Blue Mountains National Park

The Blue Mountains National Park is a large, world Heritage-listed national park occupying much of the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. The park has many cliffs, plateaus, valleys, waterfalls and something a trip to Sydney is never complete without. Blue Mountains National Park is also New South Wales' most visited national park receiving over 8 million visitors in 2018.

National parks and karst conservation areas of the Greater Blue Mountains Area
Blue Mountains • Gardens of Stone • Jenolan Caves • Kanangra-Boyd • Nattai • Thirlmere Lakes • Wollemi • Yengo

Understand

Flora and fauna

The park is home to many kangaroos and other wildlife. When walking in the bush, especially in the summer, be aware of snakes.

In the open forests, the Australian echidna is relatively common. Presumably some koalas, which were still common in this area around 1900s, are still in the park. Species that are nocturnal and therefore difficult to observe include brushtail possum and various flying squirrel possums unless you choose to camp.

The denser forests are also inhabited by bandicoots, broad-legged bag mice, swamp wallabies, and giant gliders. The largest marsupial predator is the giant quoll, which also inhabits dense forests. Especially in the more open areas, where grasses and woody coexist, there are nudibranch wombats , red-necked wallabies , mountain kangaroos and eastern grey kangaroos. The region's largest predator is the dingo, which is a feral dog. There are also foxes, cats, horses and cattle in the park, which are not originally native and were introduced by the British, and have a negative impact on the local wildlife.

Visitor information

Get in

By car

Most roads are gravel roads, but are gazetted formed roads. Check your rental agreement if you are renting a car.

There's a few ways to get into the key areas of the park...

Along Great Western Highway

Glenbrook — Turn off left into Rose St to enter into Glenbrook. At the T intersection of Burfitt Parade, turn left and follow that street down into Bruce Rd. Follow that road down past the bridge over the railway. Park at the National Parks & Wildlife Office to get your pass.

Katoomba — The easiest path to get to Echo Point: Once you enter into Katoomba from Parke St, turn left on the first roundabout, and then straight along the second. Turn right onto Lurline St, and follow that street until the end. You should get to the corner of Echo Point Rd and Cliff Dr.

Blackheath — When you enter Blackheath, turn right onto Grovetts Leap Rd. The entry is the Blue Mountains Heritage Centre.

Along Bells of Line Road

Lower Grose Valley (Vale of Avoca Lookout) — After driving into Kurrajong, turn left onto Old Bells of Line/Grose Vale Road. Follow it until you turn right on Cabbage Tree Rd,  and drive until you reach the end carpark. The road is mostly sealed until you enter the park, where it comes unsealed.

Mount Wilson — Turn right into Mount Wilson Rd.

By bus

Some buses run to Katoomba close to Echo Point. See the Katoomba article for information. Other buses also run to Blackheath, although this is not that common.

Fees and permits

A cost of $8 per vehicle applies at the Glenbrook entrance. Further up the mountains visitors there are no fees but you may have to pay for parking within the park.

NSW Parks passes are valid in the park, which provide unlimited access to the park for a year or two years. The passes provide faster entry and are valid for 12/24 months from date of purchase. The fees per vehicle (as at 2022) are as follows:

  • All Parks Pass – access to all parks in New South Wales, including Kosciuszko National Park ($190 for one year, $335 for two years)
  • Multi Park Pass – access to all parks in New South Wales, excluding Kosciuszko National Park ($65 for one year, $115 for two years)
  • Country Parks Pass – access to all parks in Country New South Wales, excluding Kosciuszko National Park ($45 for one year, $75 for two years)

There is also a fourth pass; the Single Park Pass, worth $22 for one year and $40 for two. Note that having an NSW Parks pass does not give you free parking at Katoomba, as the parking lot is outside the park.

Get around

The Main Western Line has frequent trains that run from Penrith to Lithgow and Bathurst, with stops at various towns in the Blue Mountains. Bushwalking tracks are within short walking distance from the Katoomba, Leura, Blackheath, Lithgow, Wentworth Falls, Woodford, Glenbrook, and other train stops along the Main Western Line.

See

When bushwalking, try not to miss the beautiful flora (plants) and fauna (animals). You will find a lovely and colourful range of flowers. If you ever come across animals, you should never do anything to hurt them, as they will not like to be disturbed.

Another thing to consider when going bushwalking is that you make sure you don't step on any animals' homes and you should never make new trails and cause erosion.

