Mermaids Cave is an incredible sandstone overhang in a dramatic setting, less than a 10 minute walk from the main road. It’s accessed via one of the most atmospheric sections of track on any walk in the Blue Mountains, directly through the middle of a cleft in two towering cliff walls.
If you’re really lucky, the majesty of the scene will be topped off with a waterfall, but it does require a visit directly after heavy rain for the falls to be impressive.
It’s just down the road from another short and pretty trail at Coachwood Glen and the two combined make for a very worthwhile afternoon adventure.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Mermaids Cave.
The Mermaids Cave Walk
The shortest walk to Mermaids Cave is just 660m return (there’s also a longer route which we haven’t tried yet).
It’s not a hard trail, but it’s pretty much all downhill on the way, so there is a little bit of a climb back up to the parking area.
The first 120m is on a bush track and a fairly gentle gradient, before you reach the best bit - which feels like walking in a canyon.
From here the final part of the walk is down a cleft between the cliff walls on a picturesque staircase, it’s incredibly atmospheric. The steps are uneven but in pretty good condition.
You will then come out just to the left of the overhang, which you can walk right the way behind. It’s quite narrow and gets a little muddy if the waterfall is flowing, so you do need to watch your step.
You can also walk down a few more steps and stand in the middle of the natural amphitheatre, which will hopefully also offer an impressive view of the waterfall.
When it comes to the falls though, as mentioned, you need some serious rain for it to be much more than the thin ribbon of water you can see in our photos.
We visited after prolonged rain, but it hadn’t been heavy for about five days and the ideal would be to come directly after a huge downpour.
To be honest though, the cave and setting is special in its own right, so you don’t need a big flow in the falls to make it worth a visit. It would be the icing on the cake rather than the main event.
This spot was also a filming location for Mad Max ‘Beyond Thunderdome’, it’s the area known as ‘crack in the earth’ but we haven’t seen the movie so can’t offer much more info than that!
You’ll also notice a walking track leading away from the falls and into the bush. We followed it for a while, but there are many trees down over the track and though it’s a pretty area, we ended up turning back.
Getting to Mermaids Cave
Mermaids Cave is located along the Megalong Valley road, which is only around a five minute drive from Blackheath. There is no official car park as such, but there is room for a couple of cars in a large lay-by on the opposite side of the road to the trail, the coordinates are: -33.6446125, 150.2776215
From here, cross over the road (it’s a bit of a blind corner so use caution) and you’ll immediately see the signpost for the cave.
Coachwood Glen
Coachwood Glen is only a five minute drive from Mermaids Cave and the walk itself is around 600m return, you might walk a little further if you explore a bit more of the creek (we walked for just under 1km).
It’s a gorgeous little patch of rainforest, with some pretty incredible sprawling tree roots and lots of hanging vines. The Coachwood Glen Nature Trail winds down to the creek on a well maintained dirt track and then you can make a partial loop back to the parking area.
The creek has several pretty cascades and crystal clear water, which would be the perfect place to paddle on a warm day.
There are giant mossy rocks and trees, and the whole area feels serene. It’s at its prettiest after rain when the forest is green and lively.
There are a couple of parking areas, but we always walk from this one - type in “Coachwood Glen in Google Maps, you’ll find it here - which is a large lay-by with room for several cars.
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