Hanging Rock
Hanging Rock is a block of rock located in the Grose Valley of the Blue Mountains National Park.
Is a large sandstone formation that appears to hang off the side of a cliff.
Getting to it
If you are driving from Sydney go past Blackheath and hang a right off the Great Western Highway onto Ridgewell Rd.
Once on Ridgewell Rd it is only a short drive to the Hanging Rock car park.
Alternatively put your mountain bike on the train from Sydney and cycle from Blackheath Station.
If you are walking from the car park a solid trek along a fire trail awaits you. It took our group around 2hrs 30 minutes to do the return walk (10kms).
At the end of your trek or bike ride you will make your way upwards via a track and stairs to Baltzer lookout.
Allow maybe 20-30 minutes or more to suck up the moment at Hanging Rock and Balzter Lookout, so a reasonable time allocation is 3 hours.
Enjoy the view!
From the Baltzer lookout you will see Hanging Rock and the steep walk down takes only a few minutes.
And remember you are only few metres from a dramatic unfenced drop to the valley below.
Arrival
Once nearing Hanging Rock you will have sandstone walls on either side as you look at the distant Grose Valley and a nearby cliff face (see 2nd photograph).
When you are close to the rock its detachment is apparent as a three feet jump is required to reach it.
The rock itself is at an angle (maybe 60 to 80 degrees) to the cliff face and as a consequence it protrudes into the Grose Valley.
The protrusion is greatest at the top of the rock as hanging rock tapers in as you look down it.
How was it created
Two books on the Blue Mountains have identified* the event which brought about Hanging Rock, namely a landslide in the late 1930s.
The landslide is likely to have been preceded by a long period of weathering and erosion of joints in the sandstone plateau and underlying claystone. When claystone is no longer strong enough to support the sandstone above a collapse occurs.
Its all about the photo
Whilst at Hanging Rock several visitors hopped onto the rock and made their way to the end point of the rock.
At the pointy end of Hanging Rock is a rock that is one metre or more in length that has broken away from the rock before it.
Another little feature to add to the edginess of a photo!
Just watching the ‘no fear brigade’ is suspenseful in itself as the drop from Hanging Rock to the Grose Valley can only be described as formidable, at least 120 plus metres (maybe more).
I would not want to be on that rock on a windy day!
We enjoyed our visit to Hanging Rock but only consider it if you are comfortable with heights.
*page 153 of The Blue Mountains, Exploring landscapes shaped by the underlying rocks, uplift and erosion, Peter Hatherly & Ian Brown; page 708 Blue Mountains Geographical Encyclopaedia, Brian Fox, Michael Keats OAM and John Fox, Released: February 2018, Updated: July 2023
Bald Hill is the area of low bush on the area located on the opposite cliff, with Mount Banks in the distance
Looking between Hanging rock on the left and the rock supporting Baltzer lookout on the right
Up close - on the top of Hanging Rock is a rock that has broken away from the rock before it
the gap between hanging rock and the cliff reduces in size as you look downward
not a place to have a picnic
another look at the gap that exists between hanging rock and the cliff
if only my mother could see me now!
Further down from Hanging Rock is yet another rock that visitors may be drawn to
