This week Rover wanted to spend some time in the beautiful Australian bush, enjoying the magnificent scenery. He was heading towards the Kangaroo Valley, spending some time with his family, and when I suggested we stop by Fitzroy Falls on the way he thought this was a great idea. Unfortunately, it was raining when we visited, but that didn’t deter Rover (who had special permission to visit the National Park - dogs aren't allowed) and the view was certainly well worth a short walk in the rain.
If you would like to visit Fitzroy Falls it is located on Nowra Road, and to get there you can come either from the Southern Highlands (turning off the Hume Highway onto the Illawarra Highway, and then taking Nowra Road) or from Kangaroo Valley (follow Moss Vale Road untl it becomes Nowra Road and Fitzroy Falls will be nearby). There is a visitor centre and cafe at Fitzroy Falls themselves, but if you prefer to have a picnic, just up the road is the beautiful Fitzroy Falls Reservoir, which has great picnic facilities.
Fitzroy Falls is a magnificent waterfall tumbling over the edge of a steep cliff into the valley below, and this spectacular waterfall has also lent its name to a small settlement around the area. Standing looking out at the waterfall, the area appears to be steep and impenetrable cliffs, but the Aborigines had discovered a pathway leading from what is now the Southern Highlands all the way to what is today known as The Kangaroo Valley. The pathway, which passed close to the falls, was shown to Charles Throsby by the local Aboriginals in 1818.
Although Throsby may have seen the falls at this time (there is no mention of this in his account though), and he certainly took visitors to see them and picnic in the splendid scenery, they were not named for many years to come. It was not until 1850, when Governor Fitzroy made a visit to the Throsby estate that the waterfall was named, in the Governors honour. In 1862 a town was planned for the area, but little settlement occurred. Plenty of visitors stopped by the falls though and in 1882, 4000 acres around the falls were set aside as a reserve. The coming of the car was what made Fitzroy Falls a major attraction though. Visitors to the Southern Highlands or the Kangaroo Valley would stop by the falls, and in the 1940s and 50s day trippers would catch the train to Moss Vale and be transferred to the falls by tourist ‘charabancs’. Today the falls remain a popular attraction and stopping point between the Southern Highlands and Kangaroo Valley.