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Visited: winter
Recommendation: This is a forest oasis within suburbia. It is a stunning walk with lots of potential for wildlife. It may not qualify as a destination but it is certainly a great place to visit if you are in the area.
Birdwood Gully is between Springwood and Faulconbridge and on face value is a nondescript patch of woodland by the local houses. In actual fact it's absolutely stunning. The loop track is joined by a stretch of road and so you can start at either spot. The track winds down through thick forest and then along the creeks.
The preservation of Birdwood Gully in Springwood, a suburb of the Blue Mountains, is not due to a single factor, but rather a combination of its impassable topography, its long-standing protected status, and the commitment of local conservationists. The single most important factor is the topography of the gully itself. Set within a deep valley it is cut into the soft Hawkesbury Sandstone plateau, making it a a steep, rocky, and often wet environment. This makes it physically difficult and extremely costly for residential or commercial developers to build on.
The presence of Shelleys Creek and its convergence with Springwood Creek within the gully floor creates a permanent, moist environment that supports lush, dense vegetation, including ferns and rainforest pockets. This also increases instability and flood risk, deterring development. Lastly, the steep-sided, convoluted nature of the gully acts as a natural boundary that funnels suburban development around its edges, rather than through it. The houses of Springwood sit on the flatter ridge tops above the gully's sheer rock walls and overhangs.
The environmental significance of the gully has ensured its formal protection as a reserve, preventing clearing and development. It is largely contained within a designated public reserve or parkland area, often managed by the Blue Mountains City Council. This legal status means the land is set aside for conservation and passive recreation.
The gully and its creek system form a vital wildlife corridor and vegetation link, connecting the suburban areas to the much larger, protected Blue Mountains National Park (part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area). This connectivity makes its protection a priority for maintaining regional biodiversity. Dedicated local volunteers, such as the Birdwood Gully Bushcare Group, have been active since the mid-1990s. These groups regularly work to remove invasive weed species (like Honey Suckle, Morning Glory, and Privet) that creep in from the surrounding residential backyards.
There are many overhanging rock areas that create gloomy, wet environment so it is no surprise that they have glow worms in them. I didn't visit at night but would like to on a return visit. The whole walk was beautiful with native grasses and ferns surrounded by towering trees. There was still enough space, however, for the sun to filter through. In early spring, as the cool morning wore on, it warmed up considerably. The bird life was busier than I expected at that time in the morning and that temperature. I only, ironically enough, got one photograph of the most cryptic bird down there, the Bassian Thrush. Otherwise everything else was busy or calling but staying in the cool of the trees.
Bassian Thrush (Zoothera lunulata)
There were lots of Eastern Water Skinks and Jacky Dragons hanging around the margins of the creeks looking for spots of sunshine. On the way up the more rocky eastern side of the gully we saw several Mountain Dragons. They were busy picking off ants as groups of them emerged from their nests.
Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii)
Mountain Dragon (Rankinia diemensis)
We also found on one of the creeks a Green Stream Frog (Litoria phyllochroa). These are endemic to the streams and waterways of eastern Australia, primarily along the coast and ranges of New South Wales. The taxonomy of these particular frogs is difficult as there have been many revisions. I will not attempt to dig any further into that pothole!
Names aside, it does remain, a particularly attractive frog.
Green Stream Frog (Litoria phyllochroa)
Despite the lack of bird sightings, this walk was so interesting and beautiful that I didn't feel disappointed. Here are some of the birds I saw and heard:
Bassian Thrush Grey Fantail Pied Currawong Grey Butcherbird
Golden Whistler Eastern Whipbird Brown Thornbill White-browed Scrubwren
Spotted Pardalote Red Wattlebird Yellow-faced Honeyeater Lewin's Honeyeater
Superb Fairywren Variegated Fairywren White-throated Treecreeper Crimson Rosella
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Sacred Kingfisher Laughing Kookaburra
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