Date: 27-29th March 2026
Location: Blue Mountains
The Plan
Do the Blue Gum Forest Track on the weekend, camping a night at Acacia Flats Campground
Friday
On Friday night, after a long week of wage slaving, we made our way to Mount York to setup camp. We took one car due to the outrageous fuel prices, which was packed to the brim with packs, tents and firewood. After a relaxed night at camp we were met with the company of some mountain goats keen to get their bite of a beer box.
Saturday
We packed up camp and headed to Blackheath station to meet our participants. By some miracle, Sydney trains was actually running on the weekend and everyone was on time. We then had everyone pack their packs in the carpark to ensure nobody forgot anything (wishful thinking) and before long, we were ready to car shuffle to the start of the trail. Today, we were starting from Evan’s Lookout
Coffees in hand, we made two car trips from Blackheath Station to Evans Lookout, waiting by a small mountain of packs for the second lot to arrive. By 11am, we were all set and ready to go making our way through the Cliff Top Track, which would be the first section of our loop. We were rewarded with some very scenic views along the track, including a really cool mossy wall. Many of the participants were blown away by the scenery being so alien from what they were used to in their home countries.
By Lunch time, we were at Govetts Leap which was crammed with tourists so we continued on in search of a lunch spot. We stopped at Laws Lookout which was just 10 minutes from Govetts Leap and started cooking. The wind currents from the valley sprayed us with waterfall mist to cool down and feel refreshed for the hike ahead
After lunch we continued towards Rodriguez Lookout but had to detour via Twin Falls Road due to a closure. We continued down Hat Hill Road until we reached Perrys Lookdown Road. Here we were able to see a formation known simply as “Wind Eroded Cave“
We then prepared for the long steep descent into the valley via Perrys Lookdown. We chose to do the loop clockwise as the ascent via Horse Track is easier than via Perrys Lookdown. The stairs down were not easy on our knees but everyone managed to get down safely.
After a sigh of relief, once in the valley, the track was fairly level. We were at Acacia Flats Campground within an hour, ready to be done for the day. Once a spot was secured at the busy campsite, we set up our tents and some of us went for a swim in the Gross River.
By dusk, we were all enjoying dinner and stories at camp. A hungry possum greeted us, trying very hard to steal food from tents and packs. Unlucky for him, he was not successful.
Sunday
Sunday Morning started at a relaxed pace, waking up around 7 and packing up our tents. We enjoyed our sloppy dehydrated breakfasts while mentally preparing for the joy of the stairs ahead. At the stinky toilet block, there was quite a lineup due to one of them being out of order.
We continued walking for about an hour before making it to Junction rock, which was a nice spot for a water break and talking about how wonderful it will be to climb all those stairs. Before long, we were slogging it up horse track, motivated by the thought of the pub at the end. Towards the top we found a nice secret lookout to have lunch at with amazing views of the valley and a recent landslide.
Once we got closer to Evans Lookout, there were loads of tourists on the track who had to endure our stench. Before long, we were at the carpark where we relaxed for a bit before the car shuffle. As promised, we ended the arvo at the Gardeners Inn for some cold beers before making our ways home
