Blue Gum Forest, Blue Mountains

Blue Gum Forest New South Wales
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
Blue gums at the Blue Gum Forest
Blue Gum Forest
Nearest town or city	Blackheath
Coordinates	33°36.45′S 150°21.48′E / 33.60750°S 150.35800°E / -33.60750; 150.35800Coordinates: 33°36.45′S 150°21.48′E / 33.60750°S 150.35800°E / -33.60750; 150.35800
Managing authorities	NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
Website	Blue Gum Forest
See also	Protected areas of New South Wales

The Blue Gum Forest is a protected nature reserve located in the Grose Valley of the Blue Mountains, in Blue Mountains National Park, in New South Wales west of Sydney, southeastern Australia. It is one of the best-known bushwalking sites in Australia. As part of the Greater Blue Mountains, the forest is within the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The forest survived through the efforts of early Australian conservationists.

The forest consists predominantly of towering Mountain blue gum (Eucalyptus deanei) trees, with an understory of shrubs. The forest can be accessed only on foot, with several trails from different parts of the Grose Valley and adjacent canyons meeting in the forest. The most direct route into the forest from Blackheath is by the Perrys Lookdown track, which descends 656 metres (2,152 ft) to the forest. The return walk uphill is rated as "hard".

A large mountain blue gum tree measuring 65 metres (213 ft) high with a trunk 6 metres (20 ft) in circumference grows in the Blue Gum Forest. Being over 600 years old, it is a local landmark for bushwalkers. Because of the effects of trampling, camping is permitted at nearby Acacia Flat, not in the Blue Gum Forest itself.

While the forest is dominated by Eucalyptus deanei, other eucalyptus trees are present. Smaller trees and shrubs include paperbarks (Melaleuca styphelioides), various acacias and the Yellow Pittosporum (Pittosporum revolutum). Grasses, vines, orchids (Caladenia picta), and ferns grow on the forest floor.