Echo Point UFOs: Blue Mountains Sightings & Night Skywatching
Echo Point in Katoomba is the Blue Mountains' best-known lookout, with the Three Sisters on one side and the Jamison Valley dropping away below. It's also the centre of a long run of UFO reports. Since the early 1970s, people have described silent lights hovering low over the valleys here and around Wentworth Falls and Blackheath before vanishing at speed.
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Huge sandstone cliffs, dark forest and wide clear skies make the mountains a natural place to watch the sky, and maybe that's part of why so many strange lights get reported. Echo Point is one of the UFO hotspots in our guide Supernatural Sydney.
The History of the Blue Mountains Sightings
The case most often linked to the region is a photograph taken in 1972 by a Mr Taylor in the Katoomba area, showing a glowing object over the valley. It was later published by Australian mystery writer Rex Gilroy and has circulated among UFO enthusiasts ever since. Later accounts from around the mountains often describe something similar: hovering lights that pulse or change colour, then shoot away.
Over the following decades, the reports kept coming from bushwalkers, drivers, residents and visitors. Together they've given the Blue Mountains a reputation as one of Australia's busiest UFO regions.
The UFO Sightings
Most of the stories share a pattern: amber or white lights, low over a valley, no sound, then a sudden change of direction or speed. The places that come up most:
- Echo Point, Katoomba: glows reported rising from the Jamison Valley near Narrow Neck before darting upward.
- Govetts Leap and Evans Lookout, Blackheath: amber lights described hanging motionless over the Grose Valley, sometimes for minutes, then disappearing.
- Wentworth Falls: bright spheres reported gliding along Kings Tableland and turning sharply.
- Bells Line of Road: drivers in the 1980s and 1990s told of lights pacing their cars before veering into the forest.
These are reported sightings and claims. Satellites, aircraft, planets low on the horizon and lights reflecting on mist are common explanations, and part of the fun is working out what you're actually looking at.
How to Get to Echo Point Lookout
Echo Point is at the end of Echo Point Road in Katoomba, about two hours' drive from Sydney via the M4 and Great Western Highway. Follow the signs to the Three Sisters. There's a sealed car park with accessible spaces; time limits and parking fees apply, and it fills up on weekends.
By train, Blue Mountains Line services run from Sydney Central to Katoomba, which is walkable to Echo Point or a short local bus ride. The main viewing platforms have step-free access.
Know Before You Go
- The lookout is always open, but areas can close for maintenance, bad weather or fire danger. Check NSW National Parks alerts.
- Nights in the mountains get very cold. Bring warm layers and a torch.
- Stay behind fences and on marked tracks. The cliffs are sheer, and mist can roll in fast.
- On Bells Line of Road, only stop in official stopping bays. Never pull over on the road to watch the sky.
- Respect the Traditional Owners of this Country. Leave no trace and don't disturb wildlife.
Echo Point UFO FAQs
Are there UFO sightings in the Blue Mountains?
Yes, many have been reported since the 1970s, especially over the Jamison and Grose valleys near Katoomba, Wentworth Falls and Blackheath.
What is the 1972 Blue Mountains UFO photo?
A photo said to have been taken by a Mr Taylor near Katoomba in 1972, showing a glowing object over the valley. It was later published by Rex Gilroy.
Is Echo Point open at night?
Yes, the lookout is open at all times, though sections can close for weather, fire danger or maintenance.
Where is the best place for night skywatching in the Blue Mountains?
Echo Point, Govetts Leap and Evans Lookout all have wide valley views. Pick a clear, moonless night and dress warmly.
