Mount Victoria, NSW
7.1 km (2.5 hrs )
★★★☆☆

The hike to Asgard Swamp, Thor Head and Asgard Mine is one of those understated walks that has the potential to surprise with some spectacular scenery and interesting historic relics. This is not a particularly challenging walk, although finding the track down to Asgard Mine proved more difficult than I thought! The walk is a bit exposed, so hiking in the cooler months may be preferable.

The walk begins at the unmarked locked gate, about 1 km from Victoria Falls Lookout. The sandy trail heads downhill to Asgard Swamp, an open area of grass with a small creek to cross about 1 km into the walk. 1 km further on is the main swamp, with an interesting pagoda shaped rock overlooking the swamp. About 0.5 km from the swamp, the track splits, with options to head uphill to Thor Head, or continue on to Asgard Mine and Asgard Head. Thor Head is at the end of a narrow ridge overlooking Asgard Swamp and Grose Valley. There are some spectacular views of the western end of Grose Valley at Thor Head and along the ridge. Take care as the area is unfenced and the drop to the valley is in the hundreds of metres.

Asgard Mine is the remains of an oil shale mine. The mine shaft is fairly low and runs a few metres into the cliff edge. There are also the remains of an beehive shaped oven close to the mine shaft that is interesting to see. The track to the mine is a little difficult to find - look for a narrow sandy path that follows a dry creek downhill, close to the junction with Thor Head.