Narrow Neck Plateau

Narrow Neck Plateau
Narrow Neck Plateau
	Narrow Neck Plateau in the rain at sunset, Blue Mountains National Park
Highest point
Elevation	1,000 m (3,300 ft)
Coordinates	33°45′37″S 150°15′55″E / 33.76028°S 150.26528°E
Geography
	Narrow Neck Plateau Location of the Narrow Neck Plateau; in New South Wales
Location	Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia
Parent range	Blue Mountains

The Narrow Neck Plateau is an eroded remnant of a sandstone layer situated at an elevation of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level and part of the Blue Mountains, a spur line of the Great Dividing Range immediately southwest of Katoomba in New South Wales, Australia, within the Blue Mountains National Park. The neck separates the Jamison Valley to the east from the Megalong Valley to the west.

Description

Looking south along the Narrow Neck Plateau from the Narrow Neck Lookout in Katoomba. Megalong Valley is on the right, and Jamison Valley on the left, with Glenraphael Drive climbing the plateau.

From Cliff Drive, Katoomba, the Narrow Neck is accessed via a dirt road called Glenraphael Drive suitable for most two-wheel-drive vehicles, subject to good weather conditions, as far as a locked gate. It is a popular walking, bike riding and climbing location and offers several walking descent routes to the adjacent valleys. Beyond the gate is walking/bicycle access only for the general public. One of the most popular walks is the Golden Stairs, a rough descent of approximately 200 metres (660 ft) to join the Federal Pass. This opens up the Jamison Valley for popular day walks to sites such as Mount Solitary and the Ruined Castle. The neck juts southwards from Katoomba for a distance of some 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) and ends at Clear Hill, overlooking the Wild Dog Mountains. Castle Head promontory points towards the Ruined Castle, a small rock formation between Castle Head and Mount Solitary.^[1] Arguably one of the best views on the eastern seaboard of NSW is from Narrow Neck Fire Tower.^{[citation needed]} On a day of high visibility it is possible to see from Mittagong in the south to Toronto in the north and a number of peak landforms in between. It also has excellent views back towards the escarpment at Katoomba.

Missing person

A nineteen-year-old British backpacker Jamie Neale was found alive after twelve days lost in the Blue Mountains. Two bushwalkers alerted emergency services who were conducting an extensive search using the Police Rescue Squad, police dogs, State Emergency Service and Rural Fire Service.^[2]

Fauna

Upland swamps on Narrow Neck Plateau have been identified as potential habitats for the rare Blue Mountain Water Skink.^[3]

Points of Interest

Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

33°43′16″S 150°17′09″E / 33.721130°S 150.285934°E / -33.721130; 150.285934 (Cahill's Lookout) - Cahill's Lookout
33°47′17″S 150°14′54″E / 33.788081°S 150.248440°E / -33.788081; 150.248440 (Carlons Head) - Carlons Head
33°45′21″S 150°17′14″E / 33.755871°S 150.287245°E / -33.755871; 150.287245 (Castle Head) - Castle Head
33°48′40″S 150°15′55″E / 33.811090°S 150.265273°E / -33.811090; 150.265273 (Clear Hill) - Clear Hill
33°47′16″S 150°15′38″E / 33.787783°S 150.260528°E / -33.787783; 150.260528 (Fire Tower) - Fire Tower
33°44′07″S 150°16′57″E / 33.73526°S 150.28259°E / -33.73526; 150.28259 (Golden Staircase) - Golden Staircase
33°44′27″S 150°16′48″E / 33.740755°S 150.280110°E / -33.740755; 150.280110 (Locked Gate) - Locked Gate
33°44′04″S 150°17′55″E / 33.734543°S 150.298510°E / -33.734543; 150.298510 (Malaita Point) - Malaita Point
33°43′40″S 150°17′32″E / 33.727680°S 150.292111°E / -33.727680; 150.292111 (Narrow Neck Lookout) - Narrow Neck Lookout
33°45′48″S 150°17′38″E / 33.76338°S 150.29397°E / -33.76338; 150.29397 (Ruined Castle) - Ruined Castle
33°48′39″S 150°15′54″E / 33.810901°S 150.264946°E / -33.810901; 150.264946 (Tarro's Ladders) - Tarro's Ladders
33°44′8″S 150°18′52″E / 33.73556°S 150.31444°E / -33.73556; 150.31444 (Three Sisters) - Three Sisters Lookout

References

^ Paton, Neil (2004). Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks. Kangaroo Press. pp. 222–228.
^ "Missing for 12 days: backpacker Jamie Neale found". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
^ "Reptiles" (PDF). Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna of the Greater Southern Sydney Region - Fauna of Conservation Concern & Priority Pest Species. Environmental and Heritage. Retrieved 28 May 2014.

External links

Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia Aerial video footage of Narrow neck and the area around Katoomba.
"Blue Mountains Wilderness", by Harry Loots. From the April 1997 issue of the newsletter of the Harbourside Group of SGAP.

This New South Wales geography article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Paton, Neil (2004). Sydney and Blue Mountains Bushwalks. Kangaroo Press. pp. 222–228.

[2] "Missing for 12 days: backpacker Jamie Neale found". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2014.

[rvf-3] "Reptiles" (PDF). Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna of the Greater Southern Sydney Region - Fauna of Conservation Concern & Priority Pest Species. Environmental and Heritage. Retrieved 28 May 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]