Lookouts
  • 🌍 Echo Point (Echo Point lookout), Echo Point Rd, Katoomba. Unless you have come to this park several times before, a trip to Blue Mountains National Park is never complete without viewing the spectacular views of the Three Sisters rock formation from this lookout. There are a lot of tourists, although the platforms are well structured to give you a great view. There are numerous walking trails from here, include a 30 minute walk to the Three Sisters themselves. Signs can be mixed with it either only being in English, or sometimes have Mandarin Free, although parking at $5 an hour. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Sublime Point lookout, Sublime Point Walking Track, Leura, ☏ +61 2 4780 5000. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Govetts Leap lookout, Cliff Top Track, Blackheath, ☏ +61 2 4787 8877. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Evans lookout, Evans Lookout Rd, Blackheath, ☏ +61 2 4787 8877. Overlooking the sandstone cliffs of Grose Valley, Evans lookout is just one example as to why the views of the Blue Mountains can never get boring. The lookout includes a carpark nearby, along with some toilets. The lookout also has trails to the nearby Govetts Leap lookout as well as the Grand Canyon. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Pulpit Rock lookout, Pulpit Rock Track, Blackheath, ☏ +61 2 4787 8877. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Nepean lookout, Nepean Lookout Trail, Glenbrook Area, ☏ +61 2 4588 2400. 8:30AM–7PM (DST), 8:30AM–6PM (at other times). Most people think of the Blue Mountains being confined to the Upper Blue Mountains areas with plateaus, cliffs, valleys and waterfalls. What's not known about the park is it's also known for its border with the Nepean River. This lookout is just one viewing points of Sydney's longest river. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Portal lookout, Mount Portal Trail, Mulgoa. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Tunnel View lookout, Mount Portal Trail, Glenbrook Area. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Vale of Avoca lookout, Cabbage Tree Rd, Grose Vale, ☏ +61 2 4588 2400. (updated Jan 2022)

Other points of interest
  • 🌍 Blue Mountains Heritage Centre, 270 Govetts Leap Rd, Blackheath, ☏ +61 2 4787 8877. 9AM–4:30PM. Learn about what makes the Blue Mountains region so culturally significant to Indigenous Australians. The heritage centre also has information about surrounding walks and trails in the Blackheath area. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Red Hands Cave, Red Hands Cave Walking Track, Blue Labyrinth (near Glenbrook). 8:30AM–7PM (DST), 8:30AM–6PM (at other times). Painted around 1600 to 500 years ago, these red, yellow and white coloured cave with full of hands used through a mixture of ochre and water. Getting here is a 1 km walk from the nearest carpark, although you can do a 4 km loop. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 Bullaburra. A sleepy little town over 769m above sea level. In its literal meaning "blue sky", Bullaburra was among one of the last Blue Mountains towns to develop during the life of landowner Sir Henry Parkes, who called the area Colridge. The town boasts a selection of crafts, antiques and teahouses. 

Do

The Blue Mountains National Park has many interesting things to do.

Bushwalking
See also: Hiking and bushwalking in Australia#Blue Mountains

This is a very popular pastime in the Blue Mountains and there are a number of well-maintained trails that will offer you the opportunity to go down into the valley floor, viewing the changing vegetation as you descend. Lyrebirds can be found in the undergrowth in the valley. They imitate the sounds of other birds, so you will probably need to keep your eyes open for them but they are quite a find for any bushwalker to come across. With many things to do, and many places to explore, why wouldn't you try it some time.

Sightseeing

There are a number of amazing sites to see just from the main highway and major roads. The Three Sisters is one famous site that every visitor to the Blue Mountains must stop and see. There are fabulous views from many vantage points and it is evident on a clear day why the Mountains received their name of "Blue", as the Eucalyptus shimmer in the distance, creating a hazy blue as far as the eye can see.

The Zig-Zag Railway
Main article: Lithgow#Do

At Lithgow, you will come across the famous Zig-Zag Railway. This train is a switchback form and was built in the 19th century as a tourist attraction, which it remains today. At the time it was built, it was a major engineering feat.

Buy

The only sort of shop is at the discovery centre (see #See) or at Echo Point Visitor Centre. Otherwise, you there's plenty of shops in the towns that make up the Blue Mountains.

Eat and drink

There is only a single place to eat in the entire park area, but that should be no surprise given how the park is just a vast wilderness. However, a few metres outside the park and there's plenty of choices to choose from. See the Katoomba, Blackheath and all the other cities listed in Blue Mountains.

However, if you are going out in the vast wilderness or going on trek, you will need to bring some food with you.

  • 🌍 Conservation Hut, 92 Fletcher Street, Wentworth Falls, ☏ +61 2 4757 3827. 9AM-4PM. This hut is a meeting place for the Blue Mountains Conservation Society and a popular rest stop for hikers, and has been since the 60s. (updated Oct 2021)

Sleep

In addition to staying in the Blue Mountains National Park itself, many visitors stay in the various towns dotted along the Great Western Highway, particularly in Katoomba.

Camping

There are many camping areas in the national park, managed by several different National Parks and Wildlife administration centres.

Backcountry

In the part of the park north of the Great Western Highway camping is limited to established campgrounds. South of the highway you can camp anywhere, as long as you are not in a picnic area or lookout; and you are not within 200 m of a park facility, including roads and walking tracks.

Go next

Now that you've checked out Blue Mountains, why not travel north to Wollemi National Park?

Or head down south to Kanangra-Boyd National Park.

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