Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Around 90 minutes from Sydney by car or two hours by train, the Blue Mountains provides some of Australia's most stunning natural attractions. With dramatic views over the deep valley gouged out over millions of years, the lookouts at Wentworth Falls, Govetts Leap and Echo Point are among the most popular while the views from Sublime Point, Narrow Neck and Cahills are equally spectacular.
Make sure you take time to enjoy the wonders at Scenic World, where the glass-topped carriages of the Scenic Railway take you on a heart-stopping ride into the depths of the Jamison Valley. Or jump aboard the Scenic Skyline and journey high over the canyon for superb views of the Three Sisters and beyond.
The Blue Mountains' many bush walks include easy strolls around lookouts to longer walks such as the Grand Canyon Track, which unspools from the clifftops into the depths of the valleys. The Six Foot Track is a more challenging three-day walk along the old coach road between Katoomba and Jenolan Caves. Local adventure operators offer guided tours.
One of the best walks is the National Pass walk that is built into the side of the cliff. The National Pass is a spectacular walking track offering unrivalled views of the many natural wonders of the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park. Your journey begins at Wentworth Falls picnic area, where you can stroll over to Jamison lookout and take in magnificent views of the valley below. Listen to the cascading water at Wentworth Falls, before tackling the historic Grand Stairway, built by hand in the early 1900’s. As you’re making your way down, spare a thought for the men who built it using picks and shovels, with a bit of dynamite for good measure, more than 100 years ago. As you enter the Valley of the Waters you’ll be greeted by a set of beautiful waterfalls, including Empress, Silvia and Lodore Falls. Once you’ve climbed back out of the valley, take a break at Conservation Hut and enjoy a warm cuppa. There is really so much to see along this walk, so be sure to pack your camera to capture the views and wildlife you spot along the way.
Near Lithgow, the Glow Worm Tunnel is a disused railway tunnel where larvae of the fungus gnat cover the walls and ceiling with a bioluminescent glow, like stars blossoming in the night sky.
Explore the caves at Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve not far from Oberon. Regarded as Australia’s most outstanding cave system, Jenolan Caves is the oldest cave system in the world and is part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The main attraction is the vast network of caves and a number of them can be explored via a guided tour, plus a couple of others that you can explore on your own. The reserve offers wonderful opportunities for birdwatching, so remember to take your binoculars to look for a better view, you might also catch a glimpse of a brush-tailed rock wallaby or a platypus. There are several walking tracks to explore within the reserve, all leaving from the Caves House. Look for eastern water dragons along the Blue Pool walking track or take the McKeown Valley walk upstream from Devil’s Coach House.
Getting there
Getting to the Blue Mountains can best be achieved by car or by train from Sydney's Central Station.
The car trip can take anywhere between 1 hour 15 and 2 hours depending on Sydney traffic. However a car gives you most flexibility for exploring the mountains as many of the interesting sites are some distance from each other. Because the road route offers a number of alternatives based on traffic you are best to click on the journey map link which will provide you the most up to date routes and travel estimates.
The train takes around two and a half hours and departure times depend on the time of day, visit the Sydney Trains website for the best departure time.
The Blue Mountains delivers outstanding accommodation, from cottages and cabins to luxury resorts.