Fitzroy Falls

Morton National Park, New South Wales, Australia

About Fitzroy Falls


Hiking Distance: 400m round trip (to first lookout)
Suggested Time: 30 minutes (to first lookout)

Date first visited: 2006-11-07
Date last visited: 2006-11-07

Waterfall Latitude: -34.6481
Waterfall Longitude: 150.48247

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Fitzroy Falls dazzled Julie and I with its impressive flow despite the drought during our November 2006 trip to Southeastern Australia.

It featured a dramatic cliffside free-fall, which we were able to appreciate from several panoramic overlooks.

Fitzroy_Falls_001_11062006 - Fitzroy Falls
Fitzroy Falls

It was probably one of our favorite (if not the favorite) waterfalls in New South Wales.

The falls was said to be 80m tall, and apparently, it was said to have reliable flow despite a dam further upstream collecting the flow of the Yarrunga Creek (resulting in the Fitzroy Reservoir).

The flow was said to have been reduced since the implementation of the dam.

Conversely, it might also perform more consistently because of it (contrary to other waterfalls we’ve seen where dams had the opposite effect of robbing a waterfall dry).

So imagine how much more impressive it would have been if we were already impressed by it in its current compromised state!

Experiencing Fitzroy Falls

Fitzroy_Falls_003_11062006 - This was the view of the valley from the top of Fitzroy Falls with incoming bad weather
This was the view of the valley from the top of Fitzroy Falls with incoming bad weather

From the self-pay car park (see directions below), we then walked through the visitor center where the walks to the views of the falls started right behind it.

We began by checking out Fitzroy Falls near its brink since that was where the visitor center was close to.

Then, we followed the cliff-side track further downstream and away from the falls where there were more lookouts including the signposted Jersey Lookout and Richardson Lookout.

All along the way, there were interpretive signs talking about the native vegetation and wildlife of the area as well as the geology that gave rise to the falls.

The farther away from the falls we went, the more direct the views became.

Julie and I also noticed some more hidden tiers of waterfalls nestled within the foliage deep in the valley below.

Fitzroy_Falls_013_11062006 - Direct view of Fitzroy Falls from the Jersey Lookout
Direct view of Fitzroy Falls from the Jersey Lookout

Since our visit happened to be during overcast skies, which then became rain, our views of the surroundings weren’t as expansive, but they were impressive nonetheless.

Beyond Fitzroy Falls to Twin Falls

Although it was sufficient for us to visit Fitzroy Falls from the given overlooks, we also continued the walk towards Twin Falls, which we have a different writeup for.

Twin Falls was not factored into the difficulty rating on this page since it required greater exertion than what was required for Fitzroy Falls.

More About Fitzroy Falls

One of these days, Julie and I would like to return here under better weather.

The hope would be to get the views that might be reminiscent of the Blue Mountains experience a couple hours west of Sydney.

By the way, some people might refer to the falls as Throsby’s Falls after Charles Throsby, who was credited as the first non-Aboriginal person to chance upon it.

Fitzroy_Falls_002_11062006 - Fitzroy Falls near its brink from behind the visitor centre
Fitzroy Falls near its brink from behind the visitor centre

The name Fitzroy came from a New South Wales governor who first visited the falls in 1850.

Authorities

Fitzroy Falls resides in the Morton National Park near Robertson in New South Wales. It is administered by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Fitzroy_Falls_008_11062006 - This was the first look at Fitzroy Falls after we had left the visitor centre
Fitzroy_Falls_012_jx_11062006 - Looking right down to the base of Fitzroy Falls
Fitzroy_Falls_013_jx_11062006 - Looking at more of the Fitzroy Falls at an angle
Fitzroy_Falls_014_jx_11062006 - Examining the cliffs on the opposite side of the valley as we were walking towards the more distant views of Fitzroy Falls
Fitzroy_Falls_015_11062006 - Long exposed direct view of Fitzroy Falls from the Jersey Lookout
Fitzroy_Falls_031_11062006 - Distant view of the Fitzroy Falls in the rain from I think Richardon's Lookout
Fitzroy_Falls_037_11062006 - Mostly obstructed view of some hidden waterfall I noticed during the clifftop walk
Fitzroy_Falls_034_11062006 - By now, the bad weather really showed up and the views were mostly covered over by clouds
Fitzroy_Falls_035_11062006 - I believe the Richardson Lookout might be the furthest lookout where we were still able to see Fitzroy Falls
Fitzroy_Falls_038_11062006 - Context of the Jersey Lookout


There are many ways of getting to Fitzroy Falls so we’ll just describe the routes that we took to get to and from the falls.

From Belmore Falls, we took the Belmore Falls Rd west then turned left onto Pearsons Rd. We could’ve also gone west on Hwy 48 from the town of Robertson then turned left onto Pearsons Rd. Once on Pearsons Rd, we followed this road around the Fitzroy Reservoir as it would become Nowra Rd, and shortly thereafter, we saw the car park and visitor centre for Fitzroy Falls.

Coming from the Hume Hwy (Hwy 31) going northbound, exit at Hwy 48 (Illawarra Hwy) for Moss Vale. Then, shortly after passing through the town, turn right onto Hwy 79 (Nowra Rd), and follow this road to the visitor centre and car park for the falls.

For context, Fitzroy Falls was 58km (about an hour drive) west of Kiama, 69km (a little over an hour drive) west of Wollongong, 141km (under 2 hours drive) south of Sydney, and 175km (about 2 hours drive) north of Canberra..

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Tagged with: morton, illawarra, southern highlands, kiama, wollongong, new south wales, australia, waterfall, nowra, robertson, moss vale



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Fitzroy Falls January 4, 2011 3:43 am by Leo Li - There is a place southwest of Sydney called Southern Highlands. In Southern Highlands there is a famous waterfall called Fitzroy Falls. Fitzroy Falls is 81 metres high. It is surrounded by a valley. The falls fall onto some rocks and form a river that flows into the valley. You can view the falls from many… ...Read More
The Fitzroy experience May 7, 2009 11:33 am by Ian Smith - Fitzroy is indeed worth a look, it's almost up there with Ellenborough Falls. The walk along the western rim is a lovely walk and, as suggested, it has some wonderful views and you cross over another waterfall and then reach The Grotto, a small but beautiful cascade that drops into a glade. I thought I'd… ...Read More

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Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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