Fantastic bush walks in the Blue Mountains, Bald Rock, and camping at the Warrumbungle.

Blue Mountains National Park

The Blue Mountains are in New South Wales. They are a UNESCO World Heritage site. They offer a mix of natural beauty, outdoor adventure, and history. This makes them a must-see for nature lovers and adventurers.

The Blue Mountains NP was the first place we explored after moving to Australia. We loved it and often returned to hike all the fantastic trails, especially the Grand Canyon. Even though we can no longer handle challenging hikes, we still visit and enjoy the beautiful scenery by playing golf in Blackheath.

The Blue Mountains National Park welcomed us to Australia with open arms, and we immediately fell in love. We explored its many trails, the Grand Canyon track holding a particular allure. While our hiking boots may have seen their best days, the beauty of the Blue Mountains continues to draw us back. These days, we enjoy the scenery at a more relaxed pace, with frequent visits to the Blackheath golf course.

We stayed in the charming town of Blackheath most of the time, and a trip to the Govetts Leap lookout is a must. The lookout offers a view of the Grose Valley. The lookout is 3 km away from Blackheath, but it's easy to get there—take a short drive by car, walk through gorgeous bushland, or hike the moderately difficult Popes Glen trail.

We fell in love with the charming town of Blackheath, our home for much of our time in the Blue Mountains. One of the highlights was undoubtedly Govetts Leap lookout, offering a breathtaking panorama of the Grose Valley. We reached the lookout in various ways – sometimes a quick drive, other times a refreshing walk through the beautiful bush, and once, a satisfying hike along the moderately challenging Popes Glen trail.

Govetts Leap to Pierces Pass is a fantastic 7-8-hour wilderness hike, a 4. grade, with a few challenging sections. — Bridelfall

Embarking on the 7-8 hour Govetts Leap to Pierces Pass trek is a true wilderness adventure, graded 4 for its challenging terrain. The first hurdle is a dramatic descent from the sheer cliffs—a moment that feels impossible until you take the first step.

Once in the valley, there are some river crossings.

When arriving in the valley you have to cross the Grose river a couple of times.

The majestic Blue Gum Forest is the halfway point. Many hikers take a tent with them and enjoy a night in the Blue Mountains NP. We just brought food and water and enjoyed a lovely lunch under the trees while listening to the fantastic sound of the cicadas. We then walked for another 4 hours, with the final stretch uphill. By the end, we were extremely thirsty, having run out of water.

Another great place in Blue Mountains NP is Evans the Lookout, which is located 6 km from Blackheath and offers an incredible view of the Grose Valley. From Evans Lookout, you can easily explore nearby hiking tracks.

Another fantastic spot in Blue Mountains National Park is Evans Lookout, located just 6 km from Blackheath. It offers breathtaking views of the Grose Valley and is a starting point for multiple trails of varying grades and lengths.

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon track is one of the most popular walks in the Blue Mountains NP. A fantastic challenging hike down the sandstone walls that have been carved over millions of years. The grade 3 hike takes about 3 -4 hours to finish. However, when taking photos of the stunning waterfalls, ferns and breathtaking views it will take longer.

We began our hike at Neates Glen car park, descending into Blue Mountains National Park through the Grand Canyon and finishing at Evans Lookout. Having done the trail in both directions, we preferred starting at Neates Glen and making the ascent to Evans Lookout.

The Grand Canyon hike passes nice waterfalls and lush vegetation, and it also provides places to rest in the shade.

Along the Grand Canyon hike, you’ll find beautiful waterfalls, lush vegetation, and shady spots perfect for a rest.

ome water crossings and sections of the track can be slippery.

Watch your footing; some water crossings and parts of the trail are slippery.

Furthermore, you must cross Greaves Creek at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and if you're lucky, you might spot a large, colourful crayfish. Climbing then up to Evans Lookout.

At the bottom of the Grand Canyon, you’ll need to cross Greaves Creek—and if you’re really lucky, you might spot one of the huge, brightly coloured crayfish that live there. From there, the trail ascends to Evans Lookout.

There are some other nice hiking tracks in the Blue Mountains NP. Walk the Federation Pass.

Among our favourite hikes in the Blue Mountains National Park is the Historic Federal Pass from Katoomba.

Option 1: This hike begins at Scenic World, leading to Echo Point and then down the Giant Stairway (998 steps!). From there, follow the Federation Pass to the Cable Car station. Be prepared for a knee-challenging descent!

Option 2: Descend to the beautiful Leura Forest by walking past Echo Point. Although it is a longer route, it is considerably easier on your knees.

Option 2: We highly recommend this route. Start at the Scenic Skyway and enjoy the scenic walk to Echo Point. Continue along the trail to Leura Cascade, then find the intersection for Leura Forest. The descent along Linda Creek into the enchanting Leura Forest is truly breathtaking.

The Leura Forest is an excellent spot to take a break before making the final 2.5-hour hike to the base of the Scenic Railway.

Leura Forest is an ideal spot for a break. After your rest, continue via the Dardanelles or Federal Pass, both of which lead to the bottom station of the Scenic Railway.

the steepest railway in the world is in Blue Mountains NP

Complete your hike with a scenic ride on the Scenic Cableway. This remarkable cable car, the steepest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, provides breathtaking views as it ascends back to your starting point.

Warrumbungle National Park

Warrumbungle National Park is in New South Wales. It is known for its stunning volcanic landscapes, rich wildlife, and stargazing. The main volcanic points are the Breadknife, Belougery Spire, and Bluff. The Park was declared as Australia’s first Dark Sky Park in 2016, for its exceptional night skies free from light pollution.

One of our first camping trips after arriving in Australia was to Warrumbungle National Park near Coonabarabran, NSW. We stayed in a remote spot halfway up the mountains, where it was incredibly peaceful—just one other camper was there. The site had basic facilities, including a wood fire pit and toilets, but no showers. For that, we had to hike 45 minutes down to another campsite.

We enjoyed beautiful walks and scenery but didn't have a digital camera. So we don't have as many photos as today.

The walks and scenery were stunning, but lacking a digital camera, we have far fewer photos from that trip than we would today.

We did a couple of hikes there, the Breadknife and Grand High Tops Walk, but was challenging—about 5 hours for the 13 km. Beautiful panorama, and we were lucky to spot two Koalas

We tackled a couple of challenging hikes, including the Breadknife and Grand High Tops Walk, a 13km trek that took us about five hours. The panoramic views were stunning, and we were thrilled to spot two koalas.

The Warrumbungle is a wonderful place to spot native wildlife, including kangaroos, emus, and koalas. It can be risky to look for koalas by walking and looking into the trees rather than the ground.

The Warrumbungles are a fantastic place to spot native wildlife, including kangaroos, emus, and koalas. However, searching for koalas can be tricky—it’s easy to trip if you’re looking up into the trees instead of watching your step!

Bald Rock National Park

Bald Rock National Park, nestled in New South Wales near the Queensland border, offers visitors a unique experience. Home to the massive Bald Rock, the largest exposed granite rock in Australia, the park provides opportunities for hiking, climbing, and camping.

Then, on the way back from hiking in Lamington National Park, we stayed at a cute cabin for a couple of days. This is part of the 650-acre Spanish Hacienda near Bald Rock National Park.

On our way back from hiking in Lamington National Park, we spent a couple of days in a charming cabin. It was part of a 650-acre Spanish Hacienda near Bald Rock National Park.

Climbing up Bald Rock Summit is a short but hard Grade 5 hike. At 1277 metres above sea level, this granite monolith is the largest in Australia.

After climbing the summit, we walked to the Trig lookout, from which we had wonderful panoramic views

Having reached the summit, we continued to the Trig Lookout, from where we enjoyed fantastic panoramic views.

We hiked through a granite wonderland and a diverse range of flora. There are Red Stringybark, Banksias, Grevilleas, and the rock surfaces are covered with diverse lichen and moss. Also, we spotted many beautiful Rock Orchids.

Bald Rock National Park there are large, free-standing rock outcrops. These Granite Tors have been sculpted by weathering and erosion. They come in interesting shapes as arches or bridges

Bald Rock National Park has some amazing granite tors. These huge, free-standing rocks have been shaped by the weather into cool things like arches and bridges.

During our hikes in Bald Rock National Park, we spotted beautiful Rock Orchids sometimes called Rock Lilies. Rock Orchids are incredibly adaptable in challenging rocky environments, like Bald Rock. The large clusters of creamy white to yellow flowers are stunning.

During our hikes in Bald Rock National Park, we came across beautiful Rock Orchids, also known as Rock Lilies. These hardy plants thrive in the park’s rugged, rocky terrain, showcasing stunning clusters of creamy white to yellow flowers.

We made a quick halt at the Crawney Pass National Park, close to Nundle, before ending our amazing trip, and we took a picture of the magnificent grass trees.

We made a quick stop at Crawney Pass National Park near Nundle to snap a photo of the awesome grass trees before wrapping up our amazing trip.