‘Inherently dangerous’: Popular Blue Mountains destination closes

Blue Mountains City Council has closed the popular Lincoln’s Rock lookout for at least three months due to increased safety risks. Mayor Mark Greenhill said “we cannot, in good conscience, keep it open”.

The clifftop destination, in Wentworth Falls, closed last week after a growing number of visitors continued to ignore safety warnings at the unfenced site that overlooks the Jamison Valley.

Last year, Greenhill told this masthead the lookout had received a surge in visitors after a popular K-pop star, Jennie from group Blackpink, visited the site in 2023 and shared photos of herself sitting on the edge of the rock to her 80 million-plus Instagram followers.

Tourism numbers in the Blue Mountains have also improved post-COVID. Greenhill said about 5 million people now visit the region each year.

The sharp rise in visitor numbers over the past three years has led to an increase in rubbish at the site, illegal parking, traffic congestion and vandalism. Hundreds of initials and names are now carved into the rock.

“Because it was only ever a site that received a small number of visitors, it didn’t have toilet facilities. We’ve had people defecating in the bush,” Greenhill said.

“We have so many buses coming down to the site. There’s nowhere to park, so buses are actually parking in the bush … causing erosion and significant environmental damage.”

The council voted in November 2025 to introduce a range of measures to control the volume of visitors and their impact on Lincoln’s Rock, including assigning a ranger taskforce to attend the site during peak periods for six months. But just two months later, Greenhill has said the measures aren’t enough, as visitors continue to ignore safety warnings at the unfenced site.

“It just hasn’t controlled the numbers. It just it hasn’t been enough. So we need some serious infrastructure work to keep that site safe,” Greenhill said.

The closure will remain in place until at least April 30, when it will be reviewed by the council. A plan to address the ongoing issues at Lincoln’s Rock will be developed by the council and could include establishing a booking system for tour groups and having staff onsite to control the number of visitors.

Greenhill said visitation numbers to Lincoln’s Rock could be as high as 1000 per day. Many choose to sit on the edge of the cliff for a photo. He believes the site’s “inherently dangerous” location, combined with the overwhelming number of people who travel to the lookout, presents a serious safety risk.

“We’ve had two people fall in the past before this surge, and both survived horrific injuries, but I don’t manage safety from the point of view of I’m going to wait for someone to die before I take steps. I’m going to prevent them – and the risk of an accident is obvious,” he said.

The Sydney Morning Herald has a bureau in the heart of Parramatta. Email parramatta@smh.com.au with news tips.