Numantia Falls is a real gem, with high cliff walls and a gorgeous crystal clear plunge pool at the base.
After exploring over 40 waterfalls in the Blue Mountains in the past year, I wasn’t expecting a relatively unknown waterfall in Faulconbridge to quickly become one of my favourites, but Numantia is special.
Clarinda Falls, located along the same trail, was gorgeous too, and the combination makes for one of the best walks in the lower Blue Mountains.
For maximum wow factor you’ll want to visit soon after some decent rainfall, or both falls could reduce to a trickle.
It’s not a difficult walk, but the track to Numantia is un-signposted, easy to miss and a little rougher, so we’ll go into full details on what to expect in this guide.
The walk to Clarinda and Numantia Falls
The stats
Distance: 3km return to Clarinda Falls, 6km return to Numantia Falls
Elevation gained: 285m
Difficulty: Moderate
The walk to Clarinda and Numantia Falls does have a couple of steep sections, but there is plenty of flat track in-between. It’s reasonably well formed until the last 900m, which become a bit rougher, but still not overly difficult. The temperature drops when you get into the gully, so it’s a good trail to do on a warm day.
There are some fallen trees and debris along a couple of sections of track, but nothing that can’t easily be navigated through. The turn off to Numantia Falls is not signposted, but we’ll tell you exactly where to turn in the notes below.
The whole walk took us 2 hours return and that was at a pretty slow pace!
Starting the trail: into the bush
You head straight from the layby (exact location at the bottom of this article) into the bush along the Victory Track. The path begins descending almost immediately on a series of stone steps. It’s a bit uneven but not difficult.
After 300m you come to an overhang which I enjoyed looking around in, until I sadly noticed it had been quite heavily graffitied - luckily the rest of the track is completely pristine.
The path continues descending, but there are flat sections and less in the way of steps. Roughly 360m beyond the overhang you’ll come to a small waterfall on the right.
I think you would need to visit directly after some serious rain for it to be anything more than a trickle, but it’s not indicative of what’s to come.
The two main waterfalls are sensational.
Descending to Clarinda Falls
The trail continues descending but at a much more leisurely gradient, which makes it easy and relaxing.
There were plenty of gorgeous wildflowers on our visit as well as row upon row of luminous green ferns. The forest is lovely and dense which keeps it shady, and the smell of eucalyptus oil in the air is delightful.
Once you’ve been walking for a total of 1.4km you’ll begin the last little bit of the descent to the falls. It’s a touch rougher, with a couple of rocky sections to climb down, but it’s easy enough and there is no exposure.
After 100m you’ll come to a junction and the waterfall is 30m to the left.
I didn’t really have any expectations for Clarinda Falls but it was so beautiful. Not just the waterfall, but the almost amphitheatre like setting, with dark cliff walls covered in ferns.
It’s lovely and cool, and had a really peaceful feel to it. The water is not deep enough for a swim, but you could definitely have a paddle.
Clarinda Falls is well worth a visit in its own right, but if you don’t mind walking a bit further, Numantia is so worth it.
On to Numantia Falls
It’s just 1.5km from Clarinda Falls to Numantia Falls. The first couple of hundred metres through the bush undulate gently and then you’ll come to a few trees down over the track.
You can cross through easily enough if you crouch and then you’ll see the landslide they came from on the other side! There is another tree down a little further along, but this is the biggest one (and it may be cleared in time too).
One of the fallen trees blocking the trail
The track continues gently descending and you’ll cross a small creek which is easy using the rocks as stepping stones.
A few hundred metres later you’ll come to a slightly bigger creek crossing, the final descent to the creek is a little steeper, but there are trees to hold on to if you want some extra stability,.
This creek crossing might usually be quite low, but we needed to use the submerged logs to cross, it’s not difficult if you use the stable logs on the right (the left ones were very wobbly).
Once you’ve crossed the creek you’ll see a clearing which has a signpost with an arrow that points to go straight on (this is the route to continue onto Sassafras Gully).
You need to ignore this and head right at this spot instead, following the creek you just crossed and away from the main track. It’s not signposted but it is a beaten down trail.
The un-signposted trail
The final part of the walk to Numantia Falls from the creek is 900m. The very first part has some debris and does involve climbing over a few rocks - some of which have fallen branches and logs across them.
Once you’re past this short section it’s a lot smoother sailing. Keep the creek on your right and follow the footpad along the riverbank. The path is very narrow at points, but it’s stable and relatively flat.
There are some very short rocky patches or slight loose soil, but really it’s in pretty good condition and easy enough to follow.
There are some huge mossy boulders and it feels untouched, a pleasure to walk through despite the slightly rougher terrain.
It won’t be long before you can hear the falls and the trail takes you over the creek bed and round to the base of the falls.
Numantia Falls
As with Clarinda Falls I really didn’t have any expectations. Every time we’d walked the Sassafras Gully Circuit we hadn’t gone after enough rain and the waterfalls were almost dry, making them fairly unimpressive.
Seeing the two along this trail makes me want to go and do the circuit again after rain, because no doubt they would also be spectacular.
I am not sure they could be in the same league as Numantia though because this one blew me away. Not only was it pretty tall, but the surrounding cliff walls were spectacular and the pool at the base was full of crystal clear water.
It looks incredibly shallow at first, but when you get in you’ll find it actually gets to waist deep. It was full of yabbies to the point I began looking down to make sure I didn’t squish any!
If you do bring a swimsuit, or are wearing shorts, it’s easy enough to walk right behind the waterfall and stand behind the huge torrent of water, which I’d definitely recommend!
I absolutely loved this spot and was so glad I’d left my swimsuit in the hiking bag - I had no idea there would be a pool big enough for a dip.
Regardless of whether you plan on swimming, it’s such a wonderful secluded spot to sit and relax. There’s a big sturdy log just beside the pool which makes for the perfect place to sit and stare up at the falls.
It’s one of those places that feels very special and we definitely stayed longer than we intended to!
The walk back
The walk back is more of an effort than the way there as you have to climb a few hills. Luckily there’s plenty of flat track in-between to break it up.
The only section where it’s a little more than a quick climb is the last 600m or so back up to the car park. Otherwise it’s not too bad and you’ll probably go back along the initial rougher track from Numantia to the main junction a lot quicker as you’ll know what to expect.
The reward of both waterfalls is definitely worth the climb and it’s a good hike for a warmer day as it’s almost fully shaded. It can get a bit humid at points when you’re further down in the forest, but then you can cool off in the falls!
Where to start the trail
There is no official car park for the Victory Track - which is the trail that takes you to Clarinda Falls - but there are laybys on both sides of the road beside the trailhead, which is located on St Henry’s Parade in Faulconbridge.
It’s marked here on Google Maps. You will know you’re at the right spot as there’s a brown sign that says “Springwood Station via Sassafras Gully”, which marks the trailhead.
It’s only 350m from Faulconbridge train station if you’re coming by public transport. If you are using the train, instead of backtracking, you might want to continue along the Victory Track to Springwood train station.
You will follow the route as described above, but when you come back to the main creek after visiting Numantia Falls you would follow the arrow to continue along the Victory Track towards Sassafras Gully, rather than retracing your steps.
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