ROCKET POINT LOOKOUT, WENTWORTH FALLS NSW AUSTRALIA

ROCKET POINT LOOKOUT, WENTWORTH FALLS 

NSW AUSTRALIA

Rocket Point Lookout from Princes Rock

Rocket Point Lookout is one of the oldest constructed lookouts in the Blue Mountains. Like Fletcher's Lookout and the Princes Rock Lookout, which is immediately across the valley, all have a “parapet” construction (now reinforced with the usual steel poles, bars and wire). It is believed that the work was done by Peter Mulheran, some time in the 1880’s and probably largely by him alone.

Mulheran is one of the best known names associated with Wentworth Falls. He was operating a small guest house and guiding service at the time and appears to have undertaken to build many of the tracks we know and love today. Later on he was a member of the Wentworth Falls Reserves Trust. We owe the man a great debt indeed.

Another well known Wentworth Falls name from those days is Captain John Murray. He was the Chairman of the Trust at the time Peter Mulheran and his assistants were engaged in the construction of the now famous National Pass track. This track descends into the valley by means of a staircase carved from the cliff face below the Rocket Point Lookout. Murray is generally credited with having identified the route by being lowered over the cliff on a bosun’s chair. No doubt his seafaring background qualified him for this job, but he would have been over 70 at the time.

Approaching the lookout from Wentworth Falls

The name “Rocket Point” appears in a “Herald” article dated 17^th October 1889, which is several years before the Murray’s arrival in Wentworth Falls. Some have attributed the name to his practice of firing off flares or rockets from this point to enable people below to get a compass bearing on the point. The dates are against this being the correct explanation. Others use the name “George Murray”, but I can find no such person associated with Wentworth Falls in those days.

An obituary of John Murray appeared on page 6 of the Sydney Morning Herald for Tuesday 4^th February, 1919.

The Mountaineer guidebooks (early 20^th century) contain remarks that the cliffs of Rocket Point are the highest in Australia at 1,000 feet, though how true either statement is, I cannot say. Whatever the truth, this is a most impressive spot and well worth a visit. The lookout is only about a 15 minute walk past the stepping stones at the top of the falls, branching off the National Pass track.

My video of the walk is here.

Top of the Falls from the lookout

 

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STONEHAVEN PASS, WENTWORTH FALLS BLUE MOUNTAINS NSW AUSTRALIA

STONEHAVEN PASS, WENTWORTH FALLS 

BLUE MOUNTAINS NSW AUSTRALIA

Murphy's Spiral Lookout

I would not be surprised if most readers have never heard of “Stonehaven Pass”. I hadn’t, until I came across Jim Smith’s excellent article on the subject while searching the web for something else. You will find it here ; it will tell you all you would like to know about the Pass – the origin of the name, how it came be to be constructed, then neglected and now made accessible again. You will learn a lot about the Wentworth Falls Reserve Trust and the names given along this track to honour these men and those employed by them to construct and maintain the network of tracks and lookouts that make Wentworth Falls such a great place to visit today. * Unfortunately Jim Smith's article has been removed from the Web since this blog was written.

Photo from the State Library
 of Queensland

I doubt that Baron Stonehaven (Governor General of Australia 1925-1930) ever heard of this short walk now named after him. He certainly never came to Wentworth Falls as the Trustees hoped he would, nor did the pass become a popular walking track. In fact, it fairly quickly faded into obscurity (as did other tracks) as the years of the Depression and World War 11 rolled by and the changeover to management by, first of all the Blue Mountains City Council and then by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

I started the walk from the Princes Rock track, from which it branches to the right as you descend, a little below the old well on the left. There is presently no sign post, but there is a National Parks sign soon after entering. If you are coming from the Den Fenella track, the turnoff is on the left a minute or so after you start down the hill. There is an identical sign at this end of the track, but nothing at the actual turnoff.                                                                               

See my video of the walk or study Jim Smith’s map (or both) to get an idea of the layout. The track is easy to follow, if a little wet in places (hanging swamps abound in this part of the National Park). The lookouts have the remains of the original fencing around their edges but they wouldn’t help you much if you slipped. It is definitely not a place for children unless they are closely supervised.

The men working on the Den Fenella track told me that they believed the Stonehaven Pass track was also going to be upgraded. Much as I enjoyed the walk the way it is, I guess that making it more accessible will allow more people to appreciate it. Meanwhile, thank you to those who did the work back in the 1920’s and those who reopened the track as it is today.

