Waterfalls in New South Wales

Planning a waterfall trip in New South Wales

The Blue Mountains are the easy day trip from Sydney, with dozens of falls within a short walk of the train line. Further north, the Northern Rivers and New England tablelands drop off the Great Escarpment in some of the tallest single drops in the state.

On the escarpment, Wollomombi Falls in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park falls more than 200 metres into a gorge, and Ellenborough Falls near Elands is one of the longest single drops in the state. Dorrigo National Park is gentler, with a rainforest walk behind Crystal Shower Falls. Closer to the coast, Minyon Falls in Nightcap National Park is an easy stop on a Byron Bay hinterland drive. South of Sydney, the Southern Highlands has Fitzroy Falls and Belmore Falls, both within a few minutes of a car park.

Rain matters more than the calendar here. A wet fortnight in late summer or autumn will have the coast and ranges in full flow, while a dry winter can leave the smaller Blue Mountains falls as a trickle. Alpine falls in Kosciuszko National Park run hardest in spring as the snow melts, and the high roads can be icy or closed in winter.

Most falls here are in national parks, so tracks can close after storms or for maintenance. The access badge on every waterfall reflects the latest NSW National Parks alerts, and the flow badge tells you whether recent rain has them running.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service charges a daily vehicle entry fee in some parks, paid at a machine or online, and an annual pass covers all of them if you visit often. Many of the most popular falls, including most of the Blue Mountains lookouts, are free to visit. Where a fee applies, the Getting there section on the waterfall page says so.

If you are driving out early, check fire danger ratings in summer. Parks can close on high fire danger days, and some tracks stay closed for months after a bushfire.