Burralow Creek campground and picnic area

Lower Grose Valley area in Blue Mountains National Park

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Overview

Get back to nature at secluded Burralow Creek campground and picnic area in Blue Mountains National Park, around 2 hours from Sydney. You’ll find walking and picnicking opportunities just moments from your tent.

Accommodation Details
Camping type Tent, Camper trailer site, Camping beside my vehicle
Facilities Barbecue facilities, toilets
What to bring Drinking water, cooking water, firewood
Price There are no camping fees at this campground but a $6 booking fee applies.
Bookings Bookings for up to 2 sites and 12 people can be made online.
Group bookings This campground is not suitable for group bookings.
Please note
  • The fire trail access to this campground is recommended for 4WD vehicles only.
  • Sites are unmarked.
  • This campground is in a remote location, so it’s a good idea to pick up your supplies before you arrive.

Burralow Creek campground and picnic area is nestled beside Burralow Creek, in the Lower Grose Valley area of Blue Mountains National Park. Set up camp on the grass, surrounded by native scribbly gums and a natural sandstone amphitheatre.

This peaceful spot is popular with families and groups of friends looking for a remote bush escape close to Sydney.  There's plenty of space for the kids to roam free.

From your tent, take an easy bushwalk past a convict-dug pit, along the creek and through a small rainforest gully to Bulcamatta Falls. The nearby Burralow peat swamps provide habitat for the nationally endangered giant dragonfly in summer, and keen birdwatchers should keep an eye out for the rare glossy black cockatoo.

Cook up a barbecue feast for dinner and see if you can spot the nightlife, including swamp wallabies, sugar gliders, brushtail and ringtail possums, and several species of owl. Then settle in and watch the night sky fill with stars.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Map


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Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/campgrounds/burralow-creek-campground-picnic-area/local-alerts

Bookings

Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about the Burralow Creek campground and picnic area.

Getting there and parking

Burralow Creek campground and picnic area is in the Lower Grose Valley area of Blue Mountains National Park. Access is via 4WD-only tracks. To get there:

From Sydney:

  • Follow Bells Line of Road to Kurrajong.
  • Turn left on to Warks Hill Road.
  • Turn left on to Burralow Road and then continue on to Tabaraga Ridge fire trail. Follow this 4WD-only track for approximately 8km.

Alternatively, if starting from Lithgow:

  • Turn right off Bells Line of Road onto Paterson Range fire trail (4WD only).
  • Follow the trail for approximately 10km to the bridge, cross the bridge and turn left into the campground.

Road quality

  • Please take care when using the access tracks. The road is narrow in places, can be slippery during wet weather and there are steep sections at the bottom of Paterson Range and Tabaraga Ridge fire trails.
  • Check the weather before you set out as the road to Burralow Creek campground may be closed during heavy rain or extreme fire danger periods.

  • Unsealed roads

Vehicle access

  • All roads require 4WD vehicle

Weather restrictions

  • All weather

Parking

Parking is available at Burralow Creek campground and picnic area.

Facilities

  • Water is not available at this campground
  • Rubbish bins are not available in this area – please take rubbish with you when you leave.

Toilets

  • Non-flush toilets

Barbecue facilities

  • Wood barbecues (bring your own firewood)
  • Fire rings (bring your own firewood)

Maps and downloads

Safety messages

Bushwalking safety

If you're keen to head out on a longer walk or a backpack camp, always be prepared. Read these bushwalking safety tips before you set off on a walking adventure in national parks.

Camping safety

Whether you're pitching your tent on the coast or up on the mountains, there are many things to consider when camping in NSW national parks. Find out how to stay safe when camping.

Cycling safety

Hundreds of cyclists head to our national parks for fun and adventure. If you're riding your bike through a national park, read these mountain biking and cycling safety tips.

Fire safety

During periods of fire weather, the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service may declare a total fire ban for particular NSW fire areas, or statewide. Learn more about total fire bans and fire safety.

Mobile safety

Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

River and lake safety

The aquatic environment around rivers, lakes and lagoons can be unpredictable. If you're visiting these areas, take note of these river and lake safety tips.

Take extra care when crossing the creek to Bulcamatta Falls walking track.

Accessibility

Disability access level - hard

Wheelchairs can access this area with some difficulty

Permitted

Camp fires and solid fuel burners

Fires are permitted in fire rings only (please bring your own firewood)

Prohibited

Gathering firewood

Pets

Pets and domestic animals (other than certified assistance animals) are not permitted. Find out which regional parks allow dog walking and see the pets in parks policy for more information.

Smoking

NSW national parks are no smoking areas.

