A circuit walk on wide service trails through beautiful bush, the Lake Talooma trail takes you past a scenic dam and through a scout camp for an interesting 5km bush fix for you and bub. With a couple of optional side tracks, you can add more variety to the walk!
The short
| Distance | 5km Return |
| Grade | Medium |
| Type | Carrier, little hikers |
| Time | Half a day |
| Conditions | Wide flat fire trails, steep rocky section, partly shaded, lightly frequented – not popular, limited signage and multiple track intersections so have a map handy. |
| Facilities | |
| Getting there | Car – Situated near Waterfall, in Heathcote National Park, South of Sydney. Train – 700m walk from Waterfall train station |
Total climbing: 175 m
The long
Access
Lake Talooma starts from the northern end of Warabin Street, in Waterfall, located in the Sutherland Shire, South of Sydney.
There is plenty of free street parking available, however on the weekends you may have to park further away from the start of the walk as it is the trail head for a number of bushwalking trails. Including the Kingfisher pool hike. This track is lightly visited though, it’s likely you won’t be sharing the trail with many others.
I acknowledge that this walk is on the lands of the Dharawal people and pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
The trail
I had Lake Talooma on the list for a long time. Having visited Heathcote National Park a number of times, i admired the untouched vegetation and rocky outcrops within the park. I wanted to immerse bub in this to grow his appreciation for our unique aussie bush so we took an opportunity with some friends on a sunny winters day to check the trail out.
Though you walk through some beautiful pristine bush, the high tension power lines and distant sound of the highway reminds you of the fact you’re not too far from civilisation. Not that our bubs cared, all the evidence of humans ie the planes, cars and powerlines just became additional things to point out and talk to. Given there are a number of intersections with other trails with limited signage, i recommend to have have a map handy so you can double check you’re heading the right way!
The Lake Talooma track begins at the northern end of Warabin street, follow the signs initially to Kingfisher pool.
After a couple of hundred meters the track arrives at a rock shelf and then drops down a rocky slope where some bum shuffling and rock hopping is needed. You will need your hands here, so make sure bub is safely in the carrier, or if you have a little walker, you have hands free to help lift them down. This is the most difficult part of the walk and once you shuffle your way down to the bottom, it is mostly easy walking from here.
At the bottom of the steep rocky slope, you will arrive at an intersection with the Lake Talooma fire trail, take the trail on your left following it south.
Follow the Lake Talooma fire trail for about 600m and you will arrive at the Lake Talooma dam. You can walk out onto the dam wall to get a better view, although with bub on the back, we chose to keep close to the shore.
After about another 500m you will come to an intersection with Camp Coutts Road. This is an asphalt road leading into the camp, follow the road leading right, or west, down a gentle slope.
You will pass a few clearings and shortly after will walk under the Camp Coutts gate. It’s an interesting part of the walk, passing a collection of stone scout buildings. After the buildings, you will cross a creek and then start to walk uphill. You will pass a number of scout picnic areas with tables and chairs, where you will arrive an intersection with another fire trail. Take the right fork, leading up the hill.
At the top of the hill, look out for the rock with “Mount Westmacott” painted in white for the side trail below.
Optional side trip – It’s a 400m (800m there and back) foot trail to the top of Mount Westmacot, which has great views over the bush you have just walked through and rocks to scramble over to add some variety to the walk!
Continue straight and you will slowly meander back down into the valley, where eventually you will arrive at the intersection with the Bullarwarring track which presents another optional side trip.
Optional side trip – Kingfisher pools ~ additional 1.6km there and back.
This is a much recommended side trip if you haven’t been to Kingfisher pools, or even if you have! Kingfisher pools is a beautiful, serene waterhole with some great spots to stop and have a bush picnic or snack, and if warm enough, a little splash for bub. It’s a flat, easy walk on a footrack to the pools and adds a good highlight to the overall walk.
Once back on the Bullawarring track, follow the track back to the original intersection with the Lake Talooma fire trail at the base of the rock slope and retrace your steps back up the steep slope back to your car! Remember, there’s a few tricky rocks to climb up onto, so make sure you have a little bit left in your and your little hiker’s tank to tackle the hill!
More info – resources
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/mount-westmacott-and-lake-toolooma-track
https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/lake-toolooma-trail
