Hawkesbury lookout
Yellomundee Regional Park
Overview
Ideally located on the drive between the Hawkesbury region and the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury Lookout offers beautiful scenic views and is a great picnic spot.
- Type
- Lookouts
- Accessibility
- Easy
Stop to stretch your legs at Hawkesbury lookout. You’ll find it conveniently located on Hawkesbury Road at Hawkesbury Heights – one of the Blue Mountains’ smallest towns.
This grassy lookout is bordered by tall trees and is an excellent spot to pull over on your drive from the Hawkesbury to the Blue Mountains. Relax on one of the seats in front of the view and look out over the Nepean River and across the Cumberland Plain.
Bring a packed lunch with you – there are some picnic tables right near the lookout. It’s a dog-friendly park aswell, so bring him along, but please remember to keep him on a leash.
Map
Map legend
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/lookouts/hawkesbury-lookout/local-alerts
General enquiries
- National Parks Contact Centre
- 7am to 7pm daily
- 1300 072 757 (13000 PARKS) for the cost of a local call within Australia excluding mobiles
- parks.info@environment.nsw.gov.au
Park info
- in Yellomundee Regional Park in the Sydney and surrounds region
Yellomundee Regional Park is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about Hawkesbury lookout.
Getting there and parking
Hawkesbury lookout is in the northeastern section of Yellomundee Regional Park. To get there, take the Great Western Highway west from Emu Plains and exit at Hawkesbury Road. Continue for approx 10km until you reach the Hawkesbury Lookout carpark.
Road quality
- Sealed roads
Vehicle access
- 2WD vehicles
Weather restrictions
- All weather
Parking
Parking is available at Hawkesbury lookout. Parking is perpendicular to Hawkesbury Road, so trailers and long vehicles are not able to park here.
Best times to visit
There are lots of great things waiting for you in Yellomundee Regional Park. Here are some of the highlights.
Autumn
Autumn and Winter Catch some winter sun relaxing on the grassy areas in the park.
Spring
Spring and Summer Head to the trails for a bike or horse ride Enjoy a hot cuppa while taking in magnificent views from one of the park's lookouts .
Weather, temperature and rainfall
Summer temperature
Average
16°C and 30°C
Highest recorded
42.5°C
Winter temperature
Average
3°C and 18°C
Lowest recorded
-7.2°C
Rainfall
Wettest month
January
Driest month
September
The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day
409.4mm
Facilities
- Toilet facilities are available across the road in the council area; take extreme care when crossing the road
- Please take your rubbish with you when you leave the lookout
Toilets
- Flush toilets
Picnic tables
Carpark
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Disability access level - easy
This area is fully wheelchair accessible
- Designated disabled parking is available
- The distance from carpark to lookout is approximately 50m
Permitted
Pets
You can walk your dog on-lead at this location. See other regional parks in NSW that have dog walking areas.
Dogs are permitted in this part of the park – you will need to keep them on a leash at all times and remember to pick up after them.
Prohibited
Smoking
NSW national parks are no smoking areas.
Learn more
Hawkesbury lookout is in Yellomundee Regional Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
Aboriginal culture
Yellomundee Regional Park lies within the traditional territory of the Boorooberongal clan of the Darug people. The park protects special Aboriginal sites such as Shaws Creek ‘Aboriginal Place’ at the northern end of the park, a place of special significance to Aboriginal culture; demonstrating their connection to this ancient landscape. The park continues to be an important place for Aboriginal people today, with an Aboriginal Landcare group involved in volunteer work to care for this Country.
Natural beauty
When you visit the park, you’ll find large sprawls of beautiful natural bushland, along with important pockets of alluvial and riverine plant communities. When bushwalking around Yellomundee Regional Park, be sure to take a moment to soak up the protected bushland area along Blue Mountains escarpment. The park protects endangered ecological communities such as shale and sandstone transition forests, Sydney coastal river-flat forest, Cooks River and Castlereagh ironbark forests, as well as ironbark open-forest. Yellomundee also connects the natural beauty of bushland from Nepean River to Blue Mountains National Park.
- Hawkesbury lookout Ideally located on the drive between the Hawkesbury region and the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury Lookout offers beautiful scenic views and is a great picnic spot.
- Yellow Rock lookout Yellow Rock lookout in Yellomundee Regional Park offers incredible views and a peaceful haven where you can enjoy a picnic, go for a short bushwalk or just take some time out with family and friends.
Recreation ready
Yellomundee Regional Park is a popular spot with mountain bikers, with competitive clubs regularly using the area. The Western Sydney mountain Bike Club also undertake volunteer work in the park. The area south of Shaws Farm offers trails for varying technical abilities, including some fantastic single trail rides. Horse riding and dog walking are welcomed in Yellomundee, so bring your pet along. Yellomundee sits on the first part of the escarpment between the flat Sydney basin and lofty Blue Mountains; making for a sweeping vista. Visit its scenic lookouts to be rewarded with views over the Nepean River and western Sydney. Both Yellow Rock and Hawkesbury lookouts feature picnicking facilities and ample space to enjoy the scenery.
- Hawkesbury lookout Ideally located on the drive between the Hawkesbury region and the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury Lookout offers beautiful scenic views and is a great picnic spot.
- Yellow Rock lookout Yellow Rock lookout in Yellomundee Regional Park offers incredible views and a peaceful haven where you can enjoy a picnic, go for a short bushwalk or just take some time out with family and friends.
Plants and animals protected in this park
Animals
-
Superb fairy wren (Malurus cyaneus)
The striking blue and black plumage of the adult male superb fairy wren makes for colourful bird watching across south-eastern Australia. The sociable superb fairy wrens, or blue wrens, are Australian birds living in groups consisting of a dominant male, mouse-brown female ‘jenny wrens’ and several tawny-brown juveniles.
-
Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)
Of the 2 species of kookaburra found in Australia, the laughing kookaburra is the best-known and the largest of the native kingfishers. With its distinctive riotous call, the laughing kookaburra is commonly heard in open woodlands and forests throughout NSW national parks, making these ideal spots for bird watching.