Learn more

Burralow Creek campground and picnic area is in Lower Grose Valley area. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

A sanctuary for plants and animals

A koala sits on the branch of a eucalypt tree. Photo: John Turbill/DPIE

The diverse environments of the Lower Grose Valley are a sanctuary for many rare and threatened species. Endangered plants include sparse heath, unique to the lower Grose River area, leucopogons, and the fluoro-yellow Gordon’s wattle. Conservation efforts and plentiful grey gums support one of the few known koala colonies in the Hawkesbury. Tall forests of blue gum and mountain gum are home to vulnerable yellow-bellied gliders. Camp overnight at Burralow Creek campground and you may hear the calls of some of Australia’s rarest forest owls, including the southern boobook owl. Burralow’s peat swamps, 1 of 3 threatened ecological communities (TECs) in this area, are home to the nationally endangered giant dragonfly. In the damp surrounds of Transit of Venus walk’s waterfalls, the Blue Mountains water skink can be found.

  • Vale of Avoca lookout Vale of Avoca lookout offers glorious views across the deep gorges and wilderness of the Lower Grose Valley, in World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park, near Richmond.

In the footsteps of early tourists

Waratahs in bloom, Blue Mountains National Park. Photo: Barry Collier/OEH

Follow in the footsteps of Victorian-era tourists drawn to the fresh mountain air, pretty waterfalls, and native wildflowers including waratahs. Walk along Transit of Venus walking track from Woodbury Street in Woodford, and stop for a picnic at Edith Falls. Enjoy the natural beauty of Burralow Creek, near Kurrajong Heights (4WD access only). Burralow Creek has a rich history spanning tens of thousands of years of habitation by the traditional Darug People, to early colonial attempts at farming rice, and later cattle farming and mining efforts.

Ancient landscapes

Lower Grose Valley views, Vale of Avoca lookout, Blue Mountains National Park. Photo: E Sheargold/OEH

Stand atop Vale of Avoca lookout and you’ll get a sense of the forbidding terrain faced by early European explorers. The wide valleys of the upper Grose Valley narrow into deep, V-shaped gorges in its lower reaches, formed over millennia by geological uplift and erosion. Stunted heathland covers the exposed escarpment, while tall eucalypt forests crowd the valleys. In protected pockets you’ll find microclimates like upland swamps, and ancient rainforest from the Gondwana days.

  • Vale of Avoca lookout Vale of Avoca lookout offers glorious views across the deep gorges and wilderness of the Lower Grose Valley, in World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park, near Richmond.

Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area

Forest of Blue Gum trees, Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Photo: Rosie Nicolai/OEH

Blue Mountains National Park is 1 of 8 national parks and reserves that make up the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA). In 2000, UNESCO recognised the area's outstanding geology, biodiversity, and Aboriginal significance. The GBMWHA lies within the Country of the Darug, Gundungurra, Wiradjuri, Darkinjung, Wanaruah and Dharawal People. With 1 million hectares of rugged plateaux, sheer cliffs, deep gorges, it protects unique ecosystems teeming with rare plants and animals. Over 95 species of eucalypt trees have evolved here over millions of years, making it the most diverse eucalypt forest in the world. The Lower Grose Valley area provides some of the easiest access to the park’s only declared wilderness, the Grose Wilderness, and its pristine river.

  • Vale of Avoca lookout Vale of Avoca lookout offers glorious views across the deep gorges and wilderness of the Lower Grose Valley, in World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park, near Richmond.

Plants and animals protected in this park

Animals

  • Koala. Photo: Lucy Morrell

    Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

    One of the most renowned Australian animals, the tree-dwelling marsupial koala can be found in gum tree forests and woodlands across eastern NSW, Victoria and Queensland, as well as in isolated regions in South Australia. With a vice-like grip, this perhaps most iconic but endangered Australian animal lives in tall eucalypts within a home range of several hectares.

  • Yellow-tailed black cockatoo. Photo: Peter Sherratt

    Yellow-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus)

    The yellow-tailed black cockatoo is one of the largest species of parrot. With dusty-black plumage, they have a yellow tail and cheek patch. They’re easily spotted while bird watching, as they feed on seeds in native forests and pine plantations.

  • Brush tail possum. Photo: Ken Stepnell

    Common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

    One of the most widespread of Australian tree-dwelling marsupials, the common brushtail possum is found across most of NSW in woodlands, rainforests and urban areas. With strong claws, a prehensile tail and opposable digits, these native Australian animals are well-adapted for life amongst the trees.

