Not much of a view. We realised we had climbed up into the clouds and couldn't see much further than 20m in front of us.
After a few minutes however, the clouds began to clear and epic 360 degree views of the valley below opened up before us.
The campground could be seen a few hundred metres below and we even had a cooee conversation with our new friend at the hotel.
We snapped some moody pics of the squad in the clouds before beginning the scramble down the mountain to build a fire and cook up a feed for dinner.
If you are camping at Newnes Campground I would definitely recommend a hike to the top of Mystery Mountain.
The beautiful Newnes Hotel was built in 1907 and is in desperate need of a new roof. If you enjoy visiting the area be sure to chip in some cash to help restore this piece of history. Click HERE for more info.
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