Blue Mountains lookout to close after social media surge sparks safety fears

A popular Blue Mountains lookout will be temporarily closed after a surge in visitors sparked by a viral photo.

Blue Mountains City Council has announced it will shut Lincoln’s Rock at Wentworth Falls for three months from today, citing fears the unfenced cliff-top site is being “loved to death”.

Once largely known only to locals, the lookout has become a major tourist draw after South Korean K-pop star Jennie Kim from Blackpink posted photos of herself sitting on the rock overhang during the group’s 2023 Australian tour.

The images were shared with her tens of millions of Instagram followers, triggering a dramatic spike in visitation.

The council says up to 3,000 people have visited the site in a single day, far exceeding what the location and surrounding infrastructure were designed to handle.

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said the council had acted to prevent a potential tragedy.

“I don’t wait for someone to be killed before I act on concerns about safety,” Cr Greenhill said, speaking to the ABC.

“It’s too much, it’s too unsafe, and it’s degrading the environment.”

Despite warning signs urging visitors to stay back from cliff edges, many tourists have been photographed sitting with their legs dangling over the sheer drop.

The council says tour buses have also clogged the narrow access road, while illegal parking has caused significant disruption for local residents.

Cr Greenhill said the physical impact was already visible.

“The spot where the K-pop star sat and posed is now sat on so often there is actually a crater in the rock,” he said.

"Despite Council's efforts to improve safety measures and manage increasing visitation, too many people continue to disregard warning signs and put themselves, and the fragile environment, at serious risk. 

“As the popularity of the site has grown, visitors have ventured further into intact bushland which significantly impacts upon native vegetation and wildlife. 

Wentworth Falls resident Jo Di Pietro, who lives near the lookout, told the ABC the lack of amenities had led to people using surrounding bushland — and even private gardens — as toilets.

“They have used my front garden as a toilet and that’s quite a distance from the rock itself,” Ms Di Pietro said.

“It’s a pretty location, but it’s sad to see it in such a state of disrepair.”

She welcomed the council’s decision to close the site temporarily and said she hoped a long-term plan would limit vehicle access.

“In peak times, it’s taken some residents up to half an hour to get from the top of Hordern Road to their driveway,” she said.

Gundungurra traditional custodian Uncle David King also supported the closure, saying vandalism and rubbish were damaging both the environment and culturally significant features at the site.

“People find it is a good place to leave a lot of rubbish,” Mr King told the ABC.

He said sandstone groove markings made by First Nations people had been impacted by vandalism.

“People come in and either re-groove or write their name, and in our opinion that’s a desecration of a site,” he said.

“Around Kings Tableland and Lincoln’s Rock, we’re looking at it from a cultural perspective of how we keep that site healthy.”

At least two serious injuries have been reported at Lincoln’s Rock in recent years, including a 17-year-old boy who fell about 30 metres in 2017 and a 21-year-old man who fell from a ledge below the lookout in 2020.

The lookout is expected to reopen from April 30 with the Council currently developing a comprehensive Locality Plan for the Lincoln's Rock area, which will be released for community consultation in April.
  
The plan will address ongoing issues, including environmental degradation, traffic congestion, illegal parking, litter management and impacts on residential amenity, while exploring safe and sustainable public access options for the lookout. 

Cr Greenhill told the ABC the council’s message during the closure period was clear.

“Don’t come,” he said.

The situation highlights a growing challenge faced by popular destinations in Australia and overseas, as authorities attempt to balance tourism demand with safety, environmental protection and the needs of local communities.