  • Eastern common ringtail possum. Photo: Ken Stepnell

    Common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)

    Commonly found in forests, woodlands and leafy gardens across eastern NSW, the Australian ringtail possum is a tree-dwelling marsupial. With a powerful tail perfectly adapted to grasp objects, it forages in trees for eucalypt leaves, flowers and fruit.

  • Wedge-tailed eagle. Photo: Kelly Nowak

    Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax)

    With a wingspan of up to 2.5m, the wedge-tailed eagle is Australia’s largest bird of prey. These Australian animals are found in woodlands across NSW, and have the ability to soar to heights of over 2km. If you’re bird watching, look out for the distinctive diamond-shaped tail of the eagle.

  • Swamp wallaby in Murramarang National Park. Photo: David Finnegan

    Swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)

    The swamp wallaby, also known as the black wallaby or black pademelon, lives in the dense understorey of rainforests, woodlands and dry sclerophyll forest along eastern Australia. This unique Australian macropod has a dark black-grey coat with a distinctive light-coloured cheek stripe.

  • Sugar glider. Photo: Jeff Betteridge

    Sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps)

    The sugar glider is a tree-dwelling Australian native marsupial, found in tall eucalypt forests and woodlands along eastern NSW. The nocturnal sugar glider feeds on insects and birds, and satisfies its sweet tooth with nectar and pollens.

  •  Superb lyrebird, Minnamurra Rainforest, Budderoo National Park. Photo: David Finnegan

    Superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)

    With a complex mimicking call and an elaborate courtship dance to match, the superb lyrebird is one of the most spectacular Australian animals. A bird watching must-see, the superb lyrebird can be found in rainforests and wet woodlands across eastern NSW and Victoria.

  • Eastern bentwing bat. Photo: Ken Stepnell

    Eastern bentwing-bat (Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis)

    Eastern bentwing-bats congregate in caves across the east and north-west coasts of Australia, in colonies of up to 150,000. These small Australian animals weigh around 13-17g and can reach speeds of up to 50km per hour. Eastern bentwing-bats use both sight and echolocation to catch small insects mid-air.

Plants

  • Flannel flowers in Wollemi National Park. Photo: © Rosie Nicolai

    Flannel flower (Actinotus helianthi)

    The delicate flannel flower is so named because of the soft woolly feel of the plant. Growing in the NSW south coast region, extending to Narrabri in the Central West and up to south-east Queensland, its white or pink flowers bloom all year long, with an extra burst of colour in the spring.

  • A red triangle slug on the trunk of a scribbly gum tree in Blue Mountains National Park. Photo: Elinor Sheargold/OEH

    Scribbly gum (Eucalyptus haemastoma)

    Easily identifiable Australian native plants, scribbly gum trees are found throughout NSW coastal plains and hills in the Sydney region. The most distinctive features of this eucalypt are the ‘scribbles’ made by moth larva as it tunnels between the layers of bark.

  • Grass trees, Sugarloaf State Conservation Area. Photo: Michael Van Ewijk

    Grass tree (Xanthorrea spp.)

    An iconic part of the Australian landscape, the grass tree is widespread across eastern NSW. These Australian native plants have a thick fire-blackened trunk and long spiked leaves. They are found in heath and open forests across eastern NSW. The grass tree grows 1-5m in height and produces striking white-flowered spikes which grow up to 1m long.

  • Old man banksia, Moreton National Park. Photo: John Yurasek

    Old man banksia (Banksia serrata)

    Hardy Australian native plants, old man banksias can be found along the coast, and in the dry sclerophyll forests and sandstone mountain ranges of NSW. With roughened bark and gnarled limbs, they produce a distinctive cylindrical yellow-green banksia flower which blossoms from summer to early autumn.

  • Close up photo of a waratah flower, Blue Mountains National Park. Photo: Simone Cottrell/OEH.

    Waratah (Telopea speciosissima)

    The beautiful waratah is not only the NSW floral emblem, it's also one of the best-known Australian native plants. This iconic Australian bush flower can be found on sandstone ridges around Sydney, in nearby mountain ranges and on the NSW South Coast. The waratah has a vibrant crimson flowerhead, measuring up to 15cm across, and blossoms in spring.

  • Wonga Wonga vine. Photo: Barry Collier

    Wonga wonga vine (Pandorea pandorana)

    The wonga wonga vine is a widespread vigorous climber usually found along eastern Australia. A variation of the plant occurs in the central desert, where it resembles a sprawling shrub. One of the more common Australian native plants, the wonga wonga vine produces bell-shaped white or yellow flowers in the spring, followed by a large oblong-shaped seed pod.

Environments in this area