This Popular Blue Mountains Cliff Top Hike Is Getting a $10 Million Upgrade
As part of the NSW Government's $150 million pledge to improve and increase national parks across the state.
If you, like us, enjoy spending your weekends and holidays hiking through Sydney's national parks, you'll be happy to hear that one of the state's most popular hikes is getting a multimillion-dollar upgrade. The NSW Government is dropping $10 mil on a refresh of Blue Mountains' Grand Cliff Top Walk, which runs from Govetts Leap to Evans lookout.
The hike passes many waterfalls and lookouts and offers up some of the most stunning views of the national park and its many eucalpyts. It's just one of the upgrades planned for NSW's many national parks with the government promising $150 million in upgrades to sites across the state.
Following news of a 43,000-hectare statewide national park expansion announced last October, the Southern Highlands will also be getting a new national park of its own, spreading almost 3680 hectares around Tugalong Station. Located about 25 kilometres northwest of Bowral, the site is home to some of the area's best koala habitat, so the plans will go a long way to helping protect your favourite tree-dwelling marsupials.
Govetts Leap Lookout, NSW National Parks.
Elsewhere in NSW, the government's multi-million dollar upgrade package will be put to good use improving things like accessibility, safety and facilities.
A major focus will be upgrading accessibility at a number of lookout points to meet mobility impaired access standards, and making existing walking tracks and trails both safer and more accessible. A hefty $38.7 million will go towards improving and adding picnic areas, barbecues and facilities, while $45 million is being used to boost support for visitors with restricted mobility.
If you're looking for new places to go hiking or camping in the meantime, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has just released a new, free mobile app that provides guides to more than 225 national parks. You can check it out here.
There's no word yet on when the Grand Cliff Walk's upgrade will begin, but we'll let you know as soon as there is.
Image: Simone Cottrell.
