Blue Mountains National Park is located 60 kilometres west of the city of Sydney. It is the most visited national park in New South Wales and part of the World Heritage listed Greater Blue Mountains Area.
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has recently seen a significant and sustained increase in visitors. There were over 8 million visitors to Blue Mountains National Park in 2018, and an estimated visitation growth of 75% over the last 10 years.
Visitors come to enjoy bushwalks, waterfalls, picnics, lookout views, and participate in adventure sports like rock climbing, mountain biking, and canyoning.
Providing suitable facilities for visitors and the local community, while ensuring the special environment of the park is protected is challenging. Good park planning is essential to meet increasing demand and to continue to improve visitor facilities to maximise opportunities and minimise impacts. We will continue to keep you informed with updates on these projects as they progress.
Some closures will be required for these projects. Please check alerts on the NSW Visitor Webpage to help plan your visit.
Visitor Precinct upgrade projects
The National Parks and Wildlife Service is improving the visitor experience in Blue Mountains National Park at Wentworth Falls and Blackheath.
The spectacular lookouts and heritage walking tracks of Blue Mountains National Park are enjoyed by millions of locals and visitors every year.
We are upgrading popular visitor precincts in the upper mountains, including Govetts Leap and Evans Lookout in Blackheath and the Conservation Hut precinct in Wentworth Falls.
Over the next few years, visitor facilities will be upgraded under the NSW Government's Improving Access to National Parks program. The program is the largest ever investment in visitor infrastructure within New South Wales's national parks and aims to improve visitor experience; accommodate increased visitation; and bolster and grow the visitor economy.
In total, the NSW Government has committed $257 million to roll out 170 visitor infrastructure projects, including seven new or improved multiday walks across the state.
Through these initiatives, new and existing visitors with a broad range of ages and abilities will be able to experience nature and enjoy our national parks.
Importantly, these projects will drive increased tourism to New South Wales, help our regional towns recover from the 2019–20 bushfires and bolster the economic contribution that national parks make to the economy (particularly regional economies) through nature-based tourism.
Conservation is at the heart of everything we do, and these projects will play an important role in strengthening the connection between conservation and visitation.
Access for all
We have a Disability Inclusion Action Plan which outlines our commitment to the Disability Inclusion Act 2014. The plan aims to enhance inclusion by improving access to national parks, lookouts, picnic areas, tracks and camping grounds for people with restricted mobility. These upgrade projects support this commitment.
