Photographing Blue Mountains Lookouts
10 Stunning Lookouts To Photograph In The Blue Mountains – In One Day!
The Blue Mountains region is a very popular destination as it is less than 2hrs from Sydney. It is home to countless walks and beautiful waterfalls but it also has lots of spectacular panoramic lookouts.
This article will showcase 10 of the most scenic waterfalls you can visit in one day – and get to photograph sunrise and sunset!
If it wasn’t for the bitterly cold winters I think I could live in the Blue Mountains. Seeing as I don’t, visiting two or three times a year will have to suffice.
Anyhoo, on to how I ended up getting to 10 lookouts in one day.
Back while we were still in lockdown, a workshop to photograph a lavender farm in Hartley came up. Restrictions were due to ease so we decided to risk it and booked in.
We were obviously feeling very brave and decided that we may as well make a mini-holiday out of it, so a 3hr workshop became a week staying in Katoomba. Katoomba is a fairly central town located in the Blue Mountains. It was a bit of a risk as we booked and paid for our accommodation in advance. Fingers were strongly crossed that we would be allowed to actually go.
As you do once you decide to do this you start researching things to do and photograph. There is certainly no shortage in the Blue Mountains but I was a bit concerned about my fitness. As such I wasn’t too keen to do some of the more difficult, yet spectacular walks.
Some of the million and one (no exaggeration) of stairs and the stunning Sylvia Falls from our walk in 2020
I did an amazing Blue Mountains waterfall photography tour in 2020 where I did have this opportunity. So it was time to do something a bit different.
It can be quite dangerous if you don’t know where you are going, so I researched things that were safe. I soon discovered there was certainly no shortage of things to fill in our week. As well as enjoy some downtime and retail therapy – winning. Ok, also an excuse to be lazy and eat too much!
We also cheated a little bit in that it’s also a holiday and wanted to also relax. As a result we didn’t choose any that were more than a 10 minute walk from the car. All of these lookouts are fairly easy to access with minimal driving. I think it was all within around 100km from start to finish.
Hours and hours later after searching google and maps, I had our lookout day planned. I really cannot stress enough how important it is to do this planning so you do make the most of your adventures when you do get out and about.
I don’t profess to be an ‘adventurer’ at all, but that doesn’t mean you don’t get to experience some pretty wonderful things. It can certainly take some searching, and talking to people, but it certainly has its rewards.
While it was a long day starting out at 4.30am for sunrise, and not getting back to our accommodation until after 9pm, we had plenty of coffee stops (no shortage of good coffee around here!) and even a nanna nap in the afternoon.
Echo Point (where the Three Sisters are viewed from) and Govett’s Leap were the obvious choice for sunrise, but as I’d already photographed both these locations more than once, we decided on Evan’s Lookout to start the day with and we certainly weren’t disappointed.
Here’s the list of the 10 lookouts in the Blue Mountains we visited
- Evans Lookout
- Govett’s Leap
- George Phillip’s Lookout
- Jamison Lookout
- Wentworth Falls
- Princes Point
- Lincoln’s Rock
- Victoria Falls
- Mitchell Ridge
- Mount Blackheath
Evans Lookout
This is about a 15 minute drive from Katoomba, and less than a 5 minute walk from the car on an easy path.
It’s one that I’d previously visited during the day and just like every other lookout in the Blue Mountains, it provides spectacular views and something a bit different to a lot of the photos you see from Echo Point and Govetts Leap.
Many of the lookouts have small brick ‘huts’ that come with picnic tables and chairs inside. These can be most useful if you get caught in the inclement weather of the area. They have obviously been very well built. They have withstood the test of time and bushfires that ravaged the area at the end of 2019.
Govetts Leap
I call this the little sister of the more famous Three Sisters because it is not as famous and a little bit harder to access.
The Three Sisters are less than a minute from parking your car and truly are beautiful. BUT it truly is Govetts Leap that is my absolute favourite.
