This walk was organised and led by Stan M as a CBC walk:

Saturday 24 May: Nattai Gorge/Boxvale Tramway – M/M. Walk through light forest then traverse the spectacular and beautiful Nattai Gorge near Mittagong. Lunch at Boxvale Creek then back to the cars along the historic tramway alignment. All on track but a steep climb out of the gorge. About 4½ hrs actual walking. Map: Mittagong Leader: Stan M. Transport: ~$30.

A group of us met on the northern outskirts of Canberra and met some more at Marulan. 15 all up. A drive up the Federal Highway to turn off near Mittagong and head for the car park of the Mt Alexandra Reserve.

Walk

Stan gave us a briefing of the route using the excellent signage at the car park and we set off at 9.40am. Easy walking on the benched Boxvale Walking Track to the wall of a dam on Nattai Creek, then on through Casurina Cutting to a T-intersection where we headed right towards Forty Foot Falls. The track took us through beautiful open forest with plenty of sandstone as the neared the descent to the falls on Nattai Creek. A sttel ladder at one point and well presented wooden steps in places. The Forty Foot Falls were fabulous - we got right behind then for morning tea and the water cascaded down in front of us (see pic 1). This leg 3.2km in 1hr 10mins.

We next followed the track down along Nattai Creek to its junction with the Nattai River. Beautiful walking under sandstone cliffs. The track turned into the Nattai River Gorge - cool, damp, ferns. After Kells Creek and before the elbow in the River the track crossed the water via slippery rocks. A magnificent natural rock arch at the bend with beautiful brown patterned sandstone, like wood. The final leg of the gorge had towering cliffs (see pic 2). It was pleasant to, at times, separate from the group chatter and walk alone, listening to the river and the abundant Bell Birds. We found lunch after again crossing the Nattai River just near Box Vale Creek. This leg 3.2km in 1hr 35mins.

Setting off again, we covered a couple of hundred metres or so to the bottom of the Incline:

In 1883, five years prior to the Boxvale Tramway being built, the Mittagong Coal-mining Company (Limited) took steps and opened a new seam of coal situated 520' (158.5mts.) below at the base of the incline. The seam was said to be twenty-nine feet thick. It was well known that the quality of the coal was of very high standard, nearly if not equal to the best Newcastle coal. In the same year a workforce prepared the ground for the erection of a stationary engine on this spot and the construction of the incline to the mouth of the coal mine below. (signage at the top of the Incline)

It was a steep little pinch up the 158m, over 380m horizontal. Took around 30mins to climb up, at times pulling oneself up using the cable laid up the Incline. Stan encouraged us by saying that the record for the ascent was 13mins!

A quick 600m round trip to a lookout with views into the westering sun further down the river and, below us, into the gorge we'd walked through.

We now followed the actual tramway, as we had from the start to the turn off to Forty Foot Falls. Signage at the start of the walk best describes it (we were walking the opposite direction to that described):

The Boxvale Track crosses Nattai Creek then follows the embankment of the Boxvale Tramway (railway, in common parlance). The line, of standard gauge, was built in 1888 to carry coal mined in Nattai Gorge the seven klms to the main southern Line at Mittagong. The line passes through several cuttings and a tunnel 84 metres in length. It ends at the "incline", by which coal was brought up from the gorge. The Colliery probably had its heyday in 1888, when 100 tons of coal per week were shipped to Melbourne during a coal strike. The Colliery was closed in 1896 and the tramway (railway) abandoned. The last part of the line was opened as a walking track in 1996. Design and finance were by Nowra Lands Office. The construction was done by wards of the State from Toombong School, the Mount Alexandra Committee and people employed under the Community Employment Programme.

The tunnel was magnificent (see pic 3).

The track passed through Fern Cutting and Boulder Cutting, crossed Kells Creek and brought us back to the morning's T-intersection. And so back to the cars. The leg from the top of the Incline was 4.3km in 1.5hrs.

This was a truly excellent little wander in beautiful country. Thanks Stan and companions.

Distance: 11.1km  Climb: 300m.  Time: 9.40am - 3.35pm (call it 6hrs), with 1hr of stops.
Grading: M/M; M(8)