More of Blue Mountains National Park Re-opened

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has reopened more areas of Blue Mountains National Park, after good rain around Blackheath has allowed fire crews to declare the Mount York fire officially out in recent days.

NPWS Area Manager and fire Incident Controller Richard Kingswood said the fire was declared out at 4pm on Monday. Areas now re-opened include:

• Perrys Lookdown
• Pulpit Rock
• Acacia Flat (including walking tracks in via Junction Rock, Lockleys Pylon and Perrys Lookdown)
• Mt Hay Road (including associated walking tracks and canyons)
• Carmarthen Canyons (including Claustral Canyon).

“Before the rain, national park areas around Wentworth Falls, Leura and Katoomba were open to visitors and now, thanks to the weekend rain, most of our most popular spots around Blackheath are re-opened,” Mr Kingswood said.

“We’d love to see visitors back in our park and in the Blue Mountains.”

Among those areas recently re-opened are overnight bush walking into the iconic “Cradle of Conservation” at the Blue Gum Forest, easy cliff top walks around the Grose River rim or a drive to the edge of wilderness at Mount Hay.

Alternatively, pack the hamper and enjoy a picnic in the great outdoors at Govetts Leap or Evan’s Lookout.

Mr Kingswood said some fire affected areas in Upper Grose would remain closed until they can be properly assessed. These include:

• Pierces Pass
• Mt Banks
• Victoria Falls
• Hanging Rock
• Burra Korrain camping area and the Blue Gum to Victoria Falls walking track
• Dalpura, Birrabang, Yileen and other canyons south of the Bells Line of Road between Bell and Mt Banks.

“We’ll be doing everything we can to reopen these closed areas as soon as possible,” Mr Kingswood said.