Kedumba River Crossing campground

Kedumba River Crossing is a remote, walk-in tent campground in a broad grassy clearing beside the Kedumba River. Its 20 unpowered sites are unmarked, and the setting opens toward Mount Solitary, the Katoomba escarpment and Kings Tableland. I’d choose it for an overnight walk when the riverside camp is worth the effort; it isn’t a drive-up stop.

The shorter route starts at the locked gate on Kedumba Valley Road near Wentworth Falls. It’s 9 km down Kedumba Pass, with NPWS allowing two to three hours in and three to four back out. The return is the harder leg, especially with a loaded pack. From Katoomba, the Mount Solitary track approach is 15.5 km and part of a multi-day walk. Check official alerts before leaving; maintenance, weather and fire danger can close parts of the area.

The sites are unpowered, with toilets, picnic tables and barbecue facilities listed at camp. There’s no supplied drinking water, so bring enough food and water for your stay. Creek water must be treated before drinking; account for every litre on the walk down and the steep climb out.

The campground occupies part of former Maxwell Farm. Nearby, heritage-listed Maxwell’s Hut is the original homestead, and NPWS points out a rare stand of Camden white gums by the river. They give this overnight walk a glimpse of the settlement that once occupied the valley.

Red-necked wallabies and wombats may be around camp. Platypus can sometimes be seen in the river around dawn or dusk, so those are good times to watch the water and banks.