Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area

Located in the Upper Blue Mountains near Lithgow, this reserve links Wollemi National Park, Blue Mountains National Park, and Gardens of Stone National Park.

Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area protects ancient sandstone pagodas, rich eucalypt forests, important cultural heritage, and an array of threatened species and ecological communities.

A rugged landscape of globally significant geological heritage, the reserve contains the highest-elevation sandstone plateau, Newnes, in the Blue Mountains. It’s a place of stunning natural beauty featuring sandstone pagodas and cliffs, slot canyons, steep gullies and grassy woodlands.

This area is of great importance to the Wiradjuri People. It's a significant cultural landscape and has many sites with artefacts. Art engravings and pigmentations, carved and scarred trees, stone arrangements and grinding grooves have been recorded here.

Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area is also important for the conservation of native plants and animals. The reserve protects at least 16 threatened ecological communities, rare groupings of plants and animals, including elevated swamps, box gum woodlands, Wolgan snow gum and tablelands grassy forest. More than 80 rare and threatened species make their homes here, including koalas, spotted-tail quolls, regent honeyeaters and Blue Mountains water skinks.

Vehicle access

Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area is 4WD access only. No 2WD vehicles.