Red Hands Cave walk

Red Hands Cave walk

One of the closest Blue Mountains walks to Sydney is a cultural spectacle through a bird-filled valley.

Red Hands Cave, showing hand prints and hand stencils in different ochres.

I've mentioned before that one of the difficulties for those of us who bushwalk regularly is that we have  favourite walks and favourite areas to walk, and it can become hard to make the time to try other areas. When I do get a half or full day to go hiking, I want to go somewhere that I know I'll love, rather than just somewhere ho-hum.

As a result, when I'm driving up the Blue Mountains from Sydney, I nearly always drive past the Glenbrook entrance to Blue Mountains National Park, which holds just about the closest Blue Mountains walks to Sydney. In fact on a Sunday morn, it's less than an hour's drive from my place in suburban Ryde. You basically drive up the steep escarpment and Glenbrook is the first little village. The only times I've really hung around this area are because it's the end of the legendary Oaks Fire Trail mountain bike ride, or because of the extensive camping and picnicking areas at Euroka Clearing, where wallabies and kangaroos are fairly easily spotted at dusk.
Many times I've driven past, knowing that a walk I would do "one day" would be the little walk to Red Hands Cave, an Aboriginal site. I've seen lots of handprints and hand stencils on walls before, so I guess it hasn't been high on my priority list.
But today I finally got there, and it's a little gem of a walk. If you start down at the delightful Jellybean Pool (perfect for a swim in summer) it's basically a P shape walk, with a loop at the far end. It weighs in at about 8km, and 11-year-old legs today did it in an easygoing 3 hours, with a few breaks.

Start

You can park at the top ranger station, or I think it's better to drive to the Jellybean Pool carpark (in summer this might be crowded). Wander down the stairs to the pool, then turn sharply right and scramble up and over track along the creek to the right. After about 5 minutes, you'll hit the road. Cross the causeway, then turn right along the marked track.

Across the causeway, Blue Mountains National Park, Glenbrook.

This takes you up a lovely bird-filled valley. Without trying, we saw whipbirds, gang-gang cockatoos, king parrots, golden whistlers and fairy wrens. There are some lovely large overhangs to check out and some gorgeous mixed trees in the forest, including the pink smooth-barked apples. A bit over half an hour of walking will bring you to the loop track.

Red Hands Cave Walking Track.

Red Hands Cave

I think the loop is best done anti-clockwise (because of the steep stairs on the loop track), so continue straight ahead, and the walk gradually climbs up the valley. Then all of a sudden you'll be at the sensational Red Hands Cave. Unlike many sites, it has both hand stencils (outlines of hands) and hand prints, and the dozens of images are starkly clear. It of course has a large mesh barrier around it, but even that doesn't take away from the magnificence of this site. Handprints have been estimated at up to 1600 years old, and there are a few other drawings too. On the floor of the cave you can clearly see the ochre grinding grooves, some stone tools, and a pile of red ochre.

The loop 

Once you've enjoyed this special spot, continue up the path, and in about 10 minutes you'll hit the car park and picnic area, which has a pit toilet. A track leads from the picnic area (not marked), which is the loop track. It seemingly heads off in the wrong direction for a while, but does make it back, via a different, lovely valley. Half an hour's walk down this track will take you to a small rock clearing on the creek on the left hand side. Stop here, as it has some very well defined and picturesque axe-grinding grooves. Stay for a while and see what else you notice, as there are other less-defined features. It's a good spot for a break.

Clearly defined grinding grooves and other features.

Back for a swim

The main track continues about another 5-10 minutes before it rejoins the original track, and you simply turn right, and follow it back to Jellybean Pool and that waiting swim. It's pretty brisk in winter, so you can almost guarantee you'll have it to yourself.
Overall, it's a corker of a little walk, and I really felt privileged to see two such well-preserved Indigenous sites so close to Sydney.
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