Although barely known a couple of decades ago and not appearing on any maps, Lincolns Rock is now a hugely popular lookout… and it does provide some of the most spectacular Blue Mountains views, making it worth a stop. From the huge rock platform there are sweeping views over the Jamison Valley to the west.
To the south-west are the cliffs of Mt Solitary, and behind Mt Solitary to the right is Narrow Neck.
The lookout was officially changed to Lincolns Rock by the Geographic Names Board in 2012. It’s named after the late Lincoln Hall, an Australian mountaineer who was left for dead on Mount Everest in 2006, but miraculously survied the night at 8,700m (28,543 ft) and later wrote the book “Dead Lucky”. (He died on 20 March 2012 after suffering from mesothelioma, having been exposed to asbestos while working as a builder in the 1960s.)
Before 2013, the lookout was called Honeymoon Rock and ‘Wedding Rock’ to the popularity of the location with newlyweds for photos on their wedding day – or just “The Rock”. It was briefly called “Deer Park Rock”, a name proposed by Jat Singh who managed the nearby Wentworth Falls Deer Park, which was verbally approval by Council but never widely used.
Lincolns Rock is becoming an increasingly popular lookout not just for its great views, but the “Instagram trend” of taking a photo sitting on the edge of the unfenced cliff edge. While not entirely safe (a fall would cause a few injuries), there are some ledges beneath the edge of the lookout, so while the photos look like youre dangling hundres of metres above the valley, it’s only about 10m.
There’s also another “secret location” Lincolns Rock that’s not really secret anymore, which is a cave in the cliffs beneath the large rock platform. A small but obvious trail from the far (southern) end of Lincolns Rock leads down and under the lookout platform. About halfway up the cliffs below the lookout is a wide cave opening – you’ll need to scramble/climb up to it. From inside the cave (with a wide-angle lens) you can frame the view with the opening of the cave – but you’ll get exactly the same view as you would from the official lookout.
Interestingly, at the base of these cliffs is another cave at ground level – known as the Little Switzerland Cave – which is partly enclosed by a stone and concrete wall. Brian Fox in his book Blue Mountains Geographical Directory suggests it was “Named after a German who used this cave as his home. May have been thought of as Swiss hence the name of the cave and road. Since this man was [thought of as] an enemy alien he waited out the second world war in this cave instead of an internment camp.”
Getting to Lincolns Rock
Lincolns Rock is at the end of Little Switzerland Drive, which is accessed via the Great Western Highway by Tableland Road and Hordern Road. Near the corner of Little Switzerland Drive and Hordern Road is a carpark for the lookout, with the signposted trail starting from here. It’s a very easy 300m return walk along a fairly level, gravel path.
The lookout is 2.5km (5min drive) from the Great Western Highway at Wentworth Falls, and 11.5km (15min) drive from Katoomba. It’s not easily reached by public transport.
More information
- John Byrnes – On The History of One Rock
- Geographical Names Board – Lincolns Rock
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