How many of you have been to Fitzroy Falls and turned right, heading up the West Rim Walk?
Yes, you get close to the waterfall action [all of them + there’s a few there!] but next time you go, turn left instead.
This will take you along the East Rim Walk which is alive with wildflowers, native flora and fauna [we saw a lyrebird!!!], has a sweet and crisp rainforest gully to wander through and offers up some pretty awesome views from five different lookouts.
And now that The Burrow Cafe at Fitzroy Falls is open for fab coffee and tasty bites, there’s never been a better reason to pay a visit.
We loved it! Here’s what you need to know about the East Rim Walk at Fitzroy Falls.
Family friendly :: Yep, ideal for primary aged school kids and up. A bit of a hike for toddlers or preschoolers, although we met one family with their toddler strapped onto Dad’s back – what a way to travel!
Easy to access :: Park at the Fitzroy Falls Visitor Centre car park. Get there early on weekends – that car park fills up!
Dog friendly :: Nope, it’s in a national park so no puppers.
Stairs :: The walk does head up and down a bit, especially when you’re heading down into the rainforest gully [+ back out again] and that’s where you’ll find most of the steps.
Length :: 6.7 km to the final lookout [Yarrunga Lookout] but you can shorten the walk and just go to the second lookout if you need to.
Time :: We went to the final lookout and then retraced our steps stopping at all the them along the way and it took us just under 2 hours.
Cost :: $4 to park your car at the visitors centre.
So, what do you need to know? Let’s take it one lookout at a time!
MAY LOOKOUT
Walk past the Fitzroy Falls Visitor’s Centre with the creek running on your left. Turn left at the bridge and follow the East Rim Wildflower Walk.
You’ll come to the first lookout about 50 metres down the track on your right. This gives you a unique [+ quite close] view of the water crashing onto the rocks below.
We came across our first wildflowers before the first lookout too.
WARRAWONG LOOKOUT
Keep on moving and the track will start to descend towards the Ferny Glen, a beautifully cool and crisp rainforest section of the walk.
There’s a number of stairs down to the bottom of the gully, and some structured paths and bridges to make navigating this part of the track a bit easier.
It can hold a fair bit of moisture in this part, so wear older shoes or shoes you don’t mind getting a bit muddy and check for leeches [we checked at all of our lookout stops + found a teeny tiny one on the end of one of our shoe’s].
Socks and long tights or pants always recommended when you head on into the wetter parts of local bush tracks, that’s for sure!
As we climbed our way back out of the gully, the landscape changed back into more of a native Australian bush scape and this is where we came across the lyrebird!
Thankfully, as we were walking up the hill and a bit too puffed to talk and make noise, we could creep up on him [or her – how do you know???] without frightening him away.
We watched him forage in the bush for a while – he was only a few metres off the track – with his beautiful tail of feathers, before heading up to Warrawong Lookout.
It’s just under a kilometre to get from the May Lookout to the Warrawong Lookout and it’s here you’re rewarded with some spectacular views across the valley and back to the main falls.
LAMOND LOOKOUT
Keep venturing on to the next lookout. It’s about 800 metres or so along a native Australian bush track. There is a couple of steep inclines – a little huffy puffy inducing – and there is a couple of small creek crossings.
Nothing big or major. There’s no taking shoes off and walking across. Just an easy jump across or some careful rock hopping [with a bit of squealing if you’re me].
The Lamond Lookout has a great view down towards the Shoalhaven River – you can’t actually SEE the river but that’s the general direction of it and the views down the valley are spectacular.
This is where we also saw cockatoo’s flying across the valley which was kinda cool too.
VALLEY VIEW LOOKOUT
It’s a pretty cruisy walk along an Australian native bush track to get to the Valley View Lookout.
We loved how close you get to the cliffs and escarpment here.
It’s so beautiful to see all the different colours and rock formations up close.
You can also see the Twin Falls waaaaaay across the valley too.
And we spotted another smaller waterfall at the base of the escarpment also across the valley that we think you could only see from the East Rim Walk.
YARRUNGA LOOKOUT
Then it’s on to the final lookout, which is only about a 400 metre walk from Valley View Lookout.
It’s an easy walk and in no time, you’ll be looking across the valley floor right down towards the Shoalhaven River valley.
You’re actually not far from Moss Vale Road here so can hear the cars humming past too.
A little further on – about 20 metres past the main Yarrunga Lookout – you’ll find another lookout which gives you a slightly different aspect down the valley.
There’s also a bench seat here which is a great spot to just sit and chill and take in the scenery for a bit….before retracing your steps for the 3.5km back!
GOOD TO KNOW
On our way back, a young family stopped us to show us a video of what looked like a diamond python just before you dipped down into the rainforest gully area.
He slithered away quite happily but as always, when you’re out in the bush in the Highlands, be aware of those wriggly sticks.
WHAT’S NEARBY
Keep on rolling down Moss Vale Road another 20 minutes and you’ll come to the beautiful haven of Kangaroo Valley.
Head to The Friendly Inn for a pub meal and a cleansing ale and check out our Guide To Kangaroo Valley to fill up the rest of your day!
We love sharing our awesome outdoor adventures with The Fold readers and want to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy when giving our walks and rides a crack for themselves. So, always check the weather forecast before you venture out. If you’re heading into a National Park, be sure to consult the National Parks website for up-to-date information about current alerts. Prepare yourself with the right equipment, clothing, safety items, with plenty to eat and drink if you’re going on longer hikes, and always let someone else know where you’re going and what time you are expected to be back. Have fun and stay safe!