The Nepean Gorge is a

gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to c ...

on the

Nepean River Nepean River ( Darug: Yandhai), is a major perennial river, located in the south-west and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Nepean River and its associated mouth, the Hawkesbury River, almost encircles the metropolitan region ...

west of Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The gorge is located south of the western suburb of Penrith and is administered and protected by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It is carved through the sandstone typical of the region,

Hawkesbury sandstone Sydney sandstone is the common name for Sydney Basin Hawkesbury Sandstone, one variety of which is historically known as Yellowblock, and also as "yellow gold" a sedimentary rock named after the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney, where this ...

. There is some speculation as to why it runs through the eastern edge of the Blue Mountains rather than around it. The gorge is popular for water recreation by small watercraft all year. Lookouts above the gorge are accessible by dirt roads on both banks and the area is steeped with Aboriginal history. Evidence of prehistoric volcanic activity in the area also exists in the soil and stone of nearby hills.

See also