Vale of Avoca lookout

Perched 250 metres above the wild Grose River, the Vale of Avoca lookout is only a 15-minute drive from Richmond or Kurrajong but feels worlds away. Soak in the wild landscapes of the Lower Grose Valley on the 140-metre walk from the car park to the lookout.

From the unfenced sandstone rock platforms admire the natural amphitheatre of forest-clad mountains plunging into deep, v-shaped gorges. The round hump of Mount Hay, near Katoomba, can be seen in the distance.

Bring a picnic, meditate, indulge your inner artist, or spot the local wildlife, wedge-tailed eagles are common here. You might glimpse the rare glossy black cockatoo or even a koala.

The lookout is also home to many uncommon plants, including the native cranberry and critically endangered scrub turpentine. One of the world's rarest species of heath, sparse heath, grows below the lookout and by the Grose River. Look for its cream, tubular bell-shaped flowers from April to June.

To make a day of it, enjoy a bushwalk to the Grose River, via a nearby Waterboard fire trail. Allow three hours for the five-kilometre return walk. In spring and summer, you can cool off in the pristine river.