Fire took everything at Pulpit Rock near Blackheath. Now, it has reopened, rebuilt in stone.

Pulpit Rock was off limits for nearly seven years after the Black Summer fires destroyed every piece of visitor infrastructure on the site. Now, the Blue Mountains lookout, sitting on a narrow blade of rock high above the Grose Valley, has reopened. It had been closed for public safety since the 2019–2020 summer.

The Gospers Mountain fire burned for 79 days that season. In December 2019, it swept through the Grose Valley and climbed the cliffs to the reserve. By Blue Mountains City Council’s count, the fire took 250 metres of safety fencing, 400 timber steps, the signs, the seating, the picnic shelter and the toilet.

What’s changed at Pulpit Rock

The council delivered the restoration in stages as funding came through. The federal Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program contributed $957,985. The NSW government contributed $3.7 million, although Member for Blue Mountains Trish Doyle says that figure also covered other Upper Blue Mountains landmarks.

The biggest change is who can now get there. A new accessible day-use area has its own lookout, along with an accessible toilet, parking, shelters and picnic facilities. The council says the design has older visitors and people with mobility impairments in mind.

“The Australian Government is proud to support the restoration of this iconic destination, helping locals and visitors reconnect with the natural beauty of the Grose Valley while improving accessibility and resilience for the future," Federal Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain said.

Further out along the rock, three lookouts have been upgraded. Each has new Australian Standard-compliant safety barriers, new furniture and signage, and better walking track connections. A fourth lookout, the lowest, is gone for good because geotechnical investigations found it couldn’t be safely reinstated.

From the platforms that remain, the view is the one that made Pulpit Rock a favourite. It is an almost 360-degree sweep across the Grose Valley to Govetts Leap and the Blue Gum Forest, with cliff lines stretching out to Mt Banks.

Why the timber became sandstone

The timber infrastructure at Pulpit Rock had been replaced several times over recent decades because of bushfire damage. Black Summer was just the latest round of a cycle.

This time, the old timber has been rebuilt in sandstone to make it more resilient to future fires. The test comes soon, because the reserve reopens as the bushfire season approaches, and the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts this El Niño could be one of the strongest on record.

Paid parking

Here’s the catch. Blue Mountains City Council has installed paid parking at the lookout: $12 an hour, or $38 for a day pass. The day pass is the better deal for half-day and full-day visitors, but it only pulls ahead once you stay past three hours.

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill says that local ratepayers are funding visitor infrastructure for a region he says is approaching six million visitors a year. In his view, visitors who don’t want to contribute are welcome to stay away.

Before you go

Pulpit Rock Reserve is reached from Blackheath via Hat Hill Road, and the council has upgraded Pulpit Rock Road as part of the works. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has previously warned that the unsealed approach can turn boggy after rain, so check conditions if it’s been wet. Bring water, a hat, sunscreen and binoculars.

The clifftop Pulpit walking track to Govetts Leap lookout starts here. NPWS partially closed the track on 18 September, so check park alerts before planning a walk.