One of three Blue Mountains National Park lookouts on the eastern side of the Nepean River, The Rock Lookout – also called Table Rock Lookout – is the easiest one to reach. It’s a very short walk from the carpark at the end of Fairlight Road, and hence it can get a little busy. The top of the rock platform offers an almost-180-degree view over the Nepean Gorge (Fairlight Gorge) and the Nepean River.
Looking towards the north, you can just make out the outskirts of Penrith.
To the south is and east the Blue Mountains National Park stretches as far as the eye can see (and well beyond)!
The Rock Lookout got its name in the early 1930s, from the fact that the vantage point is on top of a very large, exposed rock. The stone steps are thought to have been constructed between 1912 and 1924. originally part of the Fairlight Estate, this area was reserved as a gift to the people of Mulgoa in the early 1900s before being incorporated into the Blue Mountains National Park in 1978. In 1984 the lookout was listed as a heritage item.
Getting to The Rock Lookout
The lookout is reached by an easy 300m return walk from the carpark at the end of Fairlight Road (Mulgoa) at the foot of the Blue Mountains.
You can also do a 1.4km loop walk that combines the Rileys Mountain Track (a firetrail) with a bushwalking trail, visiting several more Nepean River lookouts along the way. (There is also a longer 5km return bushwalk to Rileys Mountain Lookout and 12-16km return to the Nepean Narrows Lookout.)
The carpark and start of the trail is at the end of Fairlight Road, which is a 20km (25min drive) from Penrith, or 17km (20min) from the M4 Penrith motorway exit. The last 3km of the road is unsealed, but suitable for all vehicles.
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