Parking
Use the end of White Cross Road in Winmalee. The vehicle gate is closed to cars and designated trail parking is limited; park legally nearby and continue on foot.
Overview
About Blue Gum Swamp and Shaws Ridge Loop
Why go
- Tall blue gums and dense ferns make the swamp section memorable.
- The loop combines a long ridge trail with a greener creek valley.
Heads up
- Long fire-trail stretches can feel repetitive.
- The stony descent and creek crossings are less comfortable after rain.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Mountains map
Full mapElevation246–328 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Blue Mountains alerts
- ClosureRoads and tracks closed across Blue Mountains National ParkMany roads, fire trails and walking tracks across Blue Mountains National Park are closed; do not enter closed areas.Official details
- CautionPark-wide solid-fuel fire banA park fire ban is active across Blue Mountains National Park: campfires and solid-fuel barbecues and stoves are prohibited. - Gas and electric cookers are permitted, subject to safety rules.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Blue Mountains Tour Guide
Your drive to Blue Gum Swamp and Shaws Ridge Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Blue Mountains National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Blue Mountains audio tourMore stories near here in the app
- Smoke Gives a Seed Its Cue
- Two Voices in One Magpie
- Vale of Avoca above the Grose River
- Parkes Came Home to Faulconbridge
- 188 audio storiesacross Blue Mountains’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grey Kangaroo, Wombat, Red-necked Wallaby, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 110 trails, 84 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Blue Gum Swamp and Shaws Ridge Loop
The full loopBlue Gum Swamp and Shaws Ridge is a 5.65-mile (9.
Blue Gum Swamp and Shaws Ridge is a 5.65-mile (9.1-km) circuit from White Cross Road: a steady forest climb on Shaws Ridge, then a descent into a fern-filled valley of tall blue gums before the return. Allow about three hours. Most of it is straightforward fire trail, but the lower descent is narrower and stonier. It is an easy-to-moderate walk if you are comfortable with the distance and uneven ground.
Take Shaws Ridge firstGo counterclockwise, taking the Shaws Ridge side first.
Go counterclockwise, taking the Shaws Ridge side first. The broad gravel trail climbs gradually, with flatter and rolling stretches under eucalypts. It is a long fire-trail stretch, so save some patience for the swamp: that change in scenery is the reason to do the whole circuit. Share the track and listen for bicycles.
Slow down in the swampThe route drops onto a flatter, smoother valley track beside Blue Gum Swamp Creek.
The route drops onto a flatter, smoother valley track beside Blue Gum Swamp Creek. Tall blue gums rise over dense ferns, and three small creek crossings use stepping stones. After rain, the lower ground can be wet or muddy, and stones on the descent may be slippery. Bring water; no refill point is identified. This is the best place to frame the pale trunks above the fern tops so the height of the forest comes through.
The swamp is also habitat for yellow-bellied gliders, gang-gang cockatoos and powerful owls. They are possible sightings, not a promise for every walk.
The lookout is a separate effortAt about 5 km, a branch toward Bees Nest Hill and Grose Head South climbs steeply to a rocky,…
At about 5 km, a branch toward Bees Nest Hill and Grose Head South climbs steeply to a rocky, unfenced lookout over the Grose Valley. It is not included in this mapped loop. Adding it makes a longer outing of roughly 12 km and about 4.5 hours; skip it if steep ground or exposed edges are not for you.
Access and rulesStart at the end of White Cross Road in Winmalee.
Start at the end of White Cross Road in Winmalee. The vehicle gate is locked, and designated parking is limited, so park legally nearby and walk in. Dogs are not permitted in NSW national parks.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Blue Mountains
58 sightingsGrey KangarooMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
43 sightingsWombatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
18 sightingsRed-necked WallabyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
53 sightingsSwamp WallabyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
23 sightingsBrushtail PossumMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
30 sightingsRing-tailed PossumMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Blue Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
