Blue Mountains National Park

Overview

Blue Mountains National Park is one of New South Wales' best known parks, and at over 247,000 ha is also one of the biggest. It is just 50km to the west of Sydney, and is part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area which protects over a million hectares of land. It offers much to both the keen bushwalker and the casual tourist. The edge of the park is relatively developed in areas with information centres, constructed walking tracks and picnic areas. Yet in the interior there is a huge amount of rugged, relatively unexplored country with spectacular gorges and canyons, soaring cliffs and forested ridges. Opportunities abound for bushwalking, mountain biking, canyoning, abseiling, climbing and caving in the park.

Access

The shape of the park is such that there are many access points to its edge, and a number to well inside. Bells Line of Road is the major access to the northern section of the park, and to the north side of the Grose Valley. The Great Western Highway gives access to all of the towns along the main ridge, including Katoomba, and there are many fire trails off to the north and south of it. The south western side of the park is accessed via the Colong to Oberon Stock Route, and on the south side access is available along Wombeyan Caves Rd.

The towns on the Great Western Highway can also be reached by train, although it may be a bit of a walk from the station to the cliffs where most walks begin. Some larger towns such as Katoomba and Blackheath may have bus services that can get you closer to the starts of walks.

Activities

Bushwalking

Due to its size, walks from one day up to a week or more can be easily envisaged in the park. The most popular areas for day walking are the well formed tracks around Katoomba and Leura, due to the tourist influence. The most popular overnight walk is down to the Blue Gum Forest, often regarded as the birthplace of the conservation movement in NSW. However, regular bushwalkers tend to avoid those areas because of the crowds. Mt Solitary and the Wild Dog Mountains are other favoured destinations, although keen walkers will head for places like the Blue Breaks and the Wollangambe Wilderness where time permits.

Canyoning

There are several important areas for canyoning in the Blue Mountains. Some of the oldest known canyons such as the Grand Canyon and Empress Canyon are on the south side of the Grose Valley not far from Katoomba. There are numerous other canyons in this area. Quite a number of canyons also exist on the north side of the Grose Valley. Further east, the Carmarthen Labyrinth contains one of the most popular abseiling canyons in Claustral. And to the north, the Mt Wilson region has the most popular canyon in Wollangambe, as well as many other easily accessible ones. North of the Wollangambe River, the Wollangambe Wilderness holds many less frequently visited canyons, which lie in wait for the adventurous.

Canoeing/Kayaking

The waterways in the Blue Mountains don't really lend themselves to canoeing or kayaking mostly due to their inaccessibility and relatively low water levels.

Mountain Biking

Quite a number of good rides exist in the Blue Mountains, although the Sydney Water Catchment Area and Kanangra-Boyd Wilderness block off one of the best - from Katoomba to Mittagong. The Oaks Fire Trail, from Woodford to Glenbrook, and Anderson's Fire Trail from Wentworth Falls to Woodford are two of the most popular. The fire trails north and south of the Great Western Highway provide some good routes, and some loop rides are possible if you are prepared to push/carry your bike short distances!

Liloing

Liloing is very popular in the canyons around the Mt Wilson area, in particular Wollangambe River, Bell Creek and DuFaurs Creek. The Kowmung can also be liloed in certain sections and I have heard reports of people liloing Coxs River. Most other waterways are a bit shallow and rocky to make liloing worthwhile.