If somebody asked me what is my favourite place in Blue Mountains, I would definitely think about this spot. This gem is located just 7 kilometers from Blackheath and getting there involves some dirt road driving, walking and hiking. All of this combined with great views makes this location a perfect place to experience Blue Mountains.

Hanging Rock is located a few hundred meters from the Baltzer Lookout, so that will be your starting point if you are trying to find it on the map.

To make things simpler for you, here how to get there:

1. If you drive from Katoomba, in Blackheath take a right turn onto Ridgewell Road, this at first a good gravel road soon turns into an old fire trail - follow this road up to the gate or until your car clearance allows.
2. From the gate (approximately 3.5 km from Blackheath) walk another 3.5 kilometers to a Baltzer Lookout – walking track follows a fire trail and is quite easy.
3. At Baltzer Lookout turn left, from this point you will need a good hiking experience and good hiking footwear. Please don’t go there if you don’t have both.

So, is it really hanging? I would say yes – rock is separated from the cliff by 80cm gap that narrows to a crack somewhere down below. Rock is quite narrow with a tip hanging over the valley a hundred meters below.

As I said, a gap between the rock and cliff is not wide – you can easily walk over it, but it is wide enough to make standing on both edges uncomfortable.

Here I would like to say that if you’re going to cross that gap, you must clearly understand possible consequences - any slip there may be fatal. Think before you do it – what if it is your weight that will make this rock to fall?

Anyway, I did it. It is me posing with a tripod at the edge of the Hanging Rock.

Unfortunately, a tree made it almost impossible to get to the very tip of the Hanging Rock, especially with a tripod. I decided not to risk, but couldn’t resist and took a photo anyway.

For climbers there is an anchor point, it is visible on the image below – it throws a small shadow in the middle of the tip. I would love to see somebody hanging from there.

Beautiful view, isn’t it? Well worth a visit.

And a final tip: if you want to see a Hanging Rock in all its colours – sunrise is the the best time, to get there in time you will need to start your 3.5km walk 40 minutes before, and that’s a minimum.