Bushwalk Australia

Hey all,

I want to camp at Acacia Flat for a night. I have camped before but never in the Blue Mountains. Any advice for this particular campground? Looking at going in June/July

Thanks

Take good sleeping bag - it will be chilly. You'll lose the sun mid-afternoon - maybe pick a campsite based on morning or arvo sun?
Good water 5 mins S at Orang Utan Ck.
Horsetrack is a good (relatively) gentle way to get down there.
Perrys/Dockers is the v. steep option, but less than 3km for 600m of de/ascent.
Plenty of parking at top for both options.
No fires allowed - only gas stoves.
Has good composting toilets.
Plenty of flat space for tents under the trees - there's likely to be a couple of other groups there, but not too many.
Plenty of options for short walks up or down the valley.

Keith has pretty much covered it. I'll add that It can get busy down there on long weekends.
e.g. Kings Birthday weekend in June if you're going around then, but should not be as bad as Easter.
For one night I'd aim for an open spot that gets early morning sun if you can, to avoid walking with a wet tent if dewy or frosty overnight.
I usually try and camp towards the south end, which is closest to Orang Utan Creek for water, and it can sometimes be less visited that end.
Weather forecast for Blackheath doesn't account for the 600 metre drop in altitude in the valley, so the micro climate weather can be different.
I generally check the Lawson forecast as well, which is a similar altitude to Acacia Flat although more exposed.

Thanks both for your responses!

I didnt realise no campfires were allowed or that Aciaca Flat was so popular!

Are there any other campsites that are only walk-in, preferably with a strenuous hike in, where campfires are allowed and more secluded?

Thanks

heracles26 wrote:Thanks both for your responses!

I didnt realise no campfires were allowed or that Aciaca Flat was so popular!

Are there any other campsites that are only walk-in, preferably with a strenuous hike in, where campfires are allowed and more secluded?

Thanks

Little Blue Gum or Junction Rock? Or just cross the Grose to the north side at the junction with Govett's Creek and there's a brilliant campsite right there (only a few mins from Acacia Flat, which isn't flash anyway IMO).

Burra Korain (https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/th ... sitor-info) matches 3 of your 4 criteria. Campfires are not allowed.

The water there needs treating.
There are no toilets.
Much smaller camp site, but you'll more than likely be alone (if not a long w/e). There's a 2nd flat area just over Victoria Ck too.

This is the sign at Acacia Flat taken a couple of weeks ago.

Burra Korain now has toilets! I haven't visited yet, they were installed within the last month I believe, brand new. I think they may have cleared up the site a little with some paths/more obvious clearings. Less people camp there, for sure, but the last few times I have camped there there's usually been at least one other small group - i'd expect that to increase now with the facilities.

Just on the fire situation at Acacia Flat, and Blue Gum/Grose in general - danger to ones self and others aside - the area is of huge historical and ecological significance and has been hit by several fires in the last couple of decades - too much for what it's supposed to get. It really can't deal with another one so soon. A couple of weeks ago I was down there and unbelievably I had to put one out a ways away from the campsite that someone had left unattended and was smouldering in the wind (in fact that's me doing just that in my profile pic). I love a campfire myself but the restrictions are there with good reason, it's not just a danger thing, either, is all I mean (altthough yeah, you wouldn't want to be stuck down there for one, there's a memorial on your way down for people who have).

What's the situation in the Jamison these days - Ruined Castle/Kedumba etc? Been pre-fires since I camped over there so don't have the latest. They'd probably be just as busy as acacia flat anyway. Long weekend I'd expect a few but if you were able to go midweek for either or avoid that in the depths of winter I reckon there wouldn't be many.

marron wrote:What's the situation in the Jamison these days - Ruined Castle/Kedumba etc? Been pre-fires since I camped over there so don't have the latest. They'd probably be just as busy as acacia flat anyway. Long weekend I'd expect a few but if you were able to go midweek for either or avoid that in the depths of winter I reckon there wouldn't be many.

Golden Stairs are closed (& probably will be for a long time) so Ruined Castle & Solitary are a lot less accessible. Access from Furbers is also closed - again due to landslides.

And according to NPWS, access to Solitary from Kedumba is 'temporarily closed until safety works are complete'. https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/vi ... cal-alerts

Thanks again all, definitely will do some more research.

Im coming from interstate so that adds another layer of uncertainty about NSW hikes/camps!

Walk_fat boy_walk wrote:

heracles26 wrote:Thanks both for your responses!

I didnt realise no campfires were allowed or that Aciaca Flat was so popular!

Are there any other campsites that are only walk-in, preferably with a strenuous hike in, where campfires are allowed and more secluded?

Thanks

Little Blue Gum or Junction Rock? Or just cross the Grose to the north side at the junction with Govett's Creek and there's a brilliant campsite right there (only a few mins from Acacia Flat, which isn't flash anyway IMO).

Oh, missed this.

Worth pointing out that camping is forbidden in Blue Gum proper (which is the peninsula on the north side of the junction). Funnily enough that's exactly where the unattended fire was! In any case, the recent rain even absolutely ripped through there. There were a couple of open sites that people used around the junction that were that were just gone a couple of weeks ago, i.e., big sand deposits, lots of flood refuse, sitting logs gone etc.

There's more than a few spots along the Grose/Greaves that will be away from anyone else OP - just please be careful fire wise

keithj wrote:

marron wrote:What's the situation in the Jamison these days - Ruined Castle/Kedumba etc? Been pre-fires since I camped over there so don't have the latest. They'd probably be just as busy as acacia flat anyway. Long weekend I'd expect a few but if you were able to go midweek for either or avoid that in the depths of winter I reckon there wouldn't be many.

Golden Stairs are closed (& probably will be for a long time) so Ruined Castle & Solitary are a lot less accessible. Access from Furbers is also closed - again due to landslides.

And according to NPWS, access to Solitary from Kedumba is 'temporarily closed until safety works are complete'. https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/vi ... cal-alerts

Oh yeah i forgot about the closures. I meant more fire wise.

OP, if you are coming to the BMs to do some multiday remote(ish) camping, just do the Grose stuff I reckon. There's a few options for how you can go about it, it's the middle of winter so it won't be super populated (outside the long weekend especially) and even then there are lots of spots outside Acacia Flat itself if you are happy to just find a bit of a flat spot or whatever. Around the flat itelf there are some more secluded spots at either end of the main campsite anyway.

There are now 5 entry/exit tracks to pick from - Victoria Falls, (from Mt Victoria - closest campsite Burra Korain) Pierces Pass (from the Bell's line of Rd - closest campsite, there are a couple of little unnamed/unsignaged spots around Crayfish Creek on the Grose), Perry's Lookdown (from Blackheath), Lockleys/Shortridge (from Leura) (both of these are closest to Acacia Flat) and the Horse Track (from Blackheath - there are a few campsites once you hit the creekbed, some recent threads on here will point you to them ).

Depending on your car situation you could muck around with those entries and exits and do something pretty fun. It's a great area to walk in.

E.g., park your car at Mt Vic. Get a bus down to Evans lookout Rd and then head down the Horse track. Find a spot down that end or walk up to Acacia Flat and camp there. Head up the Grose, camp at Burra Korain. Walk out at Mt Vic falls and then back to your car. Or just park in one spot and do a there and back again, e.g., the Lockley's Pylon walk is a great little walk before you head into the valley itself. trackhead is about about 10k from Leura.