George Phillips Lookout
This was a lovely find, and I’m a bit embarrassed that I’d never known about or seen it before. You don’t even have to move your car from Govetts Leap. Seriously just a short walk past another one of those useful huts (and toilets in case you need them), and within 5 minutes you have a view like this –
After this it was seriously time for breakfast, but it was still early. It was only about 7am and nothing offering food opens until at least 7.30. So it was back to Katoomba to wait impatiently for the waffle place to open. No judgement please, it’s the only cafe that opens at that time. Yes, there may have been healthier options, but hey, it’s a waffle place so what’s a girl to do?
Jamison Lookout, Wentworth Falls, Prince’s Point Lookout
Belly full, it was time to move to the next lookouts. The best thing about the next stop was that is was a 3 for 1! Jamison Lookout was less than a 2 minute walk from the car. Then down to Wentworth Falls and Princes Point around 15 minutes later.
To be honest, this was probably the hardest walk we did all day (and it wasn’t hard at all). It was uphill all the way back; it was just a matter of stopping once or twice for a breather.
Lincoln’s Rock
Now this has to be the absolute gem of the day. As much as I’m ashamed that I didn’t know about George Phillips, this spot was truly a find!
I had researched this beforehand of course and I was so glad I did. By this time it was the middle of the day so not spectacular for taking photos, but we did just the same. There were some clouds in the sky and I figured it was a good opportunity to play with handheld panoramas with the camera. They will never be award winning photos, but it’s not about that – it’s about enjoying where you are and recording it.
It was a nice reminder that my photography journey is not always about getting ‘amazing’ shots. It has always been about getting out there and enjoying the experiences that I would never do without having a camera in my hand.
We ran into a lovely lady here who also spoke about her mental health and how getting out and about had helped her with her anxiety and for me that’s what it’s all about – that’s her top left in the pano photo above if you get to look close enough.
Victoria Falls
It was time after this to head westward towards Victoria Falls. Turning right off the Great Western Highway it was pretty much a dirt road all the way until the carpark at the top.
Toilets again available up here. Thank goodness as all that coffee, and yes followed by healthy water, these are necessary!
Once again a short downhill walk to the lookout, and what a view! Another chance to try a handheld pano and thankfully there were some clouds to keep the sky a bit interesting.
Mitchell Ridge
Not one you will find in most guides, it is nonetheless one that is super easy once again to access and has some lovely spots to sit and enjoy some amazing views over the Kanimbla Valley.
Courtesy of the Visit NSW Website – “Mitchells Ridge Lookout is a historic lookout and rest area, named after Sir Thomas Livingston Mitchell who supervised the building of the Pass by convict labour in 1832. An obelisk at the lookout commemorates the opening of Victoria Pass in 1832. The Pass is one of the oldest and most significant engineered works in Australia still in use today.”
After this one it was time to head back to Katoomba (a whole 20 minutes away). Plenty of time for a nanna nap before going out again for sunset.
Mount Blackheath
An awesome end to a beautiful day. This was not the most amazing sunset as far as photography goes, but it was beautiful just the same, and spending it with a couple of lovely photographer friends made it that much more special.
Disclaimer: I had a driver for this whole day so no laws were broken by having a wine at sunset.
Safety note – if you’re not a confident hiker with appropriate safety training equipment (including safety tracking devices) a local registered guide is highly recommended.
Even though the Blue Mountains is less than 2 hours from Sydney, so much of the area doesn’t have mobile reception due to the ruggedness of the area so extreme care and precautions need to be taken. There are numerous rescues undertaken weekly here by inexperienced walkers and adventurers – please don’t be one of those.
I truly hope you’ve enjoyed this post and it has inspired you to get out exploring.
Do you have a favourite picture from this post of lookouts in the Blue Mountains? Let me know in the comments below
That’s it for now – Keep clicking and stay caffeinated
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Note – This post does not contain any sponsored or affiliated links. All suggestions and opinions are mine. Unless otherwise stated, all photos are mine and remain my copyright images – Sam Wilson Photography.