 My You Tube video of Stonehaven Pass may be found here .

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THE PRINCES’ VISITS TO THE BLUE MOUNTAINS NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA – 1868 AND 1881

THE PRINCES’ VISITS TO THE BLUE MOUNTAINS 

NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA – 1868 AND 1881

These two events have become confused in the minds (and writings) of some over the years. I hope this brief account will clear things up for you.

Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria, arrived in Australia on 29^th October, 1867 for an extended tour, part of which included a train trip to Weatherboard (now Wentworth Falls) on 31^st January 1868. He was accompanied by a substantial crowd of people who were considered to be important in those days. A banquet was laid on for the hungry visitors presumably on the site of what is now the Wentworth Falls picnic area and a viewing area was provided at what we can guess is now known as Prince’s Rock lookout. If the weather had been kinder, no doubt the Prince would have appreciated the view of the falls from this spot even more.

 

Wentworth Falls before 1890

You can read an account of the outing in the “Empire” (Sydney, NSW: 1850 - 1875), Saturday 1 February 1868, page 4. 

Search in Trove (http://trove.nla.gov.au) for this and other reports of the visit. The account from the “Queanbeyan Age” for January 18, 1868, makes it clear that the Prince would have liked to have visited Govett’s Leap and the Zig Zag as well, but as the railway had only been opened to Weatherboard by the time of the royal visit, he had to be satisfied with a wet day at Wentworth Falls.

It has often been said that the track down to Breakfast Rock (below Govett’s Leap Lookout at Blackheath) was first constructed for Prince Alfred’s visit. If so, it was somewhat premature, since the logistics of bringing the Prince and his entourage there before the railway had opened beyond the Weatherboard, and with very limited accommodation at Blackheath (presumably only Gardiner’s Inn), defies the imagination. It would be nice to think that someone was patriotic enough to have made the preparations – just in case.

From the point of view of historians, the highlight of Prince Alfred’s visit occurred at Clontarf Beach near Sydney on 12^th March when he was shot by Henry James O’Farrell, an Irish Fenian (today we might say terrorist, or republican, depending on which side you are on). The Prince survived; O’Farrell was hanged on 21^st April. “Such is life”, as another celebrated Australian is reputed to have said.

Prince George and Prince Albert

The second (and last) nineteenth century visit by members of the Royal Family to Australia occurred in 1881. The two eldest sons of Edward, Prince of Wales, visited Australia as part of a British Navy tour of the distant colonies. They were both teenagers – Prince Albert Victor (more often known as Edward) was 17 and Prince George 16 at the time. It is almost as if they were destined to visit those places that their Uncle Alfred missed in 1868, since they skipped Wentworth Falls and went to Blackheath and Lithgow. They weren’t alone, of course, and were accompanied by numerous officers from the fleet which was in Sydney Harbour at the time. Many of the street names of Blackheath bear witness to the occasion, including (of course) Prince Edward and Prince George Streets.

Govett's Leap in 1886

The special train (having spent some time at Faulconbridge and Lawson), arrived in Blackheath in the late morning and the party made the trip out to Govett’s Leap before moving on to Lithgow. The pottery seems to have been the major point of interest here.

Extracts from the diary of James Silcock, master potter at Lithgow at the time, were published in the Australian Bottle Review in 1979/80. His entry for 20^th July 1881 reads as follows: “Same day was invited go and make some ware for the Princes, Albert Victor and George. Sir Henry Parkes and officers of the parliament were there. The shop was crowded, a many being outside. The Princes expressed great surprise at the process.” 

The “sumptuous luncheon” in the dining car which was attached to the train at Lithgow might have been more appealing to the two young men. It seems to have been a slow trip back to Sydney, as the Sydney Morning Herald report of the day’s activities states that the train left Lithgow at 2.30 pm and arrived in Sydney at 7.15. It is just possible that the train stopped long enough at Weatherboard for a quick trip out to the Falls, where rumour has it that the Princes each planted a tree, but I doubt that there was time for this. It’s more likely that Prince Alfred planted a tree there in 1868 and memories of the two events have become intertwined. 

Princess Mary and Prince George 1893

Prince Albert became engaged to Princess Mary of Teck in May, 1891. Unfortunately, he died of influenza soon after. Princess Mary later married his brother George, who became King George V in 1910 on death of his father, Edward VII. King George and Queen Mary are Queen Elizabeth II’s grandparents.

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