







Blue Mountains National Park
12 current alerts · Checked 14 Oct 2026, 12:05 am
Park Fire Ban - Blue Mountains National Park
A park fire ban is in place in this park and remains in effect unless otherwise extended or removed. During park fire ban periods, all campfire and solid fuel (wood, heat beads, charcoal, briquettes, hexamine) barbecues and stoves are prohibited. Gas and electric barbecues and cookers are permitted as long as:
However the following campgrounds are exempt:
If a Total Fire Ban is in place, different rules apply. Contact the local park office before bringing a gas or electric barbecue or cooker.
Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information about fire bans in parks and reserves including your responsibilities, visit the NSW National Parks fire safety page.
Perched 250m above the wild Grose River, Vale of Avoca lookout is only 15mins drive from Richmond or Kurrajong but feels worlds away. Soak in the wild landscapes of the Lower Grose Valley on the 140m walk from the carpark to the lookout.
From the unfenced sandstone rock platforms admire the natural amphitheatre of forest-clad mountains plunging into deep, v-shaped gorges. The round hump of Mount Hay, near Katoomba, can be seen in the distance.
Bring a picnic, meditate, indulge your inner artist, or spot the local wildlife, wedge-tailed eagles are common here. You might glimpse the rare glossy black cockatoo, or even a koala.
The lookout is also home to many uncommon plants, including the native cranberry and critically endangered scrub turpentine. One of the world's rarest species of heath, sparse heath, grows below the lookout and by the Grose River. Look for its cream, tubular bell-shaped flowers from April to June.
To make a day of it, enjoy a bushwalk to the Grose River, via nearby Waterboard fire trail. Allow 3 hours for the 5km return walk. In spring and summer, you can cool off in the pristine river, or try your...
Lower Grose Valley area · Blue Mountains National Park · Sydney and surrounds · Country NSW
Vale of Avoca lookout offers glorious views across the deep gorges and wilderness of the Lower Grose Valley, in World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park, near Richmond.
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Grose Vale NSW 2753