Grose Valley is a rugged valley which makes its way east towards the Hawkesbury River, of which it is a tributary. From its headwaters in the Mount Victoria area, the Grose River has cut a deep gorge through the Blue Mountains. Sheer sandstone cliffs standing hundreds of metres above the river make for spectacular scenery. In the Blackheath area there are a number of accessible lookouts, the best known being Govetts Leap. The valley can also be viewed from lookouts near Bells Line of Road and points outside Mount Victoria.
The valley is located between the Great Western Highway and Bells Line of Road, the two major routes across the Blue Mountains. The majority of the valley falls within the Blue Mountains National Park. Within the valley, the Blue Gum Forest is one place that stands out from the rest of the valley. It consists predominantly of towering Blue Gum trees (Eucalyptus deanei, also known as Deane's Gums, or Broad-leafed gums), with a thin understorey because the tall trees inhibit the growth of ground cover by blocking most of the sunlight. Protected by the Blue Mountains National Park, the forest can be accessed only on foot, with several trails from different parts of the Grose Valley and adjacent canyons meeting in the forest.
Walking Tracks
There are a number of walks through the valley, with various entry, exit points and valley arms offering a range of permutations to explore. A moderate-grade day walk covering approximately 10 kilometres in five hours starts at Perrys Lookdown near Blackheath and descends sharply to the valley floor. Crossing through a corner of the Blue Gum Forest, the track goes south through the Acacia Flat camp ground, following the Govetts Creek. Passing several abandoned campgrounds, the path forks at Junction Rock; the route to Govetts Leap was closed in October 2003, following a landslide, and was reopened in December 2007.
In the other direction, along Govetts Creek, the route then starts a continuous climb towards the Grand Canyon, where it forks again; one track goes to Neates Glen, while the other is a steep climb to Evans Lookout. The general direction of travel is towards the southeast and this direction is recommended as the final climb at Evans Lookout is not as difficult as the ascent at Perrys Lookdown. Creeks in the valley are seasonal, and in the main the water is unsafe to drink. The walk is much more strenuous in summer due to the higher daily temperatures and the added risk of bushfires.
Brief history
The Grose River was named in September 1793 in honour of Lieutenant Governor Francis Grose. He was born in Greenland, Middlesex, England around 1758, and was the eldest son of Francis Grose (the well-known English antiquary) and Catherine Jordan. He attained the rank of major in 1783, in the 96th Foot and in November 1789 was placed in command of the New South Wales Corps and appointed lieutenant-governor of New South Wales, replacing Arthur Phillip. His governorship extended from 14 February 1792 to 17 December 1794. It was during this time that the Grose Valley was explored and named.
During the 1800s there were various proposals to dam the Grose Valley, and one such dam would have been at the forest. The area was also the subject of a number of proposed coal and shale mining ventures, and in the 1850s it was planned that the main western railway line would be routed up the Grose River and through the forest. In 1875 Blue Gum Forest was the scene of an artists' camp established by Eccleston Du Faur, of the Academy of Art. Several magnificent photographs by Alex Bischoff and drawings and paintings by William Piguenit resulted. Another outcome was that the whole Grose Valley and surrounds was reserved from alienation because it was a national spectacle. At the time there was no national park in Australia, and indeed Australia was not even a nation - but the reservation in essence was the country's first national park.
The Grose Valley became the cradle of the modern conservation movement in New South Wales when the Blue Gum Forest was saved from threatened destruction in 1931-32. At Easter in 1931, a group from the Sydney Bush Walkers club, led by Alan Rigby, were camped in the forest when they chanced upon a Bilpin farmer, Clarrie Hungerford. Hungerford had a lease of the forest and told the bushwalkers he planned to clear the Blue Gums to plant walnuts. Other threats to the forest included a proposed railway line, a dam, a power station and mining for coal and shale. The bushwalkers went away and started a campaign to stop him.
Eventually, they raised ��130 which they paid Hungerford in exchange for his relinquishing the lease. They met with Hungerford at the Blue Gum Forest on November 15, 1931 in pouring rain, and he agreed with their suggestion. It was a substantial amount at the height of the great depression. �Ǭ�80 came in the form of an interest-free loan from James Cleary, then head of the NSW railways and later chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Cleary was also a bushwalker. One of the key activists in the campaign was Myles Dunphy, who at the time was developing his plans for the Blue Mountains National Park.
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