Andy Cairns’ walk for 2020 was a circuit in Glenbrook taking in several lookouts and long sections of the historic Lapstone Zigzag railway. This heritage listed piece of NSW railway history was constructed in the 1860s to overcome the steep grades on the eastern side of the Blue Mountains .
We started (and finished) at Bluff Lookout carpark in Glenbrook. Our first stop was Chalmers Lookout for views into the Blue Labyrinth, then to the Great Western Highway admiring the old and new homes with views into the valley. We crossed under the highway and passed the Glenbrook RAAF Headquarters.
Now was the time to leave suburbia and follow the Lapstone Zigzag walking track up to the old Lucasville Railway Platform for a well-earned drink stop. Then up to Siding Lookout before heading down the cutting to cross under the Highway again. We followed the track up past the old Glenbrook Tunnel (660m long). We walked through Darks Common and up to an unnamed lookout above the main western railway line where we had lunch watching the commuter trains enter the Glenbrook Gorge Tunnel.
After the walk we stopped for a coffee in the gardens of the 2773 Café in Glenbrook.
Many thanks to Marion and Andy for their organisation and leadership. It was a great pity that (due to Covid-19) we had to place a 20 member limit on the attendees as it’s certain there were many more members who wanted to be with us.
Here is a GPS trace of the path we took at Glenbrook.
