Welcome to The world's widest canyon
A valley of wonder and wild beauty
While not quite as deep as North America’s Grand Canyon, the Capertee Valley is considered to be the widest enclosed valley in the world.
Lying just a three and a half hour drive north-west of Sydney’s CBD, the Capertee Valley is within the traditional country of the Wiradjuri people. With its towering sandstone cliffs and woodlands, the valley offers its visitors wild beauty and an opportunity to unplug and escape.
The sounds
Capertee Valley is recognised internationally as an Important Bird Area, home to more bird species than anywhere else in the southern hemisphere - making it one of the 50 top birdwatching places in the world.
Surrounded by the Wollemi, Capertee and Gardens of Stone national parks and the Mugii Murum-ban State Conservation Area, the valley’s diversity of habitats has resulted in a proliferation of bird species finding refuge here. Surrounded on all sides by spectacular sandstone cliffs, the valley is in a transition zone where the forests of the Blue Mountains give way to the woodlands of the NSW western slopes.
Vegetation varies from semi-rainforest to open forest, grassy woodlands and farmland grasslands. Not as heavily cleared as many other rural areas, the valley retains large areas of the critically endangered White Box–Yellow Box–Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland. Many woodland bird species, whose populations have fallen alarmingly elsewhere, remain relatively common and easily seen here.
The Towns
The valley encompasses the hamlets of Glen Davis, Glen Alice and Bogee and is bookended on its western and northern edges by the towns of Capertee, Kandos and Rylstone.
Planning a road trip?
If you're planning a road trip and don’t mind a bit of lavender, then our travel guide is perfect for you. We’ve compiled an extensive list of lavender farms across New South Wales, each one treating guests to unique experiences - making them well worth a visit.
