To get to the Mount Wilson area in Blue Mountains National Park:

From Sydney:

• Take the Bells Line of Road from Richmond. Mount Banks turnoff is about 10km past Mount Tomah.
• Or, head west on the M4 and Great Western Highway towards Lithgow,
• At Mount Victoria, turn off the highway onto Darling Causeway and follow to the end. Then turn right onto Bells Line of Road.

From Lithgow:

• Follow the Great Western Highway east toward Sydney,
• At Mount Victoria, turn left onto Darling Causeway and follow to the end. Then turn right onto Bells Line of Road.
• You can also follow Chifley Road from Lithgow, which becomes Bells Line of Road.

Parking

• Serendipity Canyon See on map

Road quality

• Mixture of sealed and unsealed roads

Mount Wilson area is a remote and scenic place to visit. Here are some of the highlights.

Autumn

Autumn brings crisp weather and clear blue skies perfect for cycling, trail running or walking. Well-prepared, experienced hikers can tackle the walk from Pierces Pass to Blue Gum Forest, which goes deep into the Grose Wilderness. En route to the national park, visit the nearby cool climate Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, off the Bells Line of Road at Mount Tomah.

Spring

September and October are prime time for wildflowers and bird watching. Along the tracks and trails near Mount Banks vibrant red waratahs bloom, as well as grevilleas, banksias, and grass trees. After rain, rockpools fill on the heath and bright green or orange lichens come to life. In damp, shady areas look out for blue dampiera or insect-eating sticky sundews. Rare pink flannel flowers germinate after bushfires and rain. Bring your binoculars to spot a wedge-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, or black cockatoo riding the thermals above Grose Valley.

Summer

Escape the summer crowds and heat to enjoy remote wilderness and spectacular scenery. Du Faurs Rocks lookout and Chinamans Hat are great short walks from Mount Wilson fire station, with fantastic rock formations and wilderness views. The fine weather makes this a perfect time to enjoy a nature picnic with local produce, followed by a gentle walk. This is also the best (and safest) time of year to descend into the remote canyons on an introductory canyoning tour.

• Mount Wilson area factsheet
• Mount Wilson area map (5.5MB pdf)

Animals

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  Sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps)

  The sugar glider is a tree-dwelling Australian native marsupial, found in tall eucalypt forests and woodlands along eastern NSW. The nocturnal sugar glider feeds on insects and birds, and satisfies its sweet tooth with nectar and pollens.

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  Bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus)

  A large, squat marsupial, the Australian bare-nosed wombat is a burrowing mammal found in coastal forests and mountain ranges across NSW and Victoria. The only other remaining species of wombat in NSW, the endangered southern hairy-nosed wombat, was considered extinct until relatively recently.

• 

  Yellow-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus)

  The yellow-tailed black cockatoo is one of the largest species of parrot. With dusty-black plumage, they have a yellow tail and cheek patch. They’re easily spotted while bird watching, as they feed on seeds in native forests and pine plantations.

• 

  Superb fairy wren (Malurus cyaneus)

  The striking blue and black plumage of the adult male superb fairy wren makes for colourful bird watching across south-eastern Australia. The sociable superb fairy wrens, or blue wrens, are Australian birds living in groups consisting of a dominant male, mouse-brown female ‘jenny wrens’ and several tawny-brown juveniles.

• 

  Superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)

  With a complex mimicking call and an elaborate courtship dance to match, the superb lyrebird is one of the most spectacular Australian animals. A bird watching must-see, the superb lyrebird can be found in rainforests and wet woodlands across eastern NSW and Victoria.

• 

  Swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)

  The swamp wallaby, also known as the black wallaby or black pademelon, lives in the dense understorey of rainforests, woodlands and dry sclerophyll forest along eastern Australia. This unique Australian macropod has a dark black-grey coat with a distinctive light-coloured cheek stripe.

• 

  Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax)

  With a wingspan of up to 2.5m, the wedge-tailed eagle is Australia’s largest bird of prey. These Australian animals are found in woodlands across NSW, and have the ability to soar to heights of over 2km. If you’re bird watching, look out for the distinctive diamond-shaped tail of the eagle.

• 

  Eastern bentwing-bat (Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis)

  Eastern bentwing-bats congregate in caves across the east and north-west coasts of Australia, in colonies of up to 150,000. These small Australian animals weigh around 13-17g and can reach speeds of up to 50km per hour. Eastern bentwing-bats use both sight and echolocation to catch small insects mid-air.

Plants

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  Blueberry ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus)

  The blueberry ash is a rainforest shrub which produces blue olive-shaped berries and spectacular bell-shaped flowers, which often appear on the plant together. It is a tall slender shrub or small tree found in rainforest, tall eucalypt forest and coastal bushland in eastern NSW, south-east Queensland and Victoria.

• 

  Flannel flower (Actinotus helianthi)

  The delicate flannel flower is so named because of the soft woolly feel of the plant. Growing in the NSW south coast region, extending to Narrabri in the Central West and up to south-east Queensland, its white or pink flowers bloom all year long, with an extra burst of colour in the spring.

• 

  Grass tree (Xanthorrea spp.)

  An iconic part of the Australian landscape, the grass tree is widespread across eastern NSW. These Australian native plants have a thick fire-blackened trunk and long spiked leaves. They are found in heath and open forests across eastern NSW. The grass tree grows 1-5m in height and produces striking white-flowered spikes which grow up to 1m long.

• 

  Waratah (Telopea speciosissima)

  The beautiful waratah is not only the NSW floral emblem, it's also one of the best-known Australian native plants. This iconic Australian bush flower can be found on sandstone ridges around Sydney, in nearby mountain ranges and on the NSW South Coast. The waratah has a vibrant crimson flowerhead, measuring up to 15cm across, and blossoms in spring.

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  Old man banksia (Banksia serrata)

  Hardy Australian native plants, old man banksias can be found along the coast, and in the dry sclerophyll forests and sandstone mountain ranges of NSW. With roughened bark and gnarled limbs, they produce a distinctive cylindrical yellow-green banksia flower which blossoms from summer to early autumn.

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  Smooth-barked apple (Angophora costata)

  Smooth-barked apple gums, also known as Sydney red gum or rusty gum trees, are Australian native plants found along the NSW coast, and in the Sydney basin and parts of Queensland. Growing to heights of 15-30m, the russet-coloured angophoras shed their bark in spring to reveal spectacular new salmon-coloured bark.