City View Lookout
Fox Valley | 4km | 2 hr | easy
Another local walk, this one starting from George Christie Playing Field in Fox Valley. I found this walk on AllTrails and they have it rated as moderate. I think I would call it hard. Not that all of it is difficult but it does start with a very steep descent from the top of the ridge down to the river.
From the end of Yanilla Avenue take the bush track to the left. This winds past Leuna Avenue and through a forest of casuarinas. Just before the track takes a sharp left there is another track off to the right. There is no signage and there are a couple of small tracks coming off this one, so it is a bit hard to pick which way to go. I used the AllTrails app, which does a pretty good job of locating you, to work out which track we needed to get us down into the valley.
As the track heads off the ridge it is very steep in places and there is a bit of scrambling down rocks on your bottom. It seems to be a popular track for BMX riders as ramps have been built on some of the rocks to help them get their bikes up.
At the bottom of the valley we meet the Great North Walk track along the Lane Cove River. Head north towards Thornleigh and follow the river until it intersects with Scout Creek. There is a creek crossing just after this intersection and a track up the other side. We missed the crossing the first time and had to back track a little to find it.
A very busy bush turkey was building his mound on the bank of the creek, unperturbed by bushwalkers passing by.
From here the track heads up for 500m, out of the damp valley into dryer eucalyptus forest. At the top of the ridge we meet City View Lookout track and a short distance to the left we find the lookout. A rock platform offers an easy vantage point to admire the view. Someone has even built a chair into one of the trees if you need a rest (which I was very grateful for). The view of the city is distant but includes much of the city skyline and the Harbour bridge.
When we have recovered from our uphill climb we continue back along City View Lookout track past the turn off to Baden Powell Scout Centre until we get to the turnoff to Lorna Pass, marked with a sandstone sign.
The track winds down into the valley, through Conscript Pass built during the 1930s. Stone steps were built through a cleft in the rock as part of a public works program. The pass has two engravings, the first ‘Conscript Pass’ is followed with a downwards pointing arrow and a series of initials and numbers. On another wall (that you face when walking up) is engraved ‘B Stevens’ with a caricature of the then Premier of NSW, Bertram Stevens.
At the river there are concrete stepping stones to cross on when the water levels are higher, not need today as the river is barely running. Take the track to the right along the river and at the depth marker (I would love to see the river up this high!) head up the hill along the bitumen Morona Avenue Trail. This will bring you up to, you guessed it, Morona Avenue from where you can walk back to your starting point along the street.
