Scenic Eastern Escarpment Upgrade
Significant upgrades are being made to the Scenic Eastern Escarpment. Located on the eastern edge of the Blue Mountains, stretching from Lapstone to Hawkesbury Heights and neighbouring Western Sydney, the precinct offers walking tracks and bike tracks through Blue Mountains bushland, and lookouts over the Nepean Gorge and Cumberland Plains.
Lapstone Zig Zag Shared Path and Top Points Lookout Upgrade commences
15 June 2023
From Friday, 16 June 2023 the Lapstone Zig Zag Walking Track and Top Points Lookout, as well as the end of the Knapsack Street cul-de-sac, will be temporarily closed to allow a range of upgrades to be made, including:
- An accessible, shared, asphalt pathway approximately 850 metres long along the alignment of the existing Zig Zag Track to the Top Points Lookout.
- An accessible, elevated platform at the Top Points Lookout at the northern end of the pathway, which will provide views over the Cumberland Plain.
- A formalised parking area in the Knapsack Street cul-de-sac providing five angled parking spaces, and including two accessible parking spaces, for the community.
- Improved landscaping next to the parking area and trail head, including a small rain garden for stormwater treatment.
- Seating at intervals along the pathway
The track and lookout will remain closed while the upgrades are completed.
The work is expected to be finished late 2023 (weather permitting).
We thank the community for their patience as we work to deliver these important accessibility upgrades.
Current Walking Track Works
11 September 2023
- Tunnel Gully Walking Track: Temporary closure.
Closed for track upgrade works until the end of 2023. No alternate routes are available.
More information on walking track closures, alternate routes and maps.
About the Scenic Eastern Escarpment upgrades
- A $2 million upgrade to 2.35km of walking tracks in the lower Blue Mountains will make significant heritage features more accessible.
- This project will not only make these walking tracks in the lower Blue Mountains more accessible to more people, but it will also help open up significant heritage areas.
- The Blue Mountains is one of only two cities around the world that sit within a World Heritage Area. Increasing accessibility provides equal opportunity and access for all to enjoy the unique and diverse bushland that forms the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
- The Scenic Eastern Escarpment is an important regional recreational space with over 16km of bush trails. Council will be improving the safety and amenity of a number of shared walking tracks and trails, lookouts, steps and stairs within Knapsack Reserve, including:
- Lapstone Zig Zag to Top Points Lookout
- Marges and Elizabeth Lookouts
- Elizabeth Lookout Track to Knapsack Bridge
- Marges Lookout Track to Lennox Bridge
- Lovers Walk to Mitchells Pass (Whitton Memorial Place)
- Work on these is due to commence at various stages. Council will provide as much onsite notice to reserve users as is possible and will program works to be the least inconvenient to reserve users, providing detours as alternatives where feasible.
- These improvements are in line with the Scenic Eastern Escarpment Masterplan adopted by Council in May 2018 after a year of extensive community consultation. The Masterplan guides future use of the Eastern Escarpment – and can be found via the following links:
You can read our FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) to the right and follow the project, simply press the 'Subscribe' button.
Past project updates are also available in the News Feed below.
*The project will be funded under the Western Parkland City Liveability Program, which is part of the Western Sydney City Deal (WSCD). The WSCD is a 20 year-agreement between the Australian and NSW governments, and the eight local Councils of the Western Parkland City.
