Govetts Leap Falls, 180-meter waterfall in Blue Mountains National Park, Australia
Govetts Leap Falls is a bridal veil waterfall on Govetts Leap Brook, dropping 180 metres over Taylor Wall into the Grose Valley in Blue Mountains National Park, about 2.4 kilometres east of Blackheath. It is the 17th tallest waterfall in Australia.
A government surveyor named William Romaine Govett explored the Blue Mountains in 1831 and documented this location. The waterfall's name preserves the memory of this early explorer whose work helped map the region.
The name Govetts Leap comes from William Romaine Govett, the government surveyor who first recorded the falls around 1831; "leap" here means a steep fall of water rather than a jump. The lookout above is a long-established stopping point in the Blue Mountains, and the archaeologist V. Gordon Childe died at the falls in 1957.
The site is reached via walking trails from Govetts Leap Lookout, where parking and restrooms are available. The paths can be slippery and wet depending on recent rainfall, so sturdy footwear and careful footing are important year-round.
Govetts Leap Falls is the 17th tallest waterfall in Australia, dropping about 180 metres in a single plunge over Taylor Wall. The archaeologist V. Gordon Childe, known for his work on European prehistory, died at the falls in 1957. The lookout stands about 2.4 kilometres east of Blackheath, above the Grose Valley.
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