Mount Wilson Gardens & Cathedral of Ferns
Drive to Mount Wilson, the Blue Mountains' hidden high plateau community, for a walk through private garden estates and the magnificent Cathedral of Ferns ancient rainforest reserve.
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Mount Wilson Village
Mount Wilson sits on a high lava plateau above the sandstone landscape — the basalt soils support a completely different ecology to the rest of the Blue Mountains, enabling European garden plants to thrive.
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Cathedral of Ferns Entry
The Cathedral of Ferns reserve contains ancient coachwood, sassafras, and tree fern rainforest — the tree canopy creates a cathedral-like nave of green with shafts of light penetrating to the fern-covered floor.
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Tree Fern Gallery
Massive tree ferns with fronds 3 metres across line the track — these are among the largest in New South Wales, the basalt soil and high rainfall creating perfect growing conditions.
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Mount Wilson Heritage Gardens
The heritage gardens of the Mount Wilson estates are open for inspection — established by colonial-era families from the 1870s, they contain exotic trees reaching extraordinary size on the fertile plateau.
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Waterfall Reserve
A short track through the reserve reaches a waterfall dropping from the basalt plateau edge — the transition from cool rainforest to the sandstone canyon country below is visible from the falls lookout.
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Autumn Leaf Walk
In autumn, the exotic deciduous trees planted by estate owners in the 1880s create brilliant colour — Mount Wilson's autumn display is considered the finest in Australia, drawing visitors from across the country.