NSW Topo maps have Bennett Lookout that overlooks to Upper Grose Valley located right on the cliff edge. However, on the ground there’s nothing there to indicate anything special or unusually spectacular that location. There are plenty of spots around there that are equally spectacular.

However, a couple of hundred meters back from the cliff edge is a flat rock platform with an old cairn and excellent views from West and North right around to the East. These views would have been unobstructed by trees prior to the 2019 fires as the platform is above a 10m cliffline.

Route

Parking 800m inside the park boundary, it’s an obvious walk West to get up to Hat Hill Ridge. And a very pleasant jog North for a couple of kms with excellent views to Sydney in the East and West to the Darling Causeway.

Before getting to the Bald Head lookout and intervening saddle leave the good track and head Northwards. After a hundred and fifty meters of level bush mostly through (spikey) Lambertia Formosa and Wattle the ground starts to drop away. Before the drop off, it was easy to scout around to find the good platform that faces the Upper Grose and the level top of Bald Head. The cairn is easily visible from well over 25m away.

Then a quick morning tea of crackers and cheese while watching John traverse around the lower ledges of Bald Head to get to the base of the climbs there.

To coninue the loop, follow the level but severely overgrown and trackless cliff top towards Wind Eroded Cave for about 600m past a small gully and up to a good platform with equally good views, but to the Grose Valley in the NW and East to Mt Banks and Wind Eroded Cave.

The distinctive feature of the rock platform is the cracked ironstone that is still in situ - Eggshell Lookout.

Eggshell Lookout overlooks Brownes Path - the vegetated ledge below the pale cliffs. The far end of the ledge goes around the corner to an easy gully up to the plateau… as described on previous trips.

From this lookout it’s fairly steeply Southwards and down to a pleasant creek in the gully. There’s a cave to explore (once) on the South side, and plenty of ferns above the babbling creek.

After crossing it easily it’s up the slopes past the huge fallen log (at top right), towards the Wind Eroded complex. By bearing left when possible and avoiding the last cliffline, the Cave car park is closeby.

The alternative is to attain the ridgeline and follow the faint track along Anvil Rock Ridge. And from there only 500m of road bashing back to where the car was parked.

Much of the start and end of this route is joggable so it’s doable in less than two hours. Otherwise it’s a leisurely 1/2 day out with little chance of seeing other parties.

For the record, the coords of Bennett Lookout -
UTM 02 51967E 62 80208N
Grid Ref -33.5890 150.3273E

And Eggshell Lookout is at 02 52400E 62 80059N

Aerial view of Bennett Lookout route

Stats

Approx 6km
Approx 270m of ascent
1:45 hours