A modest sandstone outcrop beside McCarrs Creek Road led to an afternoon of overhangs, open woodland and unexpected discoveries in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Sometimes the quiet joy of small places is enough.

In 1931, a section of the Katoomba escarpment began to fail — a fissure widening for months before the cliff finally gave way. Nearly a century later, the scar is still there.

Across Pittwater, the cliffs give little away. A day along their base reveals what sits within them — and what is easy to miss.

Three days in Wollemi gorge country

A journey to find the base of Fortress Creek Falls

Dramatic drops, enchanting rainforest. The falls’ position on the edge of suburbia only heightens the sense of